Coaches often talk about ignoring outside distractions, but Purdue’s Matt Painter took issue with words from one member of the Michigan State student section on Jan. 21.
The Boilermaker head coach was involved in a verbal exchange with the "Izzone" after his team’s 83-58 loss to the Spartans. Painter was upset after hearing someone shout for Purdue forward Robbie Hummel to tear his ACL a third time.
Izzo confirmed the injury-related heckling at his weekly press conference Monday, the Lansing State Journal reported. Like Painter, the dean of Big Ten coaches wasn’t happy about the incident.
The Spartan head coach said he plans on emailing students to "let them know how big of an impact one idiot can have on a bunch of good people."
"Would I love to see that kid and tell him what I think of who he is and what he is? Yeah, I would," Izzo said. "I mean, it’s below the belt when a guy’s battled through two knee injuries, and you say something about his knee. It’s just uncalled for, It’s ridiculous. So if that made Matt Painter mad, I completely understand."
Hummel, a redshirt senior, suffered his first ACL tear in final weeks of the 2009-10 regular season The injury derailed the then-24-3 Boilermakers’ Final Four hopes. He re-tore the same ACL that October and missed the entire next season.
"I think the Izzone is great," Painter said at a press conference following Saturday’s game. "But if they’re going to say, ‘I hope you tear your ACL again,’ I’m going to say something. He doesn’t deserve that. We’ve got guys in our student section who probably say things that are out of line, too, but I’m just not taking it. If he hears that, someone’s got to fight for him."
Hummel is Purdue’s leading scorer at 15.4 points per game, but his shooting percentages are well below his career average. He went 0-for-11 against Michigan State and is shooting only 39.1 percent from the field this season — down from 45.9 percent coming into the 2011-12 campaign.
"It’s part of the game," Hummel told reporters after the Michigan State game. "They’re one of the toughest places to play in America. I could give a crap what the Izzone says."
Beilein compares Burke with Eli Manning
What does Michigan freshman guard Trey Burke have in common with a Super Bowl-winning quarterback?
A lot, if you ask Wolverine head coach John Beilein.
Beilein, who is in his fifth season in charge of the Maize and Blue, said he conjured images of Burke while watching Eli Manning lead the New York Giants to an NFC championship win against San Francisco on Sunday.
"His court demeanor and his practice demeanor — forget about the numbers," Beilein said during Monday’s Big Ten teleconference. "I thought about that yesterday, watching Eli Manning getting knocked down, knocked down, and the next thing you know, he’s calling the audible to the next play."
Burke’s 4.9 assists per game rank as the Big Ten’s third-best average. He’s also 12th in scoring at 14.6 points per game.
"While Trey Burke has a long way to go to get to [Manning’s] category, he possesses those qualities," Beilein said. "He can bounce back in adversity, and he can stay levelheaded during times that we’re playing really well."