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Tom Izzo’s passion for basketball has always come with a sharp tongue, and Tuesday night delivered another classic example.
During Michigan State Spartans’ 68-52 win over the Oregon Ducks, cameras caught the longtime Spartans coach lighting into shooting guard Kur Teng during a first half huddle.
“Kur, you can’t guard my mother. My mother,” Izzo said. For context, Izzo’s mother, Dorothy, is 99-and-a-half years old.
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) January 21, 2026The moment quickly went viral, adding to the long list of unfiltered exchanges that have made Izzo one of college basketball’s most recognizable and relatable figures. Izzo has never hidden his frustration with Teng’s defense, often pointing out that improved play on that end would make the Spartans’ best shooter a fixture in the starting lineup.
Michigan State trailed 38-35 early in the second half at Matthew Knight Arena before flipping the game with a dominant stretch. The Spartans outscored Oregon 40-26 after intermission, shot 13-of-17 on 2-point attempts in the second half and committed just five turnovers.
"We're all flying back to East Lansing and [Kur Teng] is flying to Appleton. Check USA Today tomorrow him and my mom will be going at it in a nursing home gym..."
Tom Izzo on telling Kur Teng he couldn't guard his mother during MSU's game at Oregon. pic.twitter.com/WAoMTjJxY8
Afterward, Izzo doubled down on the sentiment without walking it back. He even gave a shout out to his mom, but then refocused on the game.
“I’m not going to give in to how disappointed I am,” Izzo said. “But I’m going to understand it. It was a tough road trip, and we played a team that was desperate. They played a funky zone, and we didn’t handle it great. But we’ll get better.”
The win capped a 2-0 West Coast swing and pushed Michigan State to 17-2 overall and 7-1 in the Big Ten. But Izzo was grumpy about stagnant play in the first half, and how it led to a 38-35 deficit early in the second half.
Michigan State returns home to face Maryland on Saturday.
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