Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo wants Buckeyes to win national championship

Jerred Johnson | Jan 5, 2025

Michigan State's head coach Tom Izzo calls out to players during the first half in the game against Florida Atlantic on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in East Lansing. / Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

If you can't beat them, you might as well join them. Or as William Shakespeare once said, "Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows." Whatever quote or cliche saying you want to use; Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo nailed them all at the end of his presser on January 3rd. After his basketball team defeated Ohio State 69-62, the Spartan head coach had an interesting statement to close out his post-game presser.

"Go Bucks. Win the National Championship."
- Tom Izzo

Tom Izzo to conclude his presser, "Go Bucks. Win the (football) national championship."
— Dillon Davis (@DillonDavis56) January 4, 2025

It shouldn't come as much of a surprise that Izzo is rooting for the Buckeyes to win it all, particularly after recently announcing his friendship with Ohio State head coach Ryan Day. In fact, Izzo indicated that he reached out to Day not long after the Buckeyes dropped their fourth consecutive game to the Wolverines back on Nov. 30. Considering the fact that the entire sporting world was debating Day's job security in Columbus, there's no doubt that Buckeye head coach needed words of encouragement from Izzo.

MSU coach Tom Izzo on pregame radio show says Ohio State football coach Ryan Day stopped by Spartans' shootaround today. Met previously/talked, spent time last year together. "We've become friends," Izzo says. Reached out to Day "a few weeks ago" after U-M loss and backlash.
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) January 4, 2025

Izzo, who is 31-14 against Michigan since taking over at MSU, has long tried to make the basketball rivalry on par with the football rivalry. He has even tried to call it the "Battle for Michigan". With the Spartan's football team unable to crack the Michigan football code losing the last three games, it makes sense he would cozy up to the maize and blue's biggest rival.

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