Tom Izzo is loved for a lot of things, but nothing stands out more than his wild, honest relationship with his players. On any given night, you might see Izzo and his guys yelling, screaming, hugging, or even crying together during or after games. And one such moment happened between Izzo and Kur Teng during the game against Oregon.

Izzo was seen yelling during a team huddle, “Kur, you can’t guard my mother. My mother,” at Teng over his defense. And for context, his mother, Dorothy, is 99 years old. You might assume he was joking to motivate Teng, but it was far from that. Izzo later clarified he wasn’t joking at all.

“My mother’s 99 and a half. No, that’s the sad part. She doesn’t have game, and he still couldn’t guard her,” he said, making it clear he meant every word. “I was serious as a jaybird.” He then explained why he went at Teng the way he did.

“I’m hoping he’s — the word starts with a P — off,” Izzo said. “I’m hoping that it ticks him off and maybe he’ll play better angry because some of it was un-stomachable and I haven’t said that much this whole year.” Izzo wasn’t done with the humor either.

“So yeah, we’re all flying back to East Lansing. He’s flying to Appleton. Check USA Today tomorrow. Him and my mom will be going at it in a nursing home in a gym, and we’ll see how he does.”

The 70-year-old was clearly frustrated with Teng’s performance in the 68-52 win over Oregon. Teng recorded zeros across the board. No points, rebounds, assists, blocks, or steals. Instead, he had a turnover and two fouls in eight minutes. Tom Izzo had plenty of reason to be frustrated.

Izzo has questioned Teng’s defense all season. If he liked it more, Teng, who is one of their best shooters at 37.7% from deep, would probably start every night instead of just four times. He’s putting up 7.7 points, 2.2 boards, and 1.1 assists, and if he wants to be a full-time starter as a sophomore, he’ll need to contribute more on both ends.

But even without Teng, Michigan State has been more than fine and is already prepping for what’s ahead.

What’s next for Tom Izzo and co.?

With another win over Oregon, No. 10 Michigan State moved to 17-2 overall and 7-1 in the Big Ten. It marked their third straight win over the Ducks and added to a resume that already includes victories over Kentucky, Arkansas, and North Carolina. The Spartans are rolling, but they also know the path forward won’t be simple.

Before a big showdown with No. 3 Michigan, the Spartans have Maryland and Rutgers on the schedule. Those first two games should be manageable for Tom Izzo and his team. ESPN gives them better than an 88% chance to win each. But the Michigan game will be a different challenge.

Michigan is one of the top teams in the country right now. That loss to Nebraska was surprising, but outside of that, they’ve handled pretty much everyone and have the second-best scoring margin in the nation. For Michigan State to win, Jaxon Kohler, Jeremy Fears Jr., and the rest will need to be sharp, and you’d imagine Kur Teng has to step up as well.

Tom Izzo has different ways to motivate his players, and if a tongue-in-cheek remark helps them beat the Wolverines? He won’t mind one bit.