EAST LANSING – Matt Costello sat slumped in a chair in the Michigan State locker room.
He was disgusted with himself, even though he had scored a career-high 22 points on Sunday in an 88-69 victory over Indiana. Even though he grabbed 11 rebounds. Even though he blocked three shots, tying a season high.
Costello was not happy with his performance.
“I don’t think there has been a progression,” he said, talking about his defense. “I think there has been a regression, and I need to pick it up.”
If you had to boil down Michigan State’s blueprint for success under Tom Izzo — the tough, blue-collar mentality — that statement sums up the underlying attitude.