East Lansing – Tom Izzo isn’t the kind of coach that dives into statistical analytics.
In fact, the Michigan State coach joked this week that he and his friends from the Upper Peninsula would have trouble spelling the word analytics.
But there was one statistic from Sunday’s victory over Florida Gulf Coast that caught Izzo’s attention — a plus-31 for sophomore forward Xavier Tillman. That, Izzo believes, shows what the 6-foot-8 Tillman means to the Spartans.
“Xavier right now is an enigma to me because it looks like he’s not doing that much,” Izzo said.