I have been covering Tom Izzo and Michigan State basketball for a long time. A classic sports quote that Izzo has always loved to bring up is: 'Don't read your own press clippings.' Unsurprisingly, Izzo, when asked about the challenges he sees this year, are largely related to this quote. He's afraid that his team will be too focused on the expectations and hype around his team, especially since the Final Four is in Detroit this season, and managing those expectations are a huge priority for him this season.
The past two years, this group has been largely underrated going into the season, with preseason AP Polls placing them at No. 22 (2025-26) and unranked (2024-25). This year's AP Poll is expected to come out next week, and the Spartans are expected to land somewhere in the middle of the top ten.
You can see Izzo discuss his battle with expectations below:
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This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: Tom Izzo, staff trying to manage hype for Michigan State basketball