Izzo On Virginia: 'It's Like Going To The Dentist'
By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak
CBS DETROIT - When presented with the idea of getting hooked up to a bio-harness and accelerometer and swallowing an ingestible thermometer that would measure his heart rate, respiratory rate and core body temperature, among other health aspects, Michigan State Tom Izzo was less than thrilled.
He had to be convinced to do the Sports Science segment, Izzo said Tuesday to Stoney and Bill of 97.1 The Ticket. In the end, though, the coach did not mind.
"He begged me to do it and said, 'I don't care. I'll do it. Maybe it'll help some coaches. Maybe it will help me,'" Izzo said. "I can't say I was thrilled to do it."
It worked out well that the monitoring took place during Michigan State's game against Illinois, which the Spartans lost 53-46, so Izzo got pretty heated.
"It was perfect for that," Izzo acknowledged. "It was perfect for me."
The part that he did not like too much was being shirtless on TV to get connected to all the monitoring devices.
"That was visual pollution," Izzo joked.
As far as the results of the tests, though, the coach was excited.
"They came in the next day and said, 'You recover fast,'" Izzo said. "I think most of the tests they showed me was pretty good ... It was different."
Next up for the Spartans is Virginia, a 1-seed that won the ACC tournament championship.
"They played good the other night," Izzo said, adding that a friend at Georgia Tech spoke highly of the Cavaliers. "He said it was the best team they played all year ... It's like going to the dentist.
"They're big and tough," Izzo added, "probably the most physical team we'll have played all year."
At long last, however, after a rocky regular season full of injuries and illness, the Spartans may be ready.
"This year's team had a little bit of everything," Izzo said. "We just didn't get to enjoy them the way we should have, and hopefully we can make up for that at the end."
