We are in the middle of what has felt like one of the longest offseasons ever for Michigan State basketball and this is about the time we run into offseason rankings lists. We get everything from conference power rankings to head coach rankings, and usually Tom Izzo is respected heavily.
Usually, Izzo is somewhere in the top five of college basketball coaches, usually in the top three.
But what if I told you that a prominent college hoops podcast (Three Man Weave) ranked Izzo as the third-best coach... in the Big Ten? Crazy, right?
Well, a recent episode had each member of the podcast rank their Big Ten head coaches from best to worst, and Izzo appeared near the top, but not at the top where he belongs. I can forgive that because Matt Painter is a heck of a coach, but there's no one in the league even close to those two right now.
Unless you ask the guys on the Three Man Weave, especially one who has Izzo as the Big Ten's fifth-best coach. No, that's not a typo.
Just check out these insane rankings:
Was walking the dog tonight and listening to this pod, and had to compile the rankings when I get back.
— Dylan Burkhardt (@umhoops) August 12, 2025
The Weave crew has Dusty May as the No. 5 coach in the Big Ten (high as 2nd, low as 7th). What do you think of @2ndChancePoints @Ky_3MW & @matty_cox's Big Ten coach rankings? https://t.co/QwxAGgkD8w pic.twitter.com/ENSWKl1GEw
OK, I know Izzo is technically tied for second, but that may as well be a third-place ranking because of how low Matt Cox slotted the Hall of Famer. He has Izzo behind Dusty May, Brad Underwood, and Ben McCollum which is just an insane ranking. Heck, I think being behind Matt Painter is disrespectful because you just have to look at their resumes to realize they aren't that close.
Coach | Conference titles | Final Fours | National titles | Record vs. Izzo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Tom Izzo | 11 | 8 | 1 | N/A |
Matt Painter | 5 | 1 | 0 | 18-17 |
Ben McCollum | 12 (Division II) | 0 | 4 (Division II) | N/A |
Dusty May | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0-2 |
Brad Underwood | 4 (only 1 Big Ten) | 0 | 0 | 7-12 |
It's pretty clear that Izzo has the best resume here and I can understand the hype surrounding Iowa head coach Ben McCollum, but all of his success (outside of a great season with Drake) is from the Division II level. Yes, he went 31-4 with Drake this past season, but he's coached just one year at the Division I level. That's not enough to jump Izzo in any world.
The only coach who should even sniff the same realm as Izzo right now would be Painter and that's because he's been as good in the Big Ten as any coach over the past decade.
But hey, there are apparently college basketball "experts" out there who believe one-time conference champion Dusty May is the second-best coach in the Big Ten.
Disrespectful.