TO CLOSE

Chris Solari and Shawn Windsor of Free Press and Graham Couch of LSJ summarize the loss to Texas Tech at Michigan State and look to the future. Filmed on April 6, 2019.
Mike DeFabo, Lansing State Journal

MINNEAPOLIS – They had to play games they were not used to. But that's what an excellent defense does.

The Texas Tech Red Raiders were no longer and faster than the Michigan State basketball team on Saturday night, they were older and stronger.

And frankly, harder.

To the point that when Tom Izzo met Chris Beard for the coach's handshake after the match, Izzo told him so.

"They deserved to beat us," said Izzo. "They played better than us. Blows. Made incredible shots late. They were the most difficult team tonight. They were right. "

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Michigan State Guards Matt McQuaid, left, and Cassius Winston answer questions during the post-game press conference after their loss to Texas Tech, 61-51, at the Stadium US Bank in Minneapolis, Saturday, April 6, 2019. (Photo: Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press)

There is this word again: harder.

Izzo had trouble admitting it. He had been overtaken by a coach – and a growing program – which to some extent had been inspired by MSU. Beard has said it at different times of the week. He repeated it late Saturday night.

Izzo did not know if it was a compliment or an insult.

And both?

"I like the way he does it," Izzo said about Beard. "They are physical. They take you in the face all the time … they beat us at our own game. "

Not necessarily, coach. They beat you in your old game. It stings. And it should. And it's okay.

But not for long. Maybe not even for a week. Because as much as Izzo identifies with the physicality that he saw exposed in MSU's 61-51 defeat at the US Bank Stadium has not had this kind of team for a while.

For a good reason: it's hard to win as well.

The Red Raiders could win the national title Monday night against Virginia. And their course in the tournament – beating Buffalo, Michigan, Gonzaga and now MSU – is impressive.

What they have, however, is not easy to reproduce. Transfers of graduates who can make moonshots on the biggest stage. Under-recruited children who thrive in lottery choices. Firing blockers. Experience. Players built like adult men.

Texas Tech has lost five of its six scoring goals in a year and Beard has returned with a mix that has turned into a generational defense. Izzo joined the Hall of Fame's coaching defense, emphasizing the rebound and devising a fatal quick attack.

However, his last two teams in the Final Four have arrived at the weekend because of their offensive ability. And although Texas Tech was against the Spartans, MSU still missed several opportunities to take the game in the last five minutes.

We do not need to relive the game after match here. There were open blows. There were open shots missed. There were turnovers. Enough said.

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In other words, Izzo does not need to change his schedule because his team was passed for one night. His best chance to get back into the Final Four is to stay on the path he's made last season.

And he knows it.

It's the same for his former players.

"We exceeded our goals this year," said Xavier Tillman. "We managed to qualify for the final four without our best player."

Wait … best player?

"Yeah, Josh Langford is our best player."

Whether it is or not is an interesting debate. What was wrong was what Tillman meant: Langford was the team's best drummer, especially at the end of the clock.

His absence was noticeable for the first time in two months. I do not know if Langford would have changed the result. In any case, that's all.

What's important is that Langford be back next season, adding muscle, defense and shots to a talented and cerebral team that now has the taste of a deep race.

Michigan State Head Coach Tom Izzo with injured guard Joshua Langford at a training session for the Final Four on Friday, April 5, 2019 in Minneapolis. (Photo: Bob Donnan, USA TODAY Sports)

Tillman and, as a result, Cassius Winston and Aaron Henry all understand what they have built this season in East Lansing. They understand that Izzo changed the offense during the last off season. They understand that this season was the starting point. Not the end.

And that players like Matt McQuaid and Kenny Goins have led the way.

"They represent what the program is all about," said Winston. "Growth, get better, get their confidence, then take advantage of their opportunities, take advantage of the moment."

They just could not enjoy the moment in Minneapolis. Next season, the players who will replace them hope to change that.

The same goes for their coach, who spoke for nearly 20 minutes late Saturday night after closing his locker room. He leaned a wall of breeze blocks in the hallway, as he had done a year ago after his season. had ended at Little Caesars Arena.

Izzo was discouraged that day. He had had the toughest season on the short run of his career. His team has won 30 games but was unsuccessful. He did not know if he would be able to return to the recruit lounges and sell the Michigan State brand.

Or he wanted to keep trying.

Well, here it is after another end-of-season defeat. And even if he did not smile, he was not dug, sad and uncertain either.

He praised Texas Tech and his own elders. He was full of hope without being provocative. He knew that he would have removed everything from his team. That he would have lost to a better team. At least tonight. And would probably be most nights.

Yeah, it hurts. He had a real chance. A chance he has not had for almost a decade. But if he's honest about his team, the injuries he's had, and the times this has been for him and the MSU community this season, well, he will not be shooting very long.

"I'll bet that in a few days I'll be so proud of this team," he said. "Not only what they accomplished, but how they did it. And the joy that they brought. Incredible year. "

Pretty incredible?

Maybe not right now. After Duke, everything seemed so close. Still, Tillman was right when he said the team was outdated. It made.

But the core of this group is on something. Something new. Something that Izzo can continue to add, can continue to tweak. He does not need to go back to the past, in the rough teams that built his reputation.

It also does not need to copy Texas Tech. He just needs to tweak his current squad, a team on the brink of the national title.

That's why Izzo asked his players in the locker room if the match preparation was satisfactory. If the week had tired, exhausted or stressed.

He wanted to learn. Because he intends to return. Soon.

"Let's hope it does not take four more years," he said. "… I will continue to knock on the door and one of these days, this door will open."