Michigan State coach Tom Izzo apologizes to team for tough schedule

— -- Michigan State Spartans?coach Tom Izzo said he did a terrible job putting together his schedule, leaving his team little time to practice and develop, following its 73-58 loss to the No. 20 Baylor Bears?in the Battle 4 Atlantis on Thursday.

The No. 24 Spartans (3-3) had already lost to Arizona in Hawaii and Kentucky in New York before Thursday's loss, and they travel to Duke next week in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

"I actually apologized to my team,'' he said. "And yet, I've always played a tough schedule. ... You know what? You can take it as an excuse, you can take it as the truth, I don't give a damn. I'm telling you what I did. This ain't on them. It's on me."

Directly addressing Thursday's loss, he said: "We were moving the ball and really playing well I thought through the first half, and we quit doing that. I just think we looked awfully tired. I can accept that that's my fault, not theirs.''

Prior to facing the Blue Devils on Tuesday, Michigan State will play in the Battle 4 Atlantis third-place game Friday against Wichita State, which is unranked but received votes in this week's Associated Press Top 25 poll.