EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan State coach Tom Izzo tied Bob Knight's Big Ten record for wins, leading the ninth-ranked Spartans to a comeback 86-74 victory over Oregon on Saturday.
Perhaps fittingly, Izzo matched the mark with conference win No. 353 on the day of the program's annual reunion of former players and celebration of the 2000 national championship team.
Knight, who died in 2023, led the Hoosiers to three NCAA titles from 1971 to 2000 and was one of Izzo's mentors during his first season as Jud Heathcote's successor in 1995.
“He was good to me and he was a great coach who did many things I haven't done,” Izzo said. “I'm proud of it because I get to be talked about with a guy who I thought really highly as a coach, and I get to appreciate how many players won games for me.”
Michigan State, which was coming off losses at USC and UCLA, trailed the Ducks 50-36 at halftime before rallying for a 12-point win.
“That was one of the great comebacks,” Izzo said. “If it’s not one of the best wins at home, it’s a top-fiver.”
After the comeback was complete and the Breslin Center was buzzing with fired-up fans, Izzo was in tears while hugging some of the 2000 national champions in attendance: Mateen Cleaves, Morris Peterson, Andre Hutson and Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia.
“When I looked behind the bench and those guys were all sitting there, it was a memory-making moment,” Izzo said. “They made Tom Izzo and they did a lot to make Michigan State basketball, winning four Big Ten championships, going to three Final Fours and winning a national championship.”
Izzo, inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016, has a career record of 352-172 in Big Ten games and 725-299 overall.
Oregon coach Dana Altman, who is in his 15th season at the school and has 771 wins in 36 Division I seasons, heaped praise on Izzo and the program he has built.
“What they’ve been able to accomplish year after year is something all of us as coaches really appreciate and respect,” Altman said. "They play hard. They play physical.
“The whole coaching fraternity has a great deal of respect for him.”
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Follow Larry Lage at https://apnews.com/author/larry-lage
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