Michigan St. HC Tom Izzo passes Bob Knight for most overall wins in Big Ten history
With "Selection Sunday" exactly one week away and his team currently just outside of the top 25 ranked squads in the country, Michigan St. men's basketball coach Tom Izzo probably has lofty goals of making serious noise in the "Big Dance" later this month. The longtime Spartans legend earned a historic victory on Sunday against Maryland before that quest begins, as his group downed the Terrapins 77-67.
The win over Maryland was Izzo's 663rd at Michigan St., which sent him past Indiana icon Bob Knight for the most total wins with a single Big Ten men's program. This includes both non-conference and postseason opponents — Knight still has the edge over Izzo for most Big Ten wins by a count of 353 to 322.
Izzo joined the Spartans as an assistant in 1983 and became their head coach in 1995. The 67-year-old has guided 10 regular-season conference championships, six conference tournament titles and has brought Michigan St. to the NCAA Tournament on 23 occasions, including eight Final Fours.
As a No. 1 seed, the Spartans won the NCAA title in 2000 against fifth-seeded Florida. Izzo has a career 663-265 record, and Michigan St. hasn't missed the Big Dance since his second season at the helm in 1996-1997.
Along the way, Izzo has earned three Big Ten Coach of the Year Awards and one AP Coach of the Year Award, among other honors. He has coached the likes of future NBA players Draymond Green, Jason Richardson and Miles Bridges.
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