Tom Izzo thanks military veterans on aircraft carrier, assesses first half vs Gonzaga

The USS Abraham Lincoln is a sight to behold Friday night. Michigan State and Gonzaga are squaring off in a Veterans Day game aboard the aircraft carrier as part of the Armed Forces Classic, and the Spartans took a seven-point lead into halftime.

Tom Izzo isn’t taking the scene — or those who serve their country — for granted.

“I’m just appreciative of all the veterans,” Izzo told ESPN’s Chris Spatola, who’s an Army veteran. “They deserve to get some representation. That’s what Mark Few and I are doing in general, ESPN, everybody. Thank you, veterans. This scene is awesome.”

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As for the basketball, Michigan State headed to the locker room with a 38-31 lead over Gonzaga despite a rough start to the game. Joey Hauser and Malik Hall both found themselves in foul trouble, meaning other players had to step up.

They did. Mady Sissoko led the way with 10 points while Tyson Walker added seven points as Michigan State shot 50% from the field. But Izzo pointed to the nine Spartans turnovers, which Gonzaga turned into seven points. He also acknowledged the Bulldogs’ struggles controlling the basketball, too, as they committed 11 miscues.

“We’ve done some good things,” Izzo said. “I think we’ve played harder than hard, but we’ve also not played real smart. We’ve got our two best players on the bench in foul trouble, we’ve had some foolish turnovers. Didn’t run some things right. But they’ve struggled with some things, too. I think how hard we played, the fact that we’re swarming a little bit down there has really helped us.”

Michigan State is looking for its second consecutive win to start the 2022-23 season. The Spartans tipped things off earlier this week with a resounding 77-53 victory over Northern Arizona at Breslin Center on Monday.