The Michigan State Spartans secured the Big Ten regular season championship outright on Thursday after defeating Iowa on the road. This victory further cemented the legacy of head coach Tom Izzo. With this win, Izzo captured his 11th Big Ten title, placing him in elite company among the conference’s all-time great coaches.
The Spartans achieved this success despite many writing them off in February, after they dropped three out of four games to USC, UCLA, and Indiana. However, Izzo refused to let that rough stretch define his team. Michigan State is a storied blue blood in college basketball, led by one of the greatest coaches of all time
On Sunday, the Spartans hosted rival Michigan for their regular season finale. Michigan State had won the previous matchup in Ann Arbor two weeks earlier, defeating Michigan by double digits. This time, nothing would change. Izzo had his team ready to play, and the Spartans cruised to an easy victory, maintaining control throughout the game. Michigan never really stood a chance, playing sloppy for most of the contest.
The intensity of the rivalry flared near the end of the game when junior Tre Holloman got into a scuffle with two Michigan players standing on the Spartan logo. The incident occurred with less than a minute left, just before Michigan State was set to begin its annual Senior Day tradition of kissing the Spartan head.
