Michigan State's Tom Izzo Glad Spartans Faced Adversity in Final Spain Game
Michigan State men’s basketball fell to KK FMP, 115-110, in its final exhibition of its Spain trip.
Aidan Champion | 9 Hours Ago
Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo reacts to a play against North Carolina during the second half of the NCAA tournament West Region second round at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C. on Saturday, March 23, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK
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Michigan State men's basketball dropped its final exhibition game in Spain, falling to KK FMP, 115-110, at Palau Blaugrana, the same arena where Spartan legend Earvin "Magic" Johnson and the 1992 "Dream Team" won gold.
The Spartans battled back valiantly, however, coming within 2 points in the third quarter after a 9-point halftime deficit and finishing within 5 after being down 15 points at one point in the fourth quarter.
Michigan State transfer wing Frankie Fidler led the Spartans in scoring with 18 points, followed by Jaden Akins (16 points) and Xavier Booker and Jase Richardson, who each finished with 11.
Despite the loss, Spartans coach Tom Izzo was a bit relieved his team was tested in its final game of the overseas trip.
"In some ways, I'm happy [with] what happened," Izzo said. "I want people to know that we got a long way to go yet. And you win a game or two over here and everybody thinks you're ready to win the national championship. You lose a game, and probably, everybody will think you're not very good. But the truth of it is, it was a great comeback, their team played well, we played pretty well at times.
"Our best players got to play well. Jaden [Akins] and Book struggled a little bit. But we got some bull out of a lot of other guys. Jaxon [Kohler] had one of his best games. I thought Coen [Carr] is playing better and better. He's really starting to play well. I thought, after a rugged start, Jeremy [Fears Jr.] came back and played pretty good. And Jase — I thought Jase played really well. We just didn't get enough of our best players to play their best. And that's what got to happen.
"So, we got a long way to go, but it was an interesting game, and it was one that we'll learn a lot from. We got beat up a little bit, and that's good for us."
The Spartans won their first two exhibition games against the Madrid All-Stars and Valencia All-Stars. Today is Day 8 of their 10-day trip.
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