March Madness: 10 best moments from the 2019 NCAA Tournament

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 08: De'Andre Hunter #12, Kyle Guy #5, and Ty Jerome #11 of the Virginia Cavaliers huddle together during overtime against the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the 2019 NCAA men's Final Four National Championship game at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 08, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) /

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DES MOINES, IOWA – MARCH 21: Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans glares at Aaron Henry #11 after a play during their game in the First Round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament against the Bradley Braves at Wells Fargo Arena on March 21, 2019 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

9. Tom Izzo goes nuclear on Aaron Henry

There was a lot of pressure on Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo entering the NCAA Tournament. Izzo, long regarded as a March wizard, had people questioning whether he was losing his touch after exiting in the first weekend each of the last three years.

The Spartans ran into some trouble in the first round, when 15-seed Bradley gave them all they could handle. The Braves made life miserable for the Spartans, knocking down contested shots and playing aggressive defense, but Michigan State responded with a 10-0 run early in the second half to build a solid lead.

Izzo called a timeout in the middle of that run, and what he chose to do with it went viral almost immediately. When freshman forward Aaron Henry appeared to ignore Izzo’s instructions, the Hall of Fame coach lost his mind, erupting in a fit of rage aimed at one of the youngest Spartans.

The rest of the players needed to separate Izzo and Henry, with Cassius Winston stepping in to talk to Henry and relay Izzo’s message with a more measured tone. Social media went nuts about Izzo’s meltdown, arguing that this was a case of bullying and calling for Izzo’s head on a stick.

All of the Spartans’ players, including Henry, came out after the game in defense of their coach and his methods. Michigan State ended up hanging on for the win over Bradley, setting the stage for another memorable March run for the guys from East Lansing.

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