Tim Miles Drops Surprising Truth About Michigan State Basketball After Tough Loss

Tim Miles, now steering the San Jose State Spartans, recently reunited with an old rival — and a respected friend — Michigan State’s Tom Izzo. Having helmed Nebraska’s program from 2012 to 2019, Miles knows the Big Ten grind all too well, so spotting San Jose State on Michigan State’s schedule didn’t exactly raise eyebrows. Thursday night’s showdown at the Breslin Center proved gritty: San Jose State dug deep in the second half, making it a legitimate contest before ultimately succumbing in a Spartan-on-Spartan battle. After the final buzzer, Miles expressed genuine respect for the Spartans’ prowess and shared candid insights about Izzo’s coaching, standout players, and the physicality Michigan State brings to the hardwood. Curious about what went down inside the postgame locker room? LEARN MORE

San Jose State head coach Tim Miles knows Tom Izzo well. Honestly, it was not surprising to see San Jose State on the schedule, as he keeps great relationships with past and present Big Ten coaches. For those who don’t know, Miles was the coach at Nebraska from 2012-2019. Miles was back in the Breslin Center on Thursday night to take on Michigan State basketball, and, to his team’s credit, they didn’t give up and fought in the second half to make it a real game, before ultimately falling to MSU in a Spartan vs. Spartan match-up.

After the game, Miles was very appreciative of the opportunity and complimentary of Michigan State. Here are some notable quotes from his post game press conference:

On Tom Izzo

“What was fun, for me, was to have our guys watch coach Izzo on tape. Their transition is as good as anyone in the country. Their bigs play with pace. I’ve competed against coach Izzo since 2012, with a hiatus. Tonight, it was great for our guys to see it.”
“Coach Izzo said he called me twice, but it was my old Nebraska number. I had to give him my new California number. I appreciate Izzo’s mentorship. It is great to learn from those guys.”

On Coen Carr

“Coen Carr is as good as there is as a dunker that I have ever seen.”

On Jeremy Fears

“Jeremy Fears Jr. is THE guy, he’s running the show, you have to deal with him.”

On MSU’s bigs

“Kohler and Cooper are hard to deal with. Two center-ish players. Cooper was taller than I thought. I was not happy about that. They are tough on the glass. That is Michigan State, they always got that physicality.”

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This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: What San Jose State head coach Tim Miles said about Michigan State