Another Impressive Feat for Spartans' Coach Tom Izzo
Two-seed Michigan State earned a monumental win over 10-seed New Mexico in the Round of 32. This means Spartans coach Tom Izzo is heading back to the Sweet 16 for the 16th time as a head coach.
The sustained success of Izzo in March Madness can not be understated. The Hall of Fame head coach holds the longest consecutive tournament appearance record with 27 straight outings in The Big Dance.
After clinching the Sweet Sixteen berth with the win over New Mexico, Izzo is now tied with legendary former Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim for the fourth-most NCAA Tournament victories by a head coach.
Izzo's coaching performance against New Mexico was phenomenal, considering the circumstances. Michigan State had to battle despite not getting great performances from Spartans freshman guard Jase Richardson and junior forward Jaxon Kohler. Izzo relied on his squad's veteran leadership to step up and guide the Spartans to victory.
The Spartans are 10-5 under Izzo in Sweet 16 games, with notable wins over LSU, Oklahoma, and Virginia over the past decade.
The most recent appearance for Michigan State in the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament was in 2023 when the Spartans fell to Kansas State in overtime at Madison Square Garden.
Michigan State will hope for a different outcome against the six-seed Ole Miss Rebels. Ole Miss beat 11-seed North Carolina in the First Round and upset 3-seed Iowa State with a 91-78 victory in the Round of 32.
There are a record-low four conferences represented in the Sweet Sixteen, with the Rebels being one of seven teams from the SEC to advance, an NCAA Tournament record. The Big Ten and Big XII have four teams each, while Duke is the lone representative from the ACC.
The last time the Spartans faced an SEC opponent in March Madness was the first round of the 2024 Tournament, where Michigan State beat Mississippi State by 18 points.
There is some history between Izzo and Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard. In 2019, Beard’s Texas Tech squad beat Michigan State in the Final Four. This will be Beard’s third trip to the Sweet Sixteen but the first tournament with the Rebels.
Overall, this is the 21st time in program history that Michigan State has qualified for the Sweet Sixteen, which ranks No. 10 all-time.
The Spartans will play Ole Miss on Friday in Atlanta, Georgia; the winner will advance to the Elite Eight to play the winner of the Auburn-Michigan game.
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