Big Ten Daily (Jan. 19): Tom Izzo Joins Bob Knight With Latest Big Ten Milestone

Tom Izzo joined Bob Knight as the only two coaches in Big Ten history to coach in 500 conference games. It was an eventful night for Michigan State, which recorded a 76-66 win over Minnesota while Izzo also picked up a technical foul.

Tom Izzo hit another monumental achievement this week. The longtime Michigan State leader reached an impressive career milestone on Thursday, coaching in his 500th conference game with the Spartans. Only one other coach in league history has reached that mark: Indiana's Bob Knight.

Michigan State rewarded its coach with a victory on the special night, defeating Minnesota 76-66 at the Breslin Center. Officials were also generous towards Izzo in Thursday's game, gifting the long-tenured icon with a technical foul at the 11:38 mark in the second half.

Honestly, it felt like a fitting moment for a coach known to get pretty animated on the sidelines over the course of his 29 seasons in East Lansing. It also feels appropriate, considering he joined Knight in the conference's "500 Club."

Knight also had his fair share of heated debates with referees during his time with the Hoosiers. 

"There were some calls that I thought were questionable both ways," Izzo said of his technical. "This verticality thing drives me up the wall. We missed one right before the half, and I know they missed on a layup. You can miss them, but not on layups, then they call the same thing down on the other end and I said something.

"In my mind, he laughed at me, and I told him what I thought of it. And yet I walked away, I didn't appreciate the other guy giving me a T. I probably deserved a T, and he deserved what I said. So that’s even, except in those even and odd things, we lose, because they have the final say. So, my mistake."

Thursday's milestone was just the latest achievement on Izzo's impressive resumé. He's led the Spartans to 10 Big Ten regular season championships, six Big Ten Tournament titles, eight Final Four appearances and a national championship (2000). 

Not only has Izzo joined Knight as the only two Big Ten coaches to surpass 500 conference games, The Michigan State leader will soon pass Knight's record.

In his 29 seasons at Indiana, Knight coached a total of 504 Big Ten games. Izzo will tie that record on Saturday, Feb. 3 in a home game against Maryland. He will then hit No. 505 on Tuesday, Feb. 6 on the road against Minnesota. 

With Thursday's win over Minnesota, Izzo is also one step closer to hitting 700 career wins with the Spartans. He currently sits at 698.

Hawkins, Guerrier Post Double-Doubles

Illinois stars Coleman Hawkins and Quincy Guerrier put on quite a show in Ann Arbor on Thursday. Both players posted double-doubles, leading the Illini to an 88-73 victory over Michigan.

Hawkins led Illinois in scoring with 21 points, also grabbing 10 rebounds and dishing out four assists. Guerrier was the team's top rebounder, collecting 14 boards to go along with 16 points.

"I think the one thing that Coleman understands is playing with strengths on the offensive side, which allows him to be successful on the defensive side," Illinois coach Brad Underwood said. "He's just now recognizing the fact he's a really good shooter. And he can play in space and he's not trying to make super fancy passes and he's trying to make simple plays. And that's just helped blossom every facet of his game."

Marcus Domask and Ty Rodgers each added 15 points for Illinois and Justin Harmon pitched in 11 off the bench. It was a huge bounce-back win for the Fighting Illini, which lost a home game to Maryland over the weekend.

Ninth-Year College Football Player?

So, Miami isn't in the Big Ten, but this is an item too good to pass up. Hurricanes tight end Cam McCormick announced that he'll return to Miami for the 2024 college football season. It will be his ninth year.

Can someone cue the Ferris Bueller, "nine times" quote? 

McCormick was a member of the 2016 recruiting class and has been granted extended eligibility from the NCAA because of various injuries. Throw in the Covid-19 waiver and a redshirt season, and you wind up with nine seasons in college.

"I'm blessed that it was me to go through it because a lot of people would have folded under the pressure -- both mentally and physically," McCormick told ESPN. "But it's pushed me to be a better person and teammate -- everything. I've learned so much from every year and everything I've had to overcome."

McCormick started his career at Oregon then transferred to Miami ahead of the 2023 season. He's recorded 26 catches for 231 yards and four touchdowns in his lengthy career.

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