Tom Izzo has been at the helm for 30 years now, and as he closes in on Bobby Knight for the all-time Big Ten wins record. I thought we should look back at some of Izzo's most memorable Big Ten wins.
Here are his 25 most memorable Big Ten wins as Michigan State basketball coach.
1. Big Ten win No. 1 vs. Indiana (Jan. 4, 1996)
Tom Izzo earned his first Big Ten victory in his first game of the league schedule during the 1995-96 season. It even came against the great Bobby Knight and his vaunted Hoosiers.
2. Big Ten win No. 19 at No. 5 Purdue (Dec. 30, 1997)
Izzo's 1997-98 squad kicked off their run for his first Big Ten regular season title by going on the road to a tough Mackey Arena, and best Gene Keady's top-five-ranked Boilermaker team. Mateen Cleaves begins his run towards player of the year in the Big Ten.
3. Big Ten win No. 30 vs. No. 22 Michigan (Feb. 17, 1998)
Cleaves and the Spartans helped deliver Izzo his first win over rival Michigan. Michigan State was able to escape with an 80-75 victory over No. 22-ranked Michigan.
4. Big Ten win No. 50 vs. Northwestern (Jan. 22, 2000)
Izzo scored Big Ten win No. 50 against the Wildcats, as the Spartans continued their climb towards the 2000 national title.
5. Big Ten win No. 59 vs. Michigan (March 4, 2000)
A record-breaking Senior Day as Mateen Cleaves, AJ Granger, and Morris Peterson said farewell in a 114-63 route.