Michigan State basketball's Tom Izzo enters Bob Knight territory after Big Ten title
03/06/2025 01:36 AM
No. 8 Michigan State basketball head coach Tom Izzo has another achievement to add to his ever-growing resume. On Wednesday night, the No. 8 Michigan Wolverines suffered a loss to the No. 13 Maryland Terrapins to slide down to the second spot in the Big Ten conference standings and giving Izzo and Michigan State basketball at least a share of the league crown.
The Spartans defeated the No. 11 Wisconsin Badgers at Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan last Sunday, a win that was huge for a number of reasons. For one, that was a win in a Quadrant 1 matchup that should help Michigan State on Selection Sunday. Also, that put them in a great position to capture the Big Ten title, which Michigan State basketball did following the Wolverines’ loss to the Terps.
And with another conference title in the bag, Izzo has become just the third coach in Big Ten basketball history to amass 11 league titles.
That ties Izzo with former Indiana Hoosiers head coach Bob Knight and Purdue Boilermakers’ Ward Lambert, as noted by Spartans Illustrated.
It is an incredible achievement for Izzo, who has been calling the shots from the sidelines for Michigan State since the 1995-96 college basketball season. The last time the Spartans won a regular-season title in the Big Ten was back in the 2019-20 campaign when Michigan State basketball was still being led on the court by Cassius Winston.
What makes the Spartans’ Big Ten title even more impressive is the fact that they weren’t even ranked heading into the season.
But after a 5-2 start, Michigan State racked up 13 wins in a row, including nine straight against conference rivals. Their three losses thus far in Big Ten play came at the hands of the USC Trojans, UCLA Bruins and the Hoosiers. But since that loss to Indiana on Feb. 11, the Spartans have won five consecutive games, all against Big Ten opponents.
A win in any of their remaining two games in the regular season will give the Spartans solo bragging rights of being Big Ten title winners. Michigan State takes on the Iowa Hawkeyes on the road this Thursday evening. If the Spartans lose to Iowa, a win on Sunday at home against the Wolverines will get the job done for Michigan State.
The post Michigan State basketball’s Tom Izzo enters Bob Knight territory after Big Ten title appeared first on ClutchPoints.
