Tom Izzo has never been known for sugarcoating criticism, but even by his standards, his latest courtside roast instantly went viral. During a timeout in the Michigan State Spartans 68-52 win over the Oregon Ducks, Izzo lit into sophomore guard Kur Teng with a line that microphones caught in full.
“Kur, you can’t guard my mother. My mother.”
Tom Izzo mic’d up in the Michigan State huddle:
“Kur, you can’t guard my mother. My mother.” 😂 pic.twitter.com/81vtcvLeSY
— dunc 🌎 (@SpartyWRLD) January 21, 2026
It was funny, brutal, and unmistakably Izzo. His mother Dorothy is 99 years old, which only amplified the sting. What sounded like a joke in the moment turned out to be very real frustration from a coach who demands elite defensive effort at all times. After the game, Izzo doubled down rather than walking it back.
“That’s the sad part. She doesn’t have game and he still couldn’t guard her.”
“We’re all flying back to East Lansing and [Kur Teng] is flying to Appleton. Check USA Today tomorrow him and my mom will be going at it in a nursing home gym…”
Tom Izzo on telling Kur Teng he couldn’t guard his mother during MSU’s game at Oregon. pic.twitter.com/WAoMTjJxY8
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) January 21, 2026
The comment came during a night where Michigan State once again showed why it owns one of the best defenses in the country. The Spartans smothered Oregon for forty minutes, holding them to just 52 points and locking the Ducks into miserable half-court possessions. Still, Izzo zeroed in on Teng, whose defensive lapses stood out even in a strong team performance.
This is classic Izzo coaching. He does not use humor to soften criticism; he uses it to sharpen it. When asked if the line was meant to lighten the mood, Izzo made it clear that the goal was the opposite. He wanted Teng angry. He wanted him uncomfortable. He wanted a response.
Izzo even leaned into the moment with reporters afterward, joking that while the team flew back to East Lansing, Teng would be rerouted to Appleton, Wisconsin, for a one-on-one showdown with his mother in a nursing home gym. The joke landed because it felt authentic. Izzo was irritated, not amused, and the sarcasm was his way of making a point that words alone sometimes cannot.
Teng played just eight minutes and did not score, his lowest impact game in weeks. With Michigan State heading into a Big Ten matchup against the University of Maryland Terrapins, the message is clear. Defense is non-negotiable in Izzo’s program. Shooting gets you noticed. Guarding someone keeps you on the floor.
The line will live forever on social media, but inside the program, it was not comedy. It was a warning.
