No. 22 Michigan State pulled away in the second half for an 80-69 win against Colgate in the season opener on Monday night at the Breslin Center with an effort the head coach was far from thrilled about. Here are notable quotes from Izzo and players following the game:

Who will be MSU's breakout star? How far can the Spartans go in March Madness? Is NCAA Tournament title possible for Tom Izzo? Journey starts Monday.

Head coach Tom Izzo ended up taking in four transfers from the portal, but also got four-stars Jordan Scott and Cam Ward, who were ranked No. 56 and No. 58 in the class of 2025 on the 247Sports Composite, respectively.

Tom Izzo wants Michigan State basketball to play grittier than it did in an exhibition loss at Connecticut with the season starting Monday vs Colgate.

Izzo added the four transfers: veteran shooting guard Fort, combo guard Ugochukwu, plus Wojcik and Glenn. He also is bullish on freshman additions Cam Ward (in the post) and Jordan Scott (on the wing).

Michigan State lost this game by seven points, and they missed 15 free throws, going 29 for 44 overall. That is simply not good enough. UConn only missed seven, by comparison. If MSU shot it closer to 76-percent like the Huskies, they might have won this game. It definitely would've been closer throughout.

No. 22 Michigan State is coming off a surprising season, winning the conference by three games and reaching the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight.