Tom Izzo makes unique NCAA Tournament history with win against Marquette

When it comes to the NCAA Tournament, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo thrives no matter where his team is seeded. Following a 69-60 victory for the No. 7 seed Spartans against two-seed Marquette to advance to the Sweet Sixteen, CBS Sports revealed Izzo entered some interesting history.

With the win, Izzo surpassed former Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim for the most Sweet Sixteen appearances as a No. 5 seed or lower with six total. Not only that, but his 16 wins as the lower-seeded team are also the most from any coach.

Tom Izzo has had massive success in the NCAA Tournament as a whole, having led Michigan State to 15 Sweet Sixteens across 28 seasons. The Spartans have not missed the tournament since Izzo’s second season in East Lansing, with 25 straight appearances. That includes eight trips to the Final Four and one national championship in what has been one of the most successful coaching tenures in college basketball history.

As Izzo moves on to this year’s Sweet Sixteen, he’ll have a chance to add to his win total as a lower seed. Michigan State is set to face No. 3 seed Kansas State in New York City later this week with an opportunity at another upset.

Michigan State knocks out Marquette on Sunday

The Spartans led for the majority of the second half on Sunday, but had to stave off a late push from the Golden Eagles to pull off the victory. Marquette made it a 56-55 game with 3:36 to play following a free throw from Olivier-Maxence Prosper to put the pressure on Michigan State.

The Spartans responded in a big way, going on a 10-0 run up to the 39-second run capped by a duke from Tyson Walker. The Michigan State guard scored eight points during the run, finishing the game with 23 points on 8-of-17 shooting to lead the team.

Joey Hauser, who began his college career at Marquette before transferring to Michigan State in 2019, finished second with 14 points along with a team-high 10 rebounds. AJ Hoggard chipped in 13 points and four assists.

The Spartans led by as many as 12 points in the first half before allowing the Golden Eagles to make the late comeback. Free throw shooting played a big part in the win, especially in the second half where Michigan State was 15-of-17 (88.2%) from the stripe.