Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo had high praise for Wisconsin’s backcourt, and specifically guard John Blackwell, when meeting with the media on Wednesday.
The comments come in advance of the No. 10-ranked Spartans’ matchup with the Badgers on Friday night. Wisconsin is fresh off a statement road win at No. 8 Illinois on Tuesday, a game in which Boyd and Blackwell combined for 49 points, five rebounds and nine assists. After seeing that performance, Izzo said he would put that backcourt duo up against any in the conference, if not in the entire sport.
“They’ve got maybe the best backcourt duo in [Nick] Boyd and [John] Blackwell,” Izzo began. “Not only in the league, but one of the better ones in the country. Boyd is quick and gets a lot of things done. And Blackwell is…Unfortunately, if I wasn’t playing against him, I think he’s one of my favorite players. Because he guards it, he’s tough, he’s strong, he can get to the rim, he can shoot 3s, he can pass it. He is definitely one of the better players in our league.”
Izzo’s praise did not end there. Blackwell is from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, right in Michigan State’s backyard. Wisconsin was the guard’s only Power Four offer coming out of high school. While he committed to the program early in the cycle, Michigan State was notably late to join his recruitment.
The Spartans’ head coach, who was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016, said he still regrets not recruiting Blackwell.
“I’d like to fire all my assistants who went through that with me. The problem is the head coach went down and saw him too,” Izzo said. “The worst part is, by the time I really started focusing in on him, it was a little later than normal. They gave him the most attention; he committed there really early. Everything about Blackwell I like. I like the family, where he played, I like the fact that he didn’t need the dating process to be forever. He knew what he wanted. He didn’t know how it would turn out at Wisconsin, and I don’t think they did…I don’t have many regrets, but that would have been one. Just because he has the whole package, if you ask me…I’d like to fire all my assistants, but I’d probably have to fire myself.”
Blackwell is averaging a career-high 33.5 minutes, 18.7 points, five rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game in 2025-26. As of Feb. 12, he ranks No. 65 in ESPN’s 2026 NBA draft big board. Continued strong play should increase that standing, especially if it comes against the No. 10-ranked Spartans on national television.
As has been the case all season, the junior guard’s play should go a long way toward deciding Friday’s result.
Izzo gushes over Wisconsin star and former Brother Rice standout G John Blackwell and says he feels that might be one of his big recruiting regrets because he loves who the kid is: “I’d like to fire my assistants, but I’d have to fire myself as well.”
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) February 11, 2026
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This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Wisconsin basketball John Blackwell Tom Izzo recruiting regret
