Izzo was probably expecting a few laughs at his expense just for wearing the elf sweater. However, he probably was not anticipating the laughs that would result from the image of him yelling at the referee and getting called for a technical foul while wearing that aforementioned ugly sweater.
It happened with 1:36 left in the first half with Michigan State up 26-24. Michigan State had the ball outside the three-point line and was setting up a play when a foul was called on Oakland guard Osei Price. A second later, however, one of the officials turned around and T'd up Izzo. It was unclear what he said to trigger the technical foul, but Izzo was clearly not happy, leading to some angry words - and some hilarious images, given the elf sweater he was wearing:
Now that's funny. No getting around it. Even Izzo himself will have to appreciate the humor of these images.
Ultimately, Michigan State pulled away in the second half for the 67-54 victory, so it could be said that Izzo was able to fire up his team with his anger. We've seen sports athletes wear ugly Christmas sweaters before, but we don't see coaches wear them too often, and this is probably why. These unforgettable images of Izzo wearing an elf sweater will bring fans enjoyment for years to come.
[ESPN]
Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports) and like Holdout Sports on Facebook.
