Jan. 29, 2009
Recap | Box Score | Photo Gallery 
Iowa Head Coach Todd Lickliter
“I don’t know about you but I felt that all I saw was a green blur going past us at a high speed. We told the guys about it and we showed it on the tapes but you can’t completely understand that kind of speed until you encounter it and play it on the court.”
“They are a well coached, very skilled, physical team. If you don’t get your defense up and get them off the glass any team, not just the Hawkeyes, will find it difficult to play against them.”
“I thought there were times that we played well and times that we showed resiliency. There were definitely some things tonight that we can build on. Looking at our Big Ten record, it may not be where we want it to be but when you look at our level of play, I think our play shows progress.”
“I think tonight we struggled with understanding our teammate’s strengths. We struggled knowing how deep to get into the pain and we struggled with shooting more open. However, we are getting better. This group is very coachable and in my opinion we will continue to get better.”
Michigan State Head Coach Tom Izzo
“I think it was a big win for us, believe it or not. I know in some people’s minds, Iowa has struggled a little bit, but not at home. We got our running game going, got out to a good start. As I said, we’ve still got a long way to go and I think we can get a lot better.”
“Watching Iowa on film, I think Todd has done a great job running this team. They’ve been very difficult to beat at home. They probably should have come into this game undefeated and his young guys are playing well. We put a lot into covering them, and I think we did a good job with them. They have a promising year this year and down the road.”
“They missed some shots early that they were making on film. We haven’t won here very much the last couple of years, which is why we gave this a lot of attention.”
“I didn’t know how many people would be here. Everybody said they were a little down, but I heard they had some kind of promotion. When we were warming up, it wasn’t a big problem, but the last thing I said in the huddle is, `Let’s not let the crowd get into it’. They hung in there. As I say at Michigan State, you don’t build your program just with your team and players. It’s the fans and the community. I’ve been here when the roof has come off this place and that will get you four-to-five more home wins. That’s a step into the right direction, and definitely with this young team, those guards, they are going to be a force before it’s all over.”