Tom Izzo loathes Michigan. The Michigan State head coach has had to hate Michigan throughout his career, and that’s not going to stop any time soon. He’ll go to his grave hating Michigan.
But just because he hates Michigan doesn’t mean he’s actively rooting against the Wolverines.
You read that correctly: Izzo isn’t rooting heavily against Michigan in the 2026 NCAA Tournament like we all would have hoped and expected. No, he’s rooting slightly for Michigan, he admitted on Kay Adams’ podcast on Tuesday afternoon.
Tom Izzo wants another shot at Michigan.
— Kay Adams (@heykayadams) March 24, 2026
Natty. Handshake. Bad blood. Reverence. BAD BLOOD. 🤣 @MSU_Basketball @UpAndAdamsShow
pic.twitter.com/kvUIpta9h7
OK, so his reason for rooting for Michigan is pretty simple: he wants another shot at them. I would bet that if Michigan State is knocked out before the national title game and Michigan is still in it, he’ll be actively rooting against the Wolverines. But while both teams are still in the NCAA Tournament, he’s going to root for Michigan slightly because he wants that rematch.
Honestly, the most competitive thing he could possibly do in this scenario is root for Michigan. It might be more competitive to root against your top rival, but wanting to face them again to get revenge just shows how much of a competitor Izzo really is.
This man wants to beat Michigan so bad that he’s rooting for a national title rematch.
Tom Izzo, ladies and gentlemen.
Tom Izzo addresses the “quick handshake”
In the same interview with Adams, Izzo was asked about the quick handshake between him and Dusty May in that first meeting in East Lansing that drew plenty of attention.
His answer just made sense: “What do you want me to do, hug and kiss him?”
That quick handshake in East Lansing was followed by another pretty swift one in Ann Arbor, but Izzo is right. He doesn’t like Michigan, probably isn’t a huge fan of May, so he did the respectful thing and shook his hand and moved on. There’s no reason to exchange phony pleasantries.
If Izzo gets his way, though, there’s going to be another handshake between the two that will be talked about even more in a couple of weeks.
A national title game between Michigan and Michigan State would burn down the state.