Tom Izzo on analytics that resulted in Big Ten getting only eight teams in: 'Stick them where the sun doesn't shine'

Tom Izzo isn’t a fan of analytics, to say the least. The Michigan State head coach wants to fire them into the sun, or something like that.

The Big Ten received eight bids for the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Meanwhile the SEC received a record 14 teams this season.

It wasn’t a direct conference comparison, but Izzo was still a little surprised teams like Indiana and Ohio State were left out. So now the analytics can go elsewhere, per the Spartans’ coach.

“Everybody’s going to be critical of this and critical of that,” Izzo said. “A little ironic on how not more than eight Big Ten teams got in. It’s easy to say I don’t think we got the respect we deserved when I wasn’t one of the schools that was on the bubble, but, you know, I thought Indiana deserved to be in, and maybe even Ohio State, especially looking at some of the teams that got in. 

“And it’s the hardest thing about this tournament, you know, I wish we’d go back like it used to be, the analytics can, they can stick them where the sun doesn’t shine … I still say football does a better job with the eye test, and that’s taking nothing away from the committee or anything. But I just think that it’s more real, you know? And maybe that wouldn’t be good either, but I do think the Big Ten deserved more than eight teams, and I guess we got to do a better job as a league.” 

Despite that, Izzo liked his team’s position in the tournament after being battle tested in the Big Ten Tournament. That has its own pros and cons.

“But for me, I’m ecstatic about where we are,” Izzo said. “You know, we played awfully good ball against I mean, I don’t know if we ever had a stretch where we played that many high powered teams in critical situations, on the road, short prep time. I think we’re prepared for the tournament. But as you saw today, you know, if a best player scores 32 one day and goes one for 14, if fatigue sets in, you know, like, I don’t know, Wisconsin plays tonight, and then they go to Colorado on Thursday with you know, I don’t know. 

“Where does Michigan go, you know? But that’s the one issue of playing the late game as good as it is to win a championship.”