Tom Izzo on Michigan State’s 0-2 start and brutal schedule: ‘It ain’t broke, so why fix it?’

NEW YORK — For most top programs, November is supposed to be the month where you pad your record with blowout wins against schools the rest of the country has never heard of.

That is unless you’re Tom Izzo’s Spartans, in which case it means loads of travel and early tests against championship-caliber opponents.

On a cool, rainy, November night, in a Champions Classic that looked more like a Final Four than a run-of-the-mill, early-season doubleheader, No. 13 Michigan State was throttled by No. 2 Kentucky 69-48, falling to 0-2 for the first time since 2011.

“I think we’re a little fatigued,” Izzo said. “We didn’t shoot it well today when we got here, I think our legs are a little gone. I was very disappointed in the way we kind of did a ‘deer in the headlights,’ but you have four freshmen playing in Madison Square Garden coming off the Hawaii trip and that’s the way we played.”

This kind of early challenge isn’t unfamiliar territory for Izzo and Michigan State. In three of the past six seasons, the Spartans have opened their campaigns with back-to-back games against ranked opponents. It’s the kind of scheduling that most schools wouldn’t dare tackle.

For example, coming into Tuesday night’s game, Michigan State’s opponent, Kentucky (3-0), had played against Stephen F. Austin and Canisius — respectable programs, but not exactly world-beaters by any measure.

“We’re a little different than Kentucky and Duke,” Izzo said. “It’s been a challenge, the travel has been a challenge. This is going to make us stronger and better. Some teams are out to beat people by 30 and getting a false feel for where they’re really at.”

And while there’s panic in Storrs, Connecticut after UConn, another storied basketball program, dropped to 0-2 and likely out of the Top 25 with losses to Wagner and Northeastern, Spartan fans shouldn’t worry the way Huskies fans likely are.

“We did struggle. Warriors, good players, they are going to self-evaluate and get better,” Izzo said. “The goal is to be good at the end of the year.”

As Izzo alluded to, despite the lopsided score, there were positives to be had for the Spartans.

Miles Bridges, the talented freshman forward from Flint, Michigan, has shown flashes of the player Izzo and Michigan State will need him to be if it wants to play deep into March. His first two games as a Spartan have served as a learning opportunity for the former McDonald’s All-American.

“I felt for Miles,” Izzo said. “Miles was embarrassed tonight, those were his words.

“This happens to freshmen. He got frustrated, he didn’t get ticked off, but he got frustrated. He tried to do some things [that he normally doesn’t do]. They were loading up on him. I said ‘Miles, welcome to the real world.’ Just register and learn, this is part of the process. That’s a little bit my fault, I have to do a better job of getting through to him because he’s an extremely coachable kid.”

Despite his frustration, the preseason All-American and candidate for the Naismith Trophy, finished with a game-high 12 rebounds after leading the Spartans in scoring in Michigan State’s heartbreaking season-opening loss against Arizona on Nov. 11. Michigan State also managed to hold Kentucky to just 38 percent shooting (23-of-60) and stick to its defensive gameplan of keeping the Wildcats away from the free-throw line.

“I told my guys ‘You’re going to get exposed,’” Izzo said. “But we’re going to look at two-thirds of this game and say ‘OK, we played pretty good.’”

While Izzo attempted to stress the positives and downplay the impact his loaded schedule is having on his team, the road does not get easier for Michigan State.

Later this month, the Spartans will fly to the Bahamas to play in the Battle 4 Atlantis. In total, Michigan State will travel more than 13,600 miles in the month of November, and potentially face four top-15 teams in the process.

“I still like what I do,” Izzo said. “Sometimes I say a player makes dumb mistakes, this coach makes dumb mistakes, too. I’m not discouraged. I don’t know who was picked [in the College Football Playoff rankings] but I’m glad that I’m in the roundball sport and I get a chance to regroup here. Most of those guys don’t.”

Despite the gauntlet ahead of the Spartans, Izzo’s experience and track record deserve the benefit of the doubt. When you’ve made 19 straight NCAA tournaments, like Izzo has with Michigan State, you’re obviously doing something right.

“It ain’t broke so why fix it,” Izzo said. “It’s worked for us.”