Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo is known for being intense, including in the face of his own players.
But his aggressiveness with freshman forward Aaron Henry during the second half of the Spartans’ matchup against Bradley in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday was a bit much.
Second-seeded Michigan State held on for a 76-65 win over 15th-seeded Bradley, but not before Izzo repeatedly went after Henry during a timeout with 16:48 to go in the second half and Michigan State up by five points.
First, Izzo walked to Henry and pointed a finger almost directly into Henry’s chest as they walked toward each other during the stoppage of play, and guard Cassius Winston had to get between the coach and Henry.
Moments later, during the timeout — with Izzo and his team seated — the head coach got up and lunged in Henry’s direction, only to be stopped by guard Matt McQuaid, who grabbed Izzo by the shoulder.
Izzo eventually calmed down enough to see his team advance to the second round of the tournament. The Spartans will face 10th-seeded Minnesota on Saturday.