And that’s enough to make Tom Izzo feel like 400 isn’t very many. The MSU men’s basketball coach hit that 400-win mark Wednesday night with a win against Minnesota.

Izzo talked all week about how the 400 wins didn’t mean a lot whole lot to him and that it’s just a number, but near the end of the game, sitting on the bench, he must have gotten something in his eyes. And again at the postgame press conference.

The man gave MSU a million dollars in donations last year and talks about how much more the job is than wins. And that’s true, and you can tell he’s telling the truth.

But, it’s OK that he teared up. It’s an outstanding accomplishment. No matter what he says, 400 is a lot of wins, especially in as few years as he’s coached, and the schedules he’s played.

Sure, quite a few coaches have plenty more wins. But they also have coached a much longer time, against softer competition and many haven’t had the tournament success Izzo has.

He also does it without the biggest and best players in the country. Sure he has great ball players, but they aren’t the elite. Instead, Izzo does amazing coaching jobs to turn kids into ball players and men.

The win against Minnesota saw one of his greatest coaching jobs in top form. Senior forward Draymond Green scored 22 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and dished out six assists, while collecting a smattering of other statistics in the win.

Green was a tubby, 6-foot-6 high school player, who didn’t look like he’d be a college superstar.

Now, he’s on the verge of being an All-American, leading the Big Ten in rebounds and double-doubles. He’s one of the greatest leaders in school history, and a coach on the court who could take over at any time for Izzo.
With Green’s aid, Izzo has turned a young and inexperienced squad into a 17-4 top-10 team following last seasons championship or bust disappointment.

Green was out there for Izzo, just like Izzo has been there so many times for Green.

And Green will be back for Izzo, because that’s the best part of Izzo’s 400 wins. It’s all about Michigan State.

The loyalty has never been in question. Sure he toyed with the NBA, maybe seriously — who really knows — but he’s been at MSU since 1983 and is a self-proclaimed ‘Spartan for life.’

He cultivates players and keeps them close, they all love to come back and everyone is like brothers.

Izzo won’t catch Coach K, but he doesn’t have to. In almost 30 years as a Spartan, Izzo has caught the hearts of so many players and fans that a win number doesn’t matter.