tom izzo

By harish,live hot trandz
Monday March 29th 2010

Of course, I did something even sillier on the other side, which was picking against Tom Izzo. [1]

Michigan State’s Derrick Nix takes a shot as head coach Tom Izzo looks on during a practice session. [2]

It’s difficult to discern where this version of the Michigan State basketball team ranks compared to Tom Izzo’s other editions. [3]

St. Louis — It’s anyone’s guess if Michigan State coach Tom Izzo will actually have Draymond Green play point guard against Tennessee on Sunday. [4]

LOUIS — At each stop of Michigan State’s seemingly annual march toward the Final Four, coach Tom Izzo gets “the question” –one he never seems to tire of talking about. [5]

Tom Izzo is one of the best darned coaches in college basketball. [...] If for some reason you don’t automatically think of the 55-year-old Izzo when considering who belongs on the Mount Rushmore of active college coaches, you wouldn’t be alone. [6]

If Izzo and company somehow get past Tennessee-which is completely and utterly realistic-it would lead to his sixth NCAA Final Four appearance. [7]

Izzo said he has five plays drawn up for Green — a 6-foot-6, 235-pound sophomore forward — in case the Spartans need a backcourt boost. [4]




But truth be told, once you get beyond some of those romantic notions of breathless buzzer beaters and those charming underdog upsets, there might be plenty of miracles, but precious few accidents this time of the year in the NCAA Tournament. [6]

If the Spartans defeat ninth-seeded Northern Iowa in the Edward Jones Dome on Friday, Izzo will find himself in another Elite Eight game and from there the Spartans typically find more success. [2]

In his 15 seasons at Michigan State, Izzo has been named national coach of the year four times, won one national title, five Big Ten regular-season championships and two conference tournament titles, all the while getting his players to actually go to class, too (31 Spartans players since 2000 have received their college degrees). [6]

Logic suggests the Spartans aren’t as good without Lucas. [...] This was to be the NCAA tournament Lucas defined himself – one way or another – in MSU lore. [3]

Overview: All hail the coaching jobs of Izzo and Pearl, who’ve maneuvered around the loss of their teams’ respective best players (Kalin Lucas to a ruptured Achilles’ tendon in the tournament’s second round, Tyler Smith to dismissal after his Jan. 1 arrest on firearms charges).