Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo talks to guard Jeremy Fears Jr. (1) after a play against Auburn during the second half of the Elite Eight round of NCAA tournament at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Ga. on Sunday, March 30, 2025. Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Where MSU's Izzo Ranks Among Top 25 Coaches of Century

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Tom Cavanaugh | Last updated Jul 17, 2025 3:06 PM ET

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo found himself in recent news once again for being a complete legend. Since the turn of the century, there are a handful of coaches that have cemented themselves in the history of college basketball and there is no doubt that Izzo is amongst that group.

The Athletic's CJ Moore recently revealed his top 25 college basketball coaches of the 2000s, and, obviously, Izzo was on that list.

The Hall-of-Fame head coach came in at No. 9 on the list. He likely would have been higher, but Moore didn't include the national title, as the ranking only considers the 2000-01 season and everything after.

The longest-tenured coach in the Big Ten has the most wins in conference history (354), eight Final Four appearances, 11 Big Ten regular season titles, six Big Ten Tournament championships and a national title -- the greatness speaks for itself.

What makes him such a memorable and legendary talent is not just the banners and trophies that he has put into the Spartan showcase over the 30 years as head coach, but the culture that he has built around the program. Four and five-star recruits come to MSU for the brand name because of him.

Any alumnus of Izzo's who speaks on their time at MSU has only said good things about the program and, in turn, Izzo. You hear horror stories all the time of other famous college coaches that have not held the same legacy and respect from former players like Spartan alums do for Izzo.

There are not many seasons left that Izzo will be at the helm of the program and players alongside fans must appreciate the time that they have with him as their mentor, friend and head coach. The titles are fun and all, but what this program and its players get from him is more than just basketball.

Izzo will seek to improve his status even more this season with an 18th Big Ten title in program history, trying to go back-to-back. He has also said in the past that he is going to make a deeper run in the NCAA Tournament or "die trying." He made that run last season, but surely, he still isn't done trying.

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