John Fanta
College Basketball Broadcaster and Reporter
Michael Cohen
College Football and College Basketball Writer
Michigan State men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo is one win away from another milestone in his Hall of Fame career.
Izzo, who is in his 30th season as the Spartans’ head coach, will have the chance to break Bob Knight’s Big Ten Conference wins record when Michigan State takes on Illinois at 8 p.m. ET Saturday at State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois (watch on FOX and the FOX Sports app).
Izzo has one of the most impressive résumés among both current and former men’s college basketball coaches, with 10 Big Ten regular-season titles, six Big Ten Tournament titles, eight Final Fours, and one NCAA national championship. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.
But will this monumental record impact where Izzo is viewed among the top coaches in college basketball?
FOX Sports college basketball writers John Fanta and Michael Cohen answer that question ahead of the Spartans’ matchup against the Illini:
John Fanta: Any time you can break a record held by Robert Montgomery Knight, you know you’re doing something major. The General won three national championships, 11 Big Ten titles and captured a combined six national and five conference coach of the year accolades.
For Izzo to pass his Big Ten wins record with a 354th victory in this league, and for it to happen in his 30th season is simply magical, and it does impact my thinking of him. Why? Because think of the coaches that have passed through this league: Gene Keady, Bo Ryan, John Beilein, Thad Matta, and so many more. Izzo has risen over all of them in wins on the Big Ten ladder. Now, if you would like to see him win another national championship or two, I can understand that, but then again, he delivered the Big Ten’s last title in 2000. The man has been to eight Final Fours. He has taken the Spartans to a college basketball record 26 consecutive NCAA Tournaments and has reached the Sweet 16 in 15 of those trips.
From Draymond Green to Cassius Winston, to Gary Harris, Miles Bridges and so many more, Izzo has stood the test of time. And what we can appreciate most about him is that he’s authentic as ever, even in an era where it’s seemingly harder to stay true to your roots and do it the way you’ve been doing it. And yet, Jaden Akins, Jase Richardson and the Spartans are very much alive for a Big Ten regular-season crown and Izzo has a team filled with depth that can make a deep March run.
At the age of 70, while many others are getting out, Izzo is forging on and still winning at a high level. Duke, Kansas and Kentucky are in the Champions Classic every year. Michigan State joins them because of … Izzo.
He is Michigan State University. He is the Big Ten. And what he’s done in East Lansing is a three-decade performance that is nothing short of special. Izzo breaking this record is eye-popping because I’d argue Knight should be on the college basketball coaches Mount Rushmore with Mike Krzyzewski, John Wooden and Rick Pitino. The fact that Izzo will be above him is just the latest testament to his Hall of Fame career and the numbers that only continue to enhance his illustrious journey on the sidelines.
Michael Cohen: As year after year passes without a second national championship for Izzo, whose lone title came in 2000, the distance between him and the absolute pinnacle of the sport continues to grow. From that point forward, former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski added three more rings with the Blue Devils and three gold medals as head coach of the United States men’s national basketball team. Former North Carolina head coach Roy Williams cut down the nets three times. Billy Donovan (Florida), Jay Wright (Villanova) and Bill Self (Kansas) won two championships apiece. Three different coaches went on to win national titles at UConn in Jim Calhoun (2004 and 2011), Kevin Ollie (2014) and Dan Hurley (2023 and 2024). There’s a reason why columnists and fans alike have lamented Michigan State’s place in the Champions Classic each year, an event most people believe should be reserved for teams that won it all far more recently than the Spartans.
Which is why, perhaps, the ideal prism through which to view Izzo’s ranking among active coaches is through a record like the one he’ll break this season, if not Saturday night against the Illini. It’s a record that speaks to Izzo’s longevity at one institution, a rarity in modern college athletics and a reminder of how much he serves as a bridge between eras. It’s a record that highlights Izzo’s sustained success, a fact no one can argue considering he’s on the verge of reaching 20 wins in a season for the 24th time in his illustrious career. It’s a record that will forever connect him with the league’s previous dynastic kingpin in former Indiana head coach Bob Knight, who won three national championships and reached five Final Fours across 29 seasons with the Hoosiers. If Knight personified the Big Ten back then, Izzo embodies it now.
Because what is the Big Ten these days without Izzo? No Big Ten program has won a national title since he last did it in 2000. Of the 15 Big Ten teams to reach the Final Four since that year, Izzo has coached six of them, including two of the last five. He’s the face of a league that desperately needs his accomplishments to save face in a modern era that has been dominated by the Big East and the ACC. So it’s only fitting that he eclipses Knight’s record and adds yet another bullet point to a résumé that makes him one of the most accomplished coaches in the sport.
John Fanta is a national college basketball broadcaster and writer for FOX Sports. He covers the sport in a variety of capacities, from calling games on FS1 to serving as lead host on the BIG EAST Digital Network to providing commentary on The Field of 68 Media Network. Follow him at @John_Fanta.
Michael Cohen covers college football and basketball for FOX Sports with an emphasis on the Big Ten. Follow him on Twitter @Michael_Cohen13.
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