Tom Izzo calls out 'screwed up society' for contributing to Jeremy Fears technical

The Michigan State Spartans found themselves in a close battle with the Penn State Nittany Lions on Wednesday. It’s a game that nearly swung on the decision by an official to hit Michigan State guard Jeremy Fears with a technical foul.

Following the game, Tom Izzo shared some of his thoughts on the technical foul, explaining that he needs to get his message more clearly into his players because the way society has become it is likely going to cost players and teams with how officials are handled in the modern game.

“Let me tell you something,” Tom Izzo said. “I talked to him about this at Northwestern. I talked to him before.
I love these guys. [Mateen] Cleaves stuck up for his guys. Everybody would have stuck up. I love guys. I stuck up for him. I’m the only guy getting technical. Okay? If some things weren’t said, I warned him before. It cost us a foul, that put him on a bench later on, when he got his fourth. You just can’t do it.
And I’m telling you now, thanks to our screwed up society, if you say one word now, I mean officials are being consistent with this, they’re giving technicals all over. I warn my guys about that.
I’m going to do a better job tomorrow warning them.”

On the play in question, Fears appeared to be going to the defense of one of his Michigan State teammates. However, he clearly did so in a way that the officials didn’t appreciate the way he did so and that led to the technical.

Michigan State’s Szymon Zapala drove to the rim and was fouled hard by Penn State’s Ace Baldwin. Fears came in from the outside, running past an official, to get in Baldwin’s face about the play.

Izzo took Fears out of the game and he didn’t play late because he was in foul trouble relating to the technical, as well as other fouls that he accumulated over the course of the game. In a close game against a Big Ten opponent, that could have had an impact on the game.

Ultimately, Michigan State was able to win the game, so the technical foul wasn’t overly costly. Now, it’s going to be important to avoid making those technical fouls a trend that the Spartans need to deal with because they could be costly down the road. Those are the kinds of mental mistakes that Izzo is looking to avoid moving forward, especially on Sunday when the Spartans host a tough Illinois team.