Coach Tom Izzo talks to junior guard Cassius Winston during a timeout. The Spartans beat the Wolverines, 77-70, Feb. 24, 2019 at the Crisler Center.
Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo was one of 15 coaches selected as a late-season candidate for the 2019 Werner Ladder Naismith Men's College Coach of the Year, the university announced in a press release Wednesday.
In his 24th season as Spartans head coach, Izzo led MSU to a 23-5 record and 14-3 mark in Big Ten play. The Spartans are ranked No. 6 in his week's Associated Press Top-25 and No. 8 in the USA Today Coaches poll.
The news comes days after MSU defeated then-No. 7 Michigan 77-70 on the road on Sunday. Most of the Spartans' success this season has come without junior co-captain Joshua Langford, the team's third-leading scorer (15.0 points), who's been out since Dec. 29 with a season-ending leg injury. Izzo has also been without junior forward Nick Ward — the team's second-leading scorer (15.1) — who's been out since Feb. 17 after suffering a hairline fracture in his left hand.
The Spartans rank 34th in the country in scoring offense (80.1 ppg), 18th in field goal percentage (48.6) and 34th in 3-point percentage (38.6). They also rank third in field goal percentage defense (37.3).
Izzo took over the helm of MSU in 1995, and has led the Spartans to seven Final Fours, eight Big Ten regular season championships and five Big Ten Tournament titles. He was named AP Coach of the Year in 1998, and was named National Association of Basketball Coaches Coach of the year in 2001 and 2012. He was named Big Ten Coach of the Year three times, in 1998, 2009 and 2012.
The Spartans play their final road game of the regular season on Saturday, visiting Indiana for a noon tipoff. The game will be televised on FOX.
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