The night before Tom Izzo put a new-look Michigan State squad on the court, he threw more support behind his football counterpart.

To kick off coach Jonathan Smith’s weekly radio show on Wednesday night, Izzo was front and center at the start.

With speculation about Smith’s job security lingering midway through his second season, the Hall of Famer attempted to rally the fans at One North Kitchen & Bar in East Lansing.

“I didn’t come tonight to be on this (show), I’ll be honest with you,” Izzo said, acknowledging frustration from fans while also recalling thinking he’d be fired three decades ago amid a rocky start. “The natives were a little restless and I understood it. My wife had me sleep in the garage but things got turned around.”

Following an unscathed run through nonconference pl

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