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Whether he likes it or not, Michigan State head basketball coach Tom Izzo is going to be making a lot more trips to the West Coast once USC, UCLA and the other ex-Pac-12 schools join the Big Ten Conference. So he’s having a little fun with the idea.
Speaking to the media this week, was asked about the adjustments he’ll be making for trips to California and the Pacific Northwest. Izzo joked that making a few mid-season trips to the West Coast would be a good chance for him to work on his tan.
“They add a chance to get some tanlines in the winter,” Izzo said, via On3 Sports. “That’s what they’re gonna be for me.”
When the jokes were done, Izzo spoke glowingly about the new additions to the conference. He said he’s excited to play against the likes of USC, Oregon and Washington, noting that he’s good friends with USC head coach Mick Cronin too.
“Look what’s happened with the Big Ten Network. Look what’s happened with the expansion of our league, and I think there’s been a lot more positives than negatives and I think that will continue. So, I’m excited. Mick Cronin is a good friend. We played USC last year. We played Oregon last year. We haven’t played Washington recently, but I guess I’m excited. There’s gonna be some incredible trips and I’m looking forward to them,” he added.
Here is today’s #B1GMediaDays press conference schedule.
📺: @BigTenNetwork
💻: https://t.co/vUumvKuTCL pic.twitter.com/Qa48NpmxiU— Big Ten Men’s Basketball (@B1GMBBall) October 10, 2023
We’ve spent so much time talking about how the Big Ten’s expansion is going to change football that scarcely a drop of ink has been used to discuss how it’ll work in college hoops.
We won’t find out in earnest until the 2024-25 season, but it could wind up being a seismic shift in ways we haven’t even foreseen yet.