Michigan State’s Tom Izzo breaks Bob Knight’s Big Ten wins record

Michigan State men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo broke Bob Knight’s Big Ten record for wins, leading the 11th-ranked Spartans to a 79-65 victory over the Illinois Fighting Illini on Saturday night.

Tom Izzo on becoming the winningest BIG 10 coach “I’d turn it in for a banner”:

Perhaps fittingly, Izzo’s first Big Ten win came back in January 1996 against Knight’s Indiana Hoosiers.

The three-time Big Ten Coach of the Year is now the active leader in Big Ten Conference wins (354) and ranks eighth among active coaches in career victories (727).

[Related: FOX Sports’ Bill Raftery pens congratulatory letter to Tom Izzo]

Izzo, who is in his 30th year as the head coach at Michigan State, has won 10 Big Ten regular-season titles, six Big Ten Tournament titles, has made eight Final Fours, and won one NCAA championship. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.

Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!