Tom Izzo Makes Big Ten History! Surpasses Bob Knight as Michigan State Rallies Past Illinois

Tom Izzo Makes Big Ten History! Surpasses Bob Knight as Michigan State Rallies Past Illinois

 

Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo surpassed Indiana legend Bob Knight for the most career Big Ten wins on Saturday, as the 11th-ranked Spartans surged in the second half to secure a 79-65 victory at Illinois. The milestone marked Izzo’s 354th Big Ten victory, a long-awaited achievement following a difficult two-week stretch for Michigan State.

 

 

 

After opening conference play with a 9-0 record, leaving Izzo just one win shy of tying Knight, the Spartans lost three of their next four games before facing Illinois. Izzo had equaled Knight’s total with a win over Oregon the previous Saturday but fell short of breaking the record in a home loss to Indiana on Tuesday. That defeat was particularly surprising, given that the Hoosiers had lost five straight games entering the matchup.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Illinois appeared poised to delay Izzo’s milestone even further, jumping out to an early 31-15 lead. However, Michigan State (20-5, 11-3 Big Ten) dominated the second half, outscoring Illinois (17-9, 9-7) 42-24. Jaxon Kohler led the Spartans with 23 points and 10 rebounds, while Tre Holloman contributed 14 points.

 

 

 

Knight, who coached Indiana from 1971 to 2000, compiled his Big Ten victories during an era when teams played only 14 conference games per season, compared to the 20-game league schedule in place for the past seven seasons.