Tom izz ostein one of the best team in the country. In the latest AP Top twenty five pool, they are now ranked twelve in the nation. Matt Stegana sees that day in and d out, day out. He's at practice, he's calling every game. He does a hell of a job on the Spartan Basketball on Network. The former Mister Basketball, the former Spartan starter of three years, and the former McDonald's All American joins us here on exis and bros. How you doing, Matt, Hey, I'm doing great, Chep, how
are you hey? It's great to talk to you. All the best to you and your family. What's been the biggest difference between Michigan State this year and MSU last year? Do you think?
Well, we had a lot of turnover, and I think the number one key to it has been Jeremy Fears at the point guard. I mean, it's pretty basic tom Izzo basketball. We always seem to have really good point guards and when they're a bit like him, we do really well. And Jeremy Fears is just a tough, up nosed kid and he's playing some great basketball, I mean just defensively, offensively, he is in at the difference maker and the way he's pushing the ball in transition. It's
kind of back the old time. Is a basics, it's just fun to watch.
Yeah, how important do you think that that is overall? And how tough is that to identify whether the player plays like that? Like I said that earlier this year when we were talking about your team, I had mentioned him and I had talked about his ability to push. Now I can bring up Eric Snow in the past and certain players who I appreciated doing just that doesn't mean you have to be that type of player to be an effective point guard. I don't think you know,
Cashius Winston pushed it in a different way. But how important do you think that is for his offense and how do you as a player recognize that that specific player has that in him.
Well, I think with Jeremy he's a pass first point guard, you know, and he's learning to get better finishing at the rim. But right now, if you're a player running the wing, you're going to run to get open. You're going to run to that three point line find a spot, or if he goes to the rim, you're going to make sure he sees you. And it's just the luxury of the player. I mean I was a wing player.
I remember when Magic Johnson would come back and play with us, and if I did have my eyes on Magic, the ball would hit me in the side of the head or on the back of the head. You know, is that he Jeremy's that kind of passer, and you know, it's a huge luxury. And what is really great about him though, is when players don't respond or don't do what he wants, He's in their face. He's the director, he's the floor general, and he really exudes that. He doesn't do it with us by the way he plays well.
He does, but he doesn't both vocally and with his player.
Yeah, Matt Staging of the outstanding MSU radio analyst johnn is here on Exies and Bros. As the Spartans get ready to take on Penn State tonight, Michigan State, right or wrong? I think we oftentimes label players and we label teams. We label programs at the collegiate level. Viewed as a defensive minded team scoring at eighty one points per game, third best defense in the Big Ten, how would you describe this team overall?
You know, it's a team of nine to ten starters. Everybody's buying into the call it. You know, this theory, this this game plan, and with them many guys in the playing rotation, you can't take a day off. I mean, practice is a battle. It's just like a game, and that translates to playing every day. We've had really kind of one letdown. We've got well, and I think at the beginning of the season we were learning how to play.
I mean, we were very competitive in that Kansas game, not knowing how good we were, but maybe the Western Michigan game we kind of took our foot off the gas a little bit. But I think there's a great learning lesson for this team. Now these are kids again, and it'll probably happen again, but right now there's no letup, and I think that's what this makes this team special.
When you're in film sessions and watching this when did when did it click for you? When did you recognize Like people talked about the North Carolina a game, Matt, I thought, Michigan State has been playing sound basketball for the most part. It's hard to put together a perfect game, but sound basketball really all year long. Maybe one kickup, when did it click for you and you recognize you know what, this team's this team's pretty freaking good.
You know. I hate to admit that it was the North Carolina game, but in retrospect, you go back maybe a two games before when we played Colorado and Maui. We were worried about that game. It just seemed like a bad matchup, and yet we handled it with ease and blew them out really and that was kind of the beginning of Wow, Okay, maybe this team has something. Then we fell flat against Memphis and they threw out an athletic defense that we just kind of panicked, and
that was other than the Western game. That, you know, bad performance. But then to turn it around and you know, you know, it's like in Maui. It's it's three games in three days. You don't have time to think about it too much. But so many players spent extra time with the coaches. When I came out of my hotel room and I took my family there, I didn't have a lot of time to spend with a team, but I would see these one on ones with the coaches watching on their laptop, and they were doing the work
and they were getting it done. And that performance later that night against Carolina was spectacular even though Carolina is showing you know, in December, maybe they weren't that good and now they're starting to win again. And it was that performance.
See see, I'm with you. It was the Colorado game for me, and not that I'm some expert on the Buffaloes basketball program. But you knew they had length, right, you knew they had size. I thought that was the difference when people look at North Carolina. I get it because of who North Carolina is supposed to be and who they have always been. But I thought from a
matchup standpoint, the Colorado game was really impressive. And now on this nine game role, are you of the belief And we were talking about this earlier in the show. When it comes down to football, some people believe, oh, this is it's the perfect time to lose, because once you get in a role, eventually it's going to end. I've never been that type of person to believe that, but I do understand you can learn from losing Red Wings.
Last night, Todd McClelland basically talked about how his guys weren't even playing great at the end of a blowout went over Seattle, but it came to roost last night. How do you feel about winning streaks and where they come during the season. What's your philosophy on that and should you even mention it or worry about it.
I'm with you. I don't buy into it. I think with every game, no one can play a perfect no team can play a perfect game, and so you can always find things to improve on no matter what. And that's my philosophy. But I don't think your team's going to run the table, not in this league anyway. It's such a gaulllet But yeah, I'm with you. And by the way, going back to the Colorado game, Yukam played the game right in front of us and we all
witnessed that that Danny Hurley meld down. So yeah, I think we kind of learned, like, Okay, we better pay attention here because anybody in this tournament, that Maui tournament can beat anybody, and we did not take color moddo whitey.
I was excited before the season began about Michigan State basketball because I truly felt like this team would play the way we're used to seeing them play, and that is and maybe it's unfair, and I'll be willing to accept it. Defense and rebounding, and right now Michigan State is I look at field goal percentage against. I don't look at necessarily points per game against, number two in
the conference in that regard. Am I wrong there? And is it an unfair label to say that's who you and your teammates in Michigan State have always been first, physical defense and rebounding. Shooting comes a little bit later.
You know. I don't think we were physical the last couple of years. And that's the difference with this team. And Chris Collins talked about it postgame after on Sunday at Northwestern, So yeah, this team is different. Jackson cohle Er, it's playing with something to prove. Hasn't played a lot the last two years, and I don't think he wants to give up that starting role. And then guys come in waves and just get it done, and that's I think that's a luxury. There's no star on this team.
Jay Nakens is emerging. But when the season started I thought that was a problem. Clearly it's not. It shows you how wrong we are at to beginning of the season, and I thought this team was going to go as far as Xavier Booker would take it now again that's proven to be wrong. However, if Xavier Booker plays great and he's shown the flashes, this team could be that much more special.
Can I ask you about a guy who probably doesn't get nearly enough credit. And maybe I'm nitpicking here, but I really like Jace Richardson. Can you tell me what you like most about him and where you see him being an integral part with this team, not just this year but moving forward.
Well, you look at his shooting percentages. I mean, he is the perfect guy to bring off the bench. Right now, he's shooting over sixty percent from the field, near fifty from three, and he's probably one of only two guys that can get his own shot. And so you need someone like that. And while we haven't had a lot of close games to you know, to watch him do it, either he or Jay Nakens will and have to be
that guy. So that's what he brings. I mean, he's I mean you could argue you're starting to hear maybe the hype about him getting drafted next year. I mean that good.
It's interesting you bring that up with close games. I'm sure as a player you wanted to beat the crap out of everybody, and I get it as an analyst, Now, how important do you think it is that a team play in close games? Because you know, damn well, when you're in the NCAA tournament, that's bound to happen.
Well, it's going to happen. So I'm not really worried about it. As a broadcaster, I like close games. They're a lot more fun to call. All these blows out wins are the worst, so although you'll take them every time, but but it'll happen. It has to, and you know we've we've got some tough games. I mean, tonight's not going to be a night off. It could never handy.
Anytime you let up, you're going to get beat. But you know we're we're going to start Daniel February is going to be a challenge, and then it'll happen.
Matt Stagan joining us here on Exus and Bros. The former McDonald's All America, the former Michigan State three year starter and the former second round pick of the Chicago Bills Bulls Rather and now the outstanding color analysts from Michigan State Radio Network as they get ready to take on Penn State. Just a couple more for you the
Big Ten as a whole. You know, everybody's looking at Tennessee and Auburn and Duke, and I get it to a certain extent, and I feel like the Big Ten is just kind of waiting in the weeds with some good teams here. How do you handicap the conference overall? And do you think nationally it is getting overlooked?
You know, I turned on Sports Center this morning and all they talk about is the SEC. And I mean, maybe granted, obviously, you know, all those teams are ranked high, and ESPN has a huge vested interest in the SEC. But yeah, starting to really kind of piss me off. And I really think we are getting overlooked, you know, big time. But you know, until we start beating some of those teams and I have to go back and you know, we've had close games with a lot of them.
I think, you know, Illinois was it with Tennessee, And you know, there's isn't any real marquee wins that I come to mind, but you know, it's the way it might be the rest of the rest of the way. Hopefully, you know, we're approaching the top ten, you know, Michigan start to move up as well, and it'd be nice to get you know, purdueing Illinois back in there and we'll see what happens.
Yeah, it's seventeen right now, Illinois at nineteen, and as you mentioned, Michigan at twenty, Wisconsin actually at twenty four. I'm still getting used to the teams from out west UCLA who dropped out USC and things of that nature. One more for you before we let you go. Penn State tonight. As you mentioned, and you know this better than anybody, that you don't take teams lightly. I never think Michigan State teams if they lose, I never say
it's because they took them lightly. I think that's a casual cliche that we oftentimes you use in sports talk radio and on TV that I don't think that happens. I think they're ready. Sometimes you just have off nights for crying out loud, it's bound to happen. What does Penn State? What about Penn State can concern you? And what will be most important for m issue to extend the winning streak to double digits tonight?
Well, Penn State's best player, Ace Baldwin, didn't play in their last game, which they probably should have won, right, I mean, so there's an example if you just can't take anyone lightly, if they're missing somebody, you know, to come into East Lansing, teams have to shoot the three. Well, you know, they got to almost shoot maybe ten percentage points better than their season average, and they have to try to compete with us on the boards. And you're right,
Michigan State has to probably have an off night. We haven't been a great three point shooting team all seasons long. But what people are noticing in the Big Ten play, I think we're forced so actually pretty good in Big Ten Play. But yeah, we'd have to have an off night shooting to lose this one.
Do you encourage that? How do you weigh that a three point If you're not a great three point shooting team but you're left alone, should you not take it? If you're not a great three point shooting team, should you be more patient and work for a better too? Because two point shooting Michigan State is really good, but as you mentioned in conference play, your three point shot seems to be dialed in a little bit more. Take me under the head of a coach and an analyst.
Here are you concerned when your team is getting open looks and not making or just rushing through to take a three, because that seems to the way basketball is being played these days.
You know. I remember back four or five years ago when Fred Hoiberg got to Nebraska. Yeah, and he had this mindset that we're going to run and shoot the three every time, and they were shooting like twenty two percent. I remember talking with a team and before the game and we're talking about it, and I said, well, hey, will it just depends who's shooting them. It's great if you can make them, but if you can't make them, you got to stop shooting them because they were just
getting run out of the gym. But he had to go out and recruit some better shooters. It's a tough one, right. I'm not a coach, but watching it so much, you got to really read your team. I mean, I don't we worked so hard at it. I just could never imagine that we would not take threes. But look at our game against Northwestern, they ran us off the line. We only took eight. Our season low before that was sixteen. So you know, you play the game the way it
comes to you. Obviously, of defending your face. Some teams, some players keep shooting it. I wouldn't.
Hey, last thing, sorry I've said that twice now, but last thing, you watch a lot of basketball because you're a basketball junkie. Do you like the NBA product?
Boy, that's a tough one, you know, having played when it was such a different stuff. I'll you know my gut reactions always know. I've never been able to watch it posts my playing days during the season. I love watching the playoffs, so it's it's different, clearly, But you know, I was more of a six seven, you know, more athletic type player. I would have loved this style went back when I was in my twenties. But you know that's the way it goes.
Yeah, Hey, keep up the great work man, til will I said, hello, good luck the rest of the way. You got a hell of a basketball team. We're happy for you, and we're we're rooting the Spartans on. We appreciate the time today. Thanks Matt, you got it up anytime.