BASKETBALL

Tom Izzo finally cleared the hump after 5 long years

Back on top where he belongs.

Published

11 months ago

March 21, 2025

Ben Schadel

Tom Izzo did it again.

After five years, Izzo and his team finally captured another Big Ten regular season championship, his 11th. Key additions Jase Richardson, Szymon Zapala, and assistant coach Saddi Washington, as well as the development of the program, propelled the Spartans forward into the No. 1 spot in the Big Ten.

The job isn’t over though, as Izzo isn’t satisfied.

This spring will be Michigan State’s 27th straight NCAA tournament appearance, and with the Spartans’ first-round matchup with the 15-seeded Bryant Bulldogs, the players and staff alike are equally determined to get back to a far run in March.

Izzo even came out publicly last season after a loss to North Carolina in the Round of 32 about his future, “I’m getting back to a deeper run in this tournament, or I’m going to die trying.”

The Hall of Famer is currently in his 30th year as Michigan State’s head coach. He’s seen some predominant basketball stars elevate his program throughout the years. Draymond Green, Cassius Winston, and Jason Richardson are just a few to name, and that’s only some of the players who have seen success after leaving the Michigan State basketball program.

Izzo also has a respectable coaching tree. At least five of his former assistants have moved on to head coaching gigs in the past, but don’t think Izzo forgot about them either.

Current MSU associate head coach Doug Wojcik has been at Michigan State for his second time since 2021. Wojcik began coaching the Spartans back in 2003 and then left in 2005 for Tulsa’s head coach opening. After Wojcik was fired following seven years with the Golden Hurricane, Izzo came calling and hired his former assistant back once more.

And Wojcik isn’t the only coach Izzo has elevated after bringing him in. Year after year, Michigan State assistants are on watch lists for head coach openings around the country. Every time, the coach attributes their success to Izzo himself.

The 70-year-old doesn’t just have a great eye for talent, he knows how to get the best of his players and the crowd as well.

Take MSU’s game against Wisconsin on Sunday, March 2, as a perfect example. In the second half, as the Spartans went on a run, Izzo turned into his old self as he fired up his arms, egging the crowd on to be louder and get into the game.

At the podium after the win, Izzo then went back to his old ways, and immediately credited Wisconsin coach Greg Gard, “I give Gard a ton of credit. They ran us off the court at the beginning.”

When Izzo was asked about his Big Ten record 11 Big Ten regular season championships, “Some things like that will matter more to me when I’m done but not right now. I would trade the 350 wins or 11 Big Ten championships for a natty.”

And if that doesn’t convince you about Tom Izzo and his lust for success, all wonders were eliminated with MSU’s dominant play this season. Starting unranked in the preseason AP poll, then winning 10 straight games, and finally winning the Big Ten regular season championship has pushed MSU back onto the national map as perennial contenders.

Michigan State is looking to continue that success on Friday night in Cleveland in the Round of 64 at 10 p.m. ET. Of the eight Big Ten teams in the tournament, Michigan State is the highest-ranked squad in the conference.

The conference has always been a staple of college basketball, but it has been 25 years since a Big Ten team won the NCAA Tournament.

That team? The 2000 Michigan State Spartans.

Ever since then, though, Izzo and the MSU fanbase have been longing for another one, and with an extremely favorable bracket, and a hungrier-than-ever Izzo at the helm, Michigan State is looking stronger than most thought they would be at the beginning of the season.