Four-Time National Coach of the Year
One NCAA, Five Big Ten & Two Big Ten Tournament Championships
12 Straight NCAA Tournaments
13 NBA Draft Picks, Including Six First Rounders
Six All-Americans
Graduate 83 Percent of Players that Complete Eligibility
Having recently completed his 14th year directing the Spartan program, head coach Tom Izzo has compiled an impressive list of accomplishments, including the 2000 NCAA National Championship, five regular-season Big Ten Championships, two Big Ten Tournament titles, five Final Four appearances, four National Coach of the Year awards and a Big Ten-best 12 straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
These accomplishments, however, are not what make Izzo one of the best in the game, but rather it is his insatiable desire to accomplish more.
With a career record of 336-137, it's easy to see that Izzo knows how to win, but he also knows how to win the right way. In his 14 full years directing the Spartan program, 86 percent of his players who completed their eligibility also left with a degree. In the last 10 years, 32 Spartans have received their undergraduate degrees, including five each in 2001, 2003 and 2007.
The 2008-09 season was one of the best in the history of Spartan basketball. Michigan State advanced to its fifth Final Four in 11 seasons, becoming just the fifth school in the history of college basketball to accomplish that feat. During the regular season, the Spartans won the Big Ten Championship with a 15-3 league record, including a school-best 8-1 mark on the road. MSU won the league title by four games, equaling the second-greatest margin in conference history. Overall, Michigan State finished the season with a 31-7 record, the third-highest win total in school history. For his efforts, Izzo was named Big Ten Coach of the Year. Of the 18 20-win seasons in Michigan State history, Izzo has been involved in 15 of them, 10 as a head coach and five as an assistant.
Izzo directed Michigan State to a 27-9 record in 2007-08, recording the ninth 20-win season in the last 11 years. The season finished with a trip to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, marking MSU's seventh trip to the regionals in the last 11 years, tying for second most in the nation. The 27 wins marked the fifth-largest total in school history, while the 24 regular-season victories were the third-largest regular-season total for MSU. The Spartans were a perfect 17-0 at home, good for the first perfect home season since 2001 and just the fourth in Breslin Center history.
The Spartans led the Big Ten in rebounding margin (+6.8) for the ninth time in the last 11 seasons. In league games, MSU paced the conference in field-goal percentage (.474) for the fifth-straight season, becoming the first school in league history to accomplish that feat. Defensively, the Spartans held 19 of 36 opponents below 40 percent shooting, and 33 of 36 below 50 percent.
Michigan State finished with a 23-12 mark in 2006-07. The Spartans had to overcome a large amount of adversity and a very difficult Big Ten schedule, but they did advance to a 10th-straight NCAA Tournament. The Spartans also did something for the first time in school history - recording Michigan State's first home win over a No. 1-ranked team, with a 64-55 over Wisconsin.
The 2006-07 Michigan State squad excelled by getting back to Spartan basics - rebounding and defense. On the glass, the Spartans led the Big Ten in rebounding margin (+7.0). Defensively, MSU allowed opponents just 57.2 points per game, the lowest total since the 1951-52 squad allowed 56.0 points. Opponents also shot just 38.4 percent from the field, the lowest percentage since 1958-59 (.379). Nationally, the Spartans ranked sixth in scoring defense and field-goal percentage defense and eighth in rebounding margin.
