Tom Izzo calls out Ohio State fans, shocked by Jamari Wheeler

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo believes Ohio State should be disappointed in its crowd from Thursday night. Following a 80-69 road loss to the Buckeyes, Izzo called out the fans in his postgame press conference while also expressing shock at how well Jamari Wheeler shot the ball from 3-point range.

“I was disappointed in their fans,” the coach said. “I thought the way his team has played and how hard they play, this place should be rocking and packed. For them to come out and play like they did and hit the shots they — (EJ) Liddell hit a couple of threes and he’s a really good player. …God, if I thought (Jamari) Wheeler was gonna hit four 3s in the first half, I’d have bet my life on it. That’s no insult to him, it’s just what he did. And we weren’t even doubling then. So a desperate team played desperate and very well.”

Wheeler was one of four Ohio State players to finish the game in double figures as he scored 16 points. The senior guard hit all four of his 3-pointers in the first half and went 4-for-8 from beyond the arc for the entire game.

The Buckeyes wasted no time jumping out on Michigan State, beginning the game with a 13-0 run. The Spartans rallied back to get within as close as four points, but ultimately trailed the entire game. Although Tom Izzo was mostly critical of the Ohio State crowd following the game, he did give them credit for motivating senior center Joey Brunk, who finished the game with 18 points and six rebounds.

“Where I do give the fans a lot of credit is I think they lifted Joey Brunk,” Izzo said. “When he sat down they cheered. When he stood up they cheered. When he got the ball they went ape. So that was pretty cool.”

Thursday night’s loss marked the seventh for Michigan State in its past nine games. The Spartans dropped to 19-11 on the season with just one game remaining before the Big Ten Tournament is set to begin March 9 in Indianapolis. Meanwhile, Ohio State improved to 19-9 and was listed as a five seed in On3’s most recent bracketology projections.

The Buckeyes close out the regular season at home against Michigan at 12:30 p.m. ET Saturday. Hopefully the fans can bring the energy as OSU looks to finish the schedule on a strong note.