Tom Izzo reflects on the 2019 Final Four game with Chris Beard ahead of reuniting in the Sweet 16
ATLANTA — When Ole Miss and Michigan State meet inside State Farm Arena on Friday it will be a reuniting of Chris Beard and Tom Izzo who are familiar with encountering each other’s team in late March.
Six years ago Beard led Texas Tech to the Final Four for a showdown with Izzo’s Spartans. Beard got the advantage over Izzo with his Red Raiders winning by 10 points, advancing to the championship game.
Now in 2025 the two head coaches reunite in the Sweet 16, but don’t expect Izzo to have dusted off that 2019 game film in preparation this week.
“You know, I’m crazy but I’m not a masochist. Why would I want to go back and watch something where I got my butt kicked?” Izzo retorted on Thursday when asked if watch that Final Four showdown.
Though he did lament he took a peak at it briefly before turning to all of the game film from Ole Miss’ season this year because there is six years of time elapsed and a lot has changed, for both of them.
“I watched Chris during the year. I watched him at Texas,” Izzo added. “Once they beat us and we did become friends, of course I watch people I respect and how they play, but every team is different. I think I know what his philosophy is and I think he knows what mine is. So, it wasn’t like I went back and looked at something that didn’t work out for me.”
Izzo knows what kind of Ole Miss team he is expecting to play. One where defense and physicality is the name of the game, something Beard has taken with him everywhere he has gone.
The longtime Michigan State head coach did reflect on that Final Four meeting in Minneapolis, acknowledging Texas Texas was the better team on the floor that night.
Top 10
- 1New
Baseball Field of 64
Projecting NCAA Baseball Tournament
- 2
ESPN Top 25
Way Too Early hoops rankings
- 3
Pop Isaacs
Creighton guard commits to Houston
- 4Hot
Mel Kiper
2-round mock draft
- 5
Seth Trimble
Announces UNC return
Get the On3 Top 10 to your inbox every morning
By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.
“I thought we got punked up there,” Izzo said. “I thought we weren’t ready for that and we’re usually the more physical team. But, I thought his team did a hell of a job and it was a dog fight game until the end. They did beat us and deserved to beat us. So, I did (have) respect for Chris then just on how he coached, how he was and how he was after the game.”
Beard echoed the respect Izzo showed but he is more focused on this Ole Miss team and not the past.
The Rebels second-year head coach is one who lives in the present constantly, usually not even remembering a game that happened a couple days earlier.
Of course in preparing for his next game Beard gets to prepare for an Izzo team yet again with the chance to secure a second victory, putting Ole Miss in the Elite 8 for the first time in program history.
Respect is not lost, though, on Beard. He still uses a rebounding drill in practice that was made famous by Izzo and Michigan State. All great coaches pull what works for other coaches and adapts it to their own.
“This year’s team at Michigan State is a really good team, obviously Big Ten champion for a reason,” Beard said on Thursday. “Definitely have an identity. The defense and rebounding are real. I think this team has a really good offensive transition to get the ball from A to B as quick as anybody we’ve played all season.”
