Michigan State overcame an early 16-point deficit in a hostile environment on Saturday night, surging past Illinois 79-65 to secure Tom Izzo's 354th career Big Ten win. The victory broke a tie with Bobby Knight atop the all-time list, a truly impressive feat of prolonged winning and longevity. Izzo, who is in his 30th season leading the Spartans, joined Fox's Jim Jackson for an on-court interview after surpassing the mark.
"I just want to be thankful for the 148 players I coached," Izzo said. "Each one of them got a win and those wins helped me. The presidents, the ADs, my assistant coaches and over six million fans that watched us in those 354 wins. That's who I want to thank."
"I'd turn it for a banner," Izzo added.
Izzo, who has been to eight Final Fours and was the last men's basketball coach to win a national title—with MSU in 2000—improved his career record to 727-300. He has a chance to secure a conference championship banner and has a team capable of making a Tournament run, so maybe he'll get a chance to make that trade in a matter of months.