Tom Izzo’s players had to forcibly push him off of the court in the middle of Saturday’s game. He was furious!
The entire sequence took place just before halftime when Jaden Akins knocked down a corner triple to put Michigan State up by five over Illinois.
As the guard ran back up the floor, he turned and looked back at the Fighting Illini bench. A technical foul was assessed.
If Akins did not say anything to the bench, the decision to ‘T’ him up was extremely soft. However, going off of the nearby assistant coach’s reaction, it seems as though some words left his mouth.
Thus, the technical foul.
Jaden Akins was assessed a technical foul after turning towards the Illinois bench after this three. pic.twitter.com/vaIuBwBAh2
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) February 10, 2024
Akins, a junior, knows better than to taunt an opponent. Even if the technical foul was lame, the officials were warranted in their decision because of the player’s antics. Had he not looked at the bench, nothing could have been called. It’s that simple.
Izzo was not happy with Akins for that reaason.
Even though there was not a timeout called, the 69-year-old stormed onto the court and started to charge at his guard to chew him out. He went rogue!
As his coach approached the team huddle, A.J. Hoggard stepped in to keep him out. Izzo was definitely not supposed to be on the floor, let alone all of the way in the paint. It was hilarious.
Fortunately, even though he probably didn’t appreciate being touched in such a manner, Tom Izzo seemed to recognize that Hoggard was actually right. Michigan State players had to corral their head coach like he is an out-of-control toddler.
The entire exchange was unusual but, fortunately, the Spartans avoided further reprimand. Big Ten officials were so quick to give Akins a technical foul. They easily could have done the same for Izzo.
He was most certainly not allowed to be on the court like he was. You can’t do that!