{"id":877961,"date":"2025-12-16T22:29:32","date_gmt":"2025-12-17T04:29:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/16\/tom-izzo-sends-strong-message-on-retirement-amid-michigan-states-strong-run\/"},"modified":"2025-12-16T22:29:32","modified_gmt":"2025-12-17T04:29:32","slug":"tom-izzo-sends-strong-message-on-retirement-amid-michigan-states-strong-run","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/16\/tom-izzo-sends-strong-message-on-retirement-amid-michigan-states-strong-run\/","title":{"rendered":"Tom Izzo Sends Strong Message on Retirement Amid Michigan State\u2019s Strong Run"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Mike Krzyzewski, Roy Williams, Jay Wright, Bruce Pearl, and many other veteran college coaches have stepped away in recent years. Yet at 70, Tom Izzo is still guiding Michigan State basketball, even as retirement rumors continue to swirl around him.<\/p>\n

On a huge day for Michigan State Athletics, when a $401 million donation came as a commitment to the university\u2019s athletics programs, the Spartans received another piece of news. It was from Tom Izzo, who finally spoke up about his retirement. <\/span><\/p>\n

He came up, took time, and squashed the rumors, saying, <\/span>\u201cI\u2019m going to be around for a while.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Tom Izzo has built a legacy with Michigan State. He has a career record of 737-302 wins, which ranks as the fourth-highest total by any coach through their first 30 seasons in college basketball history. He\u2019s been around for so long that nearly 85% of his players who stayed through their eligibility have walked away with a degree.<\/span><\/p>\n

Still, all this isn\u2019t enough for him. That\u2019s why the Hall of Fame coach is pouring all his efforts into winning an elusive second national championship to go with the one he won 25 years ago in 2000. And that\u2019s something he revealed a couple of months ago. <\/span>When Bruce retired, he joked with Mark Dantonio in his office about retirement. <\/span><\/p>\n

However, on a serious note, he clarified his plans. \u201cI gotta figure out who I can beat so I can quit,\u201d he said on September 22, 2025. \u201cBecause everybody that beats me quits or resigns.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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Tom Izzo: \u201cI\u2019m going to be around a while.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Justin Thind (@JustinThind) December 5, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

Even when someone suggested he should walk away after a possible championship run, he brushed it aside with a laugh. \u201cIf I win the last one, it would be a cold day in hell before I quit, so don\u2019t worry about that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Also, last year\u2019s roster has only strengthened his resolve, if anything.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do know this, for sure \u2014 however many years I had left before this, you can add one or two more on top of that,\u201d Izzo said last year. \u201cAll because of this team, these guys, and this season.\u201d<\/p>\n

So even as he approaches 71, his drive and love for the job haven\u2019t dimmed. You can see that clearly in the way Michigan State basketball has carried itself this season.<\/p>\n

They\u2019ve been off to a fantastic start with an 8-0 record. With this pace, Izzo is also being looked at as a Coach of the Year candidate. With three wins against ranked teams (Arkansas, Kentucky, and North Carolina), Michigan State has elevated its presence from No. 22 in the AP Top 25 preseason rankings to No. 7. <\/span><\/p>\n

They last beat Iowa by double digits, securing a 71-52 win, and now their eyes are set on the Duke Blue Devils. After all, before he can chase his second championship, he has another long-standing record to improve.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Basketball Can Tom Izzo improve his all-time record against Duke?<\/h2>\n

MSU hasn\u2019t crossed paths with Duke since 2023, and with key starters still in and out, they know they\u2019ll need everything they\u2019ve got. This matchup has also been on their radar longer than anything else on the schedule. Practices have been tougher, the film sessions heavier, and the focus dialed in on figuring out how to slow down Duke\u2019s biggest threats.<\/p>\n

In fact, their prep for this one started before the season even tipped off. And of course, a lot of that urgency comes from Izzo himself.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s determined to improve his 4\u201315 career record against Duke rather than watch it slip any further. That\u2019s exactly why he\u2019s made it clear that he wants to treat every game as \u201cthe game of the year,\u201d but this one means even more.<\/p>\n

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After all, Duke has taken both previous matchups at Michigan State, 72\u201350 in 2003 and 87\u201375 in 2019, and when both teams are ranked in the top 10, Duke holds a 113\u201382 (.579) mark overall, including a 6\u20132 edge over MSU.<\/p>\n

So Izzo\u2019s been pushing this team hard.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been an incredible month of basketball for us, as far as not any travel, teams we\u2019ve played and how it\u2019s gone,\u201d he said after MSU\u2019s win over Iowa on Tuesday. \u201cWe need a little practice to get better, and I got to do a better job with those guys. That\u2019s all me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now the question is whether MSU can finally hand Duke its first loss and end that 9\u20130 start.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Read More<\/a> Joan Grisby<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Basketball Watch What\u2019s Trending Now! Mike Krzyzewski, Roy Williams, Jay Wright, Bruce Pearl, and many other veteran college coaches have stepped away in recent years. Yet at 70, Tom Izzo is still guiding Michigan State basketball, even as retirement rumors continue to swirl around him. On a huge day for Michigan State Athletics, when a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":877962,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[124942,3681,8,3149],"tags":[16302],"class_list":{"0":"post-877961","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nba","8":"category-basketball","9":"category-sends","10":"category-strong","11":"tag-nba"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/877961","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=877961"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/877961\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/877962"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=877961"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=877961"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=877961"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}