Tom Izzo shows love to Bob Knight as he approaches breaking his All-Time Big Ten wins record: ‘I loved him, he was good to me, and he was a great coach.’

Indiana basketball and Michigan State are on two completely different paths as the final month of the season starts to come to a close. Tom Izzo has his Spartans competing for championships while the Hoosiers are in the process of putting on a bow on the Mike Woodson era. It has been a season of celebration for the Michigan State and a season of pure chaos for for the Indiana program.

Michigan State continued their celebration of a season last weekend when the Spartans came back from a huge first half deficit to defeat Oregon for their 11th conference win of the 2024-25 season. Not only did that win for Michigan State keep them in first place in the Big Ten, it was also Big Ten win No. 353 for Tom Izzo.

That 353rd win tied former and legendary Indiana basketball coach Bob Knight’s All-Time Big Ten win record.

“Of all the things I woke up to this morning – no humility, no anything – that wasn’t even on the radar,” said Tom Izzo after Michigan State’s win over Oregon. “It really wasn’t, and I’ll tell you why it wasn’t. No. 1, I’ve said it before, I’ve got an extra year than Bob (Knight) does. I’m dumb enough to stay around, he left early. No. 2, played more games than Bob did. No. 3, records are made to be broken. Memory-making moments will never be broken. Records will be broken.”

More: Mike Woodson: ‘I’ve done a terrible job in really putting them in the best position possible to win’

The tie alone is impressive but coming up, Izzo has a chance to fully take the record. The ironic thing in all of this, Tom Izzo could realistically break the record vs — you guessed it — Indiana on Tuesday night when the Hoosiers travel to East Lansing.

Izzo has always shown so much respect for Knight as a coach, all the way up until Knight’s passing in 2023 and even to this day.

“It’s an honor. And I mean, this is an honor. Bob was controversial. I loved him, he was good to me, and he was a great coach, and he did many things that I haven’t done. So if he wants to trade the record, I’ll give him a buzz tonight up there. If he wants to trade the record for the four other national championships, I’m all in, because it’s about winning championships, not records.

“What I am proud of the record in two ways: I’m proud of it because I get to be talked about with a guy that I really thought highly of as a coach, and No. 2, I get to appreciate how many players – because I didn’t win one damn game – how many players won games for me in different ways. It’s amazing. It’s amazing.”

Michigan State and Indiana basketball are set for tipoff on Tuesday at 9:00 on Peacock.

SEE ALSO: Indiana basketball is poised for a rebirth with the Mike Woodson era coming to an end

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