Tag: Tom Izzo

Michigan State basketball goes unbeaten in December and January for first time in Tom Izzo’s career

This year’s Michigan State team has done something that has never been done in the Tom Izzo era

After thirty years as the head coach at Michigan State, it’s rare to see Tom Izzo do anything for the first time, but that’s exactly what happened on Tuesday night.

With a blowout win at home against Minnesota on Tuesday night, Michigan State basketball has achieved something for the first time in program history since Tom Izzo took over thirty years ago by going unbeaten in December and January.

The Spartans are currently on a 13-game winning streak, which, coincidentally, started with a win on the road against Minnesota back on Dec. 4. That winning streak led them all the way up to Tuesday’s win, again, over Minnesota, achieving the mark.

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MSU head coach Tom Izzo credits Jase Richardson, Coen Carr in win over Rutgers

Hear what Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo had to say about the Spartans’ victory over Rutgers on Saturday

Michigan State basketball leaned on a pair of underclassmen to get a big-time win over Rutgers on Saturday afternoon.

Michigan State led for much of the game, but didn’t pull away until midway through the second half. Michigan State fended off a late rally from Rutgers to hold on for the 81-74 victory.

Michigan State was led offensively by Jase Richardson, who finished with 20 points off the bench. Coen Carr (14 points) and Jaden Akins (12 points) also reached double-digits in points.

Michigan State (17-2, 8-0 Big Ten) has won 12 straight games.

Hear what coach Tom Izzo had to say about the Spartans’ victory over Rutgers on Saturday.

This video is courtesy of SpartanMag

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Tom Izzo previews, talks upcoming matchup against Rutgers on Saturday

MSU head coach Tom Izzo previews the Spartans’ upcoming matchup against Rutgers on Saturday from Madison Square Garden

Michigan State basketball will look to remain perfect in Big Ten play in a neutral site matchup against Rutgers on Saturday.

The Spartans are rolling, currently on an 11-game winning streak following this past weekend’s victory over Illinois. Michigan State is 16-2 overall and 7-0 in Big Ten play this year.

Rutgers comes into this matchup in need of marquee wins to save their season. The Scarlet Knights are 10-9 overall and 3-5 in Big Ten play.

This matchup between the Spartans will be played at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The game is scheduled to tip off at 1:30 p.m. ET and will be televised on CBS.

Hear what Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo had to say about this upcoming matchup against Rutgers in his weekly press conference.

This video is courtesy of SpartanMag

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Michigan State baseball coach Jake Boss tells touching story about Tom Izzo

Jake Boss told a touching story about Tom Izzo in his press conference this week

At this point, if you are reading this post, you probably know how much Tom Izzo loves Michigan State and all the faculty, students and alumni there. But, in case you had any doubts, Michigan State baseball coach Jake Boss told an anecdote on Wednesday that should those up for you.

Coach Boss lost his mother over the weekend. Tom Izzo had one of his biggest games of the season on Sunday against Illinois, but that didn’t stop him from calling both Coach Boss, and Boss’ father, multiple times on Sunday to check on them and give his condolences.

You can watch him tell the story below:

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Watch Tom Izzo recaps MSU Basketball’s ‘crazy’ win over Illinois

Watch MSU head coach Tom Izzo recap and breakdown the Spartans’ “crazy” win over Illinois on Sunday

It was a thrilling afternoon in the Breslin Center on Sunday afternoon, with the Spartans coming out on top in the end vs. Illinois.

Michigan State overcame a poor start to knock off ranked foe Illinois from the Breslin Center. The Spartans won by the final score of 80-78.

Michigan State trailed by as many as 10 in the first half, but a strong finish to the opening frame resulted in a tie game at the break. The second half was back-and-forth most of the way, and it came down to Michigan State holding off Illinois in the final seconds of the game for the win.

With the win, Michigan State remains perfect in Big Ten play with a 7-0 conference mark. The Spartans are now 16-2 overall and have won 11 straight games.

Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo met with the media following the victory over the Fighting Illini — hear what he had to say in the video below.

This video is courtesy of SpartanMag

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Tom Izzo frustrated with Spartans’ following win over Penn State

MSU’s winning streak continued on Wednesday night, but that doesn’t mean head coach Tom Izzo was happy about the performance

Michigan State basketball’s winning streak continued on Wednesday night, but that doesn’t mean head coach Tom Izzo was happy about the performance.

The Spartans fended off a pesky Penn State team en route to a 90-85 victory on Wednesday night from the Breslin Center. Michigan State led throughout the entire game but was never able to pull away for a comfortable win.

Michigan State is now 15-2 overall and 6-0 in Big Ten play following the victory. The Spartans have won 10 straight games, which is the program’s longest winning streak since 2018.

Hear Izzo express his frustration following the victory in the video below.

This video is courtesy of SpartanMag

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Michigan State basketball guard Nick Sanders out with a stress reaction

Michigan State basketball guard Nick Sanders out with a stress reaction

Michigan State basketball has had a unique penchant for foot injuries the last few years, and you can add guard Nick Sanders to the list of Spartans to have suffered a foot injury while wearing the green and white.

Chris Solari of the Detroit Free Press reported that, according to Tom Izzo, Sanders will be out a week or two while he deals with a stress reaction in his foot. Sanders missed Sunday’s win against Northwestern while rehabbing the injury.

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Watch MSU head coach Tom Izzo talk strong start in win vs. NW on Sunday

Watch MSU head coach Tom Izzo talk about the Spartans’ strong start in Sunday’s victory over Northwestern

It was Michigan State basketball’s fast start in the first half that led the way in a big-time road win over Northwestern on Sunday.

Michigan State used a 22-3 run and overall dominant performance in the first half to build a near-20 point advantage at the break. That’s what Spartans head coach Tom Izzo was impressed with following the 78-68 victory.

Michigan State got an all-around team effort, with Jaden Akins leading the Spartans in scoring with 14 points. Jase Richardson had 13 points to follow, and Jeremy Fears was right behind with 12 points and eight assists.

With the win, Michigan State is now 14-2 overall and 5-0 in Big Ten play. The Spartans have now won nine straight games and are tied with rival Michigan for first place in the Big Ten.

Hear what Izzo had to say about the Spartans’ fast start and overall performance in the win over Northwestern.

This video is courtesy of SpartanMag

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Duke basketball working toward a 2025 road game against Michigan State, per report

According to a Friday report from Jon Rothstein, Duke basketball is working toward a potential road game against Michigan State next season.

According to a Friday report from college basketball insider Jon Rothstein, the Duke Blue Devils might be headed to East Lansing next December.

Rothstein wrote that the Blue Devils and Michigan State Spartans are deep in negotiations for a potential 2025-26 non-conference meeting. While Rothstein emphasized that the deal is not yet finalized, he said it would take place on Michigan State’s campus.

“Since both leagues play conference games in December, certain things would need to be amended from a scheduling perspective for both teams to be able to play head-to-head in East Lansing,” Rothstein wrote for College Hoops Today.

The Blue Devils have faced Michigan State 18 times and only lost three of those games, most recently handing the Spartans a 74-65 loss in November 2023. The two schools recently traded home games in 2019-20 and 2020-21 with Duke winning in East Lansing and the Spartans winning at Cameron Indoor Stadium the following season.

Tom Izzo, the legendary Michigan State head coach, is now in his 30th season with the program. He’s been the Spartans coach for all but one of the 18 Duke matchups.

Tom Izzo comments on ‘specialness’ of Michigan State basketball program

For Tom Izzo, Thursday night’s alumni game against Washington was ‘bigger than the game’

One common refrain I have noticed from Tom Izzo in his later years is his constant mission to make sure that fans, alumni, faculty, media members – basically anyone who comes in contact with the Michigan State basketball program – appreciates what a unique program they have in East Lansing.

On Thursday night, the Spartans blew out the Washington Huskies on alumni night, and after the game, Tom Izzo made sure to give credit to all the alumni who came back and noted the ‘specialness’ of the program he has overseen all these years.

Watch it below:

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