MSU's opponent, Bryant, is coached by Phil Martelli Jr., the son of legendary college basketball coach Phil Martelli, who is also a good friend of Tom Izzo. On Sunday, after Martelli spoke on his relationship with Izzo, he talked about the Spartans team as a whole, giving a slight preview on the matchup between the Bulldogs and Spartans.

The elder Martelli made the NCAAs seven times as coach at St. Joe's. His son has reached it for the first time as coach of the Bryant Bulldogs.

The senior Martelli was a longtime coach at Saint Joseph, but was most recently the associate head coach at Michigan. Notably, Martelli and Tom Izzo are very good friends, and their relationship is well noted. With the relationship between Martelli and Izzo, Martelli Jr. has received some of the benefits of the close relationship with Izzo.