Basketball break
Before plunging fully into football for the next six weeks or so, it's time to check in with Tom Izzo's bunch, who will be in Dayton this morning for the funeral of Adreian Payne's grandmother.
“We just had a phenomenal semester academically," Izzo said. "All the freshmen were great. Adreian Payne, Nix, phenomenal. Appling, we were unbelievable, I mean the best ever. So that’s encouraging because it means that guys are focusing on what they’ve got to do.”
Two, he won't come out and say it because of what happened last year, but it's easy to see how excited he is about Nix. Yes, Nix is down to 274, but Izzo said the fat-to-muscle change is much more dramatic than it was a year ago.
Izzo told a story of seeing Nix at Breslin as Nix was going to work out. The new scoreboard (which is quite impressive, by the way) was showing highlights of last year's team during a test run.
Izzo joked with Nix: "Who is that fat (guy) wearing your number?”
Nix laughed: “I don’t know.”
“I mean, he agreed it was just so different," Izzo said. "I mean, you look down in the gym and see him and say, ‘Is that Day-Day?’ He looks remarkably different.”
The work crew installing the scoreboard pretty much went all day long for four straight days, Izzo said. During the conversation with Nix, one of them approached and said to Izzo: “Coach, this guy here, we were here all night and at midnight last night he was in here working out.”
Also today, game week means the first installment of three questions. And here's another tribute to Tom Kowalski that you should read.
Mark Dantonio's press conference is set for 11:30 a.m. Check back for updates on the depth chart and everything else.
