January, February... Izzo
While the taste of defeat is still fresh for many Spartans following Kansas State’s 98-93 win in overtime, we can take some solace in a record-breaking year for Head Coach Tom Izzo.
Coach Izzo made history earlier this March when he led the Spartans to an NCAA Tournament bid for the 25th consecutive time. The Spartans most recent victory was a thrilling 69-60 upset over 2-seed Marquette, marking Izzo's 16th win as a coach of a lower-seeded team in an NCAA Tournament game. That's more than any other coach in history, surpassing even the legendary Jim Boeheim.
But that's not all. Michigan State's win also landed the Spartans in the Sweet 16 for the 15th time in Izzo's career, and the first time since 2019. This feat includes breaking another record by taking a team seeded No. 5 or lower to the regional semifinals for the sixth time in NCAA Tournament history.
It's safe to say that Izzo's record 16 wins with lower-seeded teams will be hard to beat. Auburn's Bruce Pearl comes closest with just nine such victories. And while Izzo may be approaching the "back-nine" of his career, he's still expected to coach for several more years, giving him plenty of opportunities to add to his impressive record.
