MSU players gets sendoff into game; family, fans react

CHICAGO (WNEM) - The Michigan State men’s basketball team is taking on Ohio State at the Big Ten Championship in Chicago.

Before tip off, the Spartans got a rousing sendoff from their team hotel.

TV5′s James Felton was there and he said those close to the program are embracing the excitement tournament play brings.

“It’s always great, yeah. It’s always great to have the band and the cheerleaders here to have a great sendoff,” said Lupe Izzo, Coach Tom Izzo’s wife.

Izzo was talking about the warm exit her husband and his squad received as they left the team hotel to take on Ohio State at the Big Ten Tournament in Chicago.

“Well this is the time of year we all look forward to, so it’s very exciting. But it’s also kind of gut-wrenching, you know, to be here because the tournaments are starting and it becomes real real now,” she said.

Of course, there were plenty of Spartan fans on hand too, like MSU alum Carolina Fuentes.

“We are a Spartan family and want to make sure that they continue to feel that love and that support, not just on campus but also off campus wherever they are,” said Fuentes.

Fuentes is quick to point out everyone in the Spartan community has been through a lot the last month, and that’s why she appreciates what these student athletes are doing regardless of the final score.

“Every win is meaningful, but the fact that they come out and they give all their effort everyday, whether taking and balancing their class work, and their academics, and everything that they have going on in their lives and at home. The fact that they show up and they give us everything that they have is important,” she said. “And when they win, it just makes it extra special.”

As for Izzo, she thinks it would be great for the Spartan community to be playing basketball deep into March.

“It helps our alumni and people across the country that can’t be with us. I think it helps them feel a little closer to be with us and watch us and give them a little bit of excitement along the way,” she said.

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