Tough Day-After For MSU's Tom Izzo
By LARRY LAGE/AP Sports Writer
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Michigan State's Tom Izzo says the loss to Ohio State was his toughest in 17 seasons as a head coach.
Izzo was still somber Monday, a day after the Spartans lost to the Buckeyes and had to settle for a share of the Big Ten title. Izzo says he'll take every second of his 24-hour rule to feel pain before moving on to the next task.
The eighth-ranked Spartans will be the top-seeded team at the conference tournament in Indianapolis.
They'll play the winner of the Iowa-Illinois game on Friday without a key starter.
Izzo says standout freshman Branden Dawson, who tore a ligament in his left knee in Sunday's setback to Ohio State, will need surgery and is expected to need about six months to recover.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
