With MSU’s win over Illinois on Saturday, Izzo passed Indiana basketball legend Bob Knight as the conference’s all-time wins leader, securing his 354th Big Ten victory on the road in a high-stakes environment.

Since taking over for Jud Heathcote nearly 30 years ago, Izzo has built a legacy fueled by relentless intensity, loyalty and a stubborn refusal to shy away from challenges — traits that shaped some of the most pivotal moments of his career.

Here are five defining Big Ten wins that shaped Izzo’s path to history.

Jan. 4, 1996 — MSU 65, Indiana 60

Izzo’s first Big Ten game pitted him against the very coach whose record he surpassed Saturday.

Knight’s Hoosiers, a perennial Big Ten title contender, visited Breslin Center to face an unranked MSU team still searching for its identity under its first-year head coach. Indiana had won at least 18 games for 18 consecutive seasons and was coming off its 10th straight NCAA Tournament appearance.

However, the Spartans — led by forward Quinton Brooks’ 22 points — played the brand of physical, hard-nosed defense that would soon become Izzo’s trademark. MSU led 33-27 at halftime and made necessary plays late to secure Izzo’s first Big Ten victory, 65-60, in the same building where Heathcote won his last.

MSU finished the season 16-16 and missed the NCAA Tournament. The Hoosiers wound up 19-12 and made the tournament, but their dominance in the conference was fading. It would be Izzo, not Knight, leading the Big Ten’s premier program a few years later. 

Feb. 21, 1999 — MSU 56, Wisconsin 51

The 1998-99 season was a turning point for the Spartans as they realized their potential under Izzo. They lost just one game in conference play en route to the Big Ten regular season and tournament championships, then the Final Four, where they narrowly lost to a 36-1 Duke team. 

This game earned Izzo his first outright conference title after MSU and Wisconsin shared it the prior season, his second of four straight Big Ten Championships from 1997-2001.

MSU went 0-for-4 from beyond the arc against Dick Bennett's stalwart defense and still came away with a 56-51 win at Breslin Center. It would be another nine years before the Spartans went without a made three in a game.

Feb. 20, 2007 — MSU 64, Wisconsin 55

MSU guard Drew Neitzel’s heroics fueled one of Breslin Center’s most memorable victories.

Neitzel caught fire with the Spartans trailing No. 2-ranked Wisconsin 49-45 in the second half, scoring 11 of his 28 total points during a decisive 17-2 MSU run. The Wyoming Park High School product’s 11 straight points produced one of the loudest crowd reactions in Breslin’s history as MSU took a 56-51 lead. 

MSU’s upset win exemplified the atmosphere Izzo built at Breslin, where the crowd’s energy is as vital as the action on the court. The unmistakable impact of Breslin Center and the way the Spartans dug deep in a high-stakes moment make this game a defining moment in Izzo’s legacy. 

March 17, 2019 — MSU 65, Michigan 60

The 2019 Big Ten Tournament final was one of the games that encapsulated much of what Izzo’s teams are known for: physical toughness, mental determination and camaraderie. 

MSU’s two wins over Michigan during conference play that year were more significant for the Spartans’ Big Ten regular season title. Still, MSU had the chance to beat a talented, well-coached Wolverines group for the third time in three weeks. 

MSU’s season was marred by injuries, and the game took an emotional turn early when guard Kyle Ahrens, who had been battling a back sprain, suffered an ankle injury that visibly shook his teammates and coaches — one that could have easily led to MSU folding, especially after securing the regular season title. 

Instead of rolling over, the Spartans fought back against a double-digit deficit. Senior forward Matt McQuaid, MSU’s emotional leader all season, rose to the occasion in Ahrens’ absence. He turned in a storybook performance, scoring 27 points, including seven three-pointers, to keep the Spartans within striking distance and, eventually, push them to victory.  

MSU lost in the 2019 Final Four to Texas Tech. Izzo called that team one of the most mentally tough groups in his then-24 years as MSU’s head coach. 

Jan. 30, 2024 — MSU 81, Michigan 62

Izzo’s 700th career win came in grandiose fashion — at home, against his biggest rival, on his 69th birthday.

Juwan Howard’s tenure at Michigan was crumbling, but MSU’s season hadn’t gone according to plan. The Spartans, ranked No. 4 to start the year, found themselves at 12-8 and far from the elite team they had hoped to be. There was an undeniable pressure building around the team.  

The Wolverines, devoid of leading scorer Dug McDaniel for academic reasons, surprised the Izzone by mounting a seven-point lead in the first half. Nevertheless, MSU junior guard Jaden Akins, now a senior, hit a career-best seven threes and tallied a season-high 23 points to deliver the Spartans a much-needed boost to their morale. 

Izzo became the first Big Ten coach to reach 700 wins at one school — a milestone that brought him one step closer to history.