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Tom Izzo remains perfect in NCAA Tournament against SEC after Sweet 16 win over Ole Miss
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Tom Izzo has accomplished a lot in nearly 3 decades as the head coach at Michigan State. And the presence of the Spartans in the NCAA Tournament has been a constant during that time: they’ve been to every NCAA Tournament that’s been held since 1998.
One other constant in the Izzo era, though, has been the Spartans’ success over SEC teams. Izzo improved his all-time tournament record against the conference to 10-0 on Friday as MSU beat Ole Miss 73-70.
He has a chance to make it 11-0 on Sunday as the Spartans face Auburn in the Elite Eight. A win puts his team in the Final Four for the first time since 2019, and could potentially see him have a chance to run his record against the SEC to 12-0 with Florida a possible national semifinal opponent in San Antonio.
And perhaps this is the year Michigan State is the last team standing. The Spartans last won the tournament in 2000, Izzo’s fifth season, with a team led by Morris Peterson and Mateen Cleaves — and with a freshman named Jason Richardson in the ranks.
Fast forward to 2025. Can Jace Richardson, Jason’s son, help lead Izzo and the Spartans to glory for the first time in a quarter-century?
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
