Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo hugs Michigan State Spartans guard Nick Sanders (20) during the senior night ceremony following a men’s basketball game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at the Breslin Center at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Mich., on Thursday, March 5, 2026.
Michigan State men’s basketball head coach Tom Izzo has earned himself another accolade.
Izzo was tabbed to the 2026 Naismith Men’s College Coach of the Year Watch List, and is one of 15 coaches on the list, with four from the Big Ten. Izzo earned his fourth Big Ten Coach of the Year award in 2025.
Izzo was named the NABC Coach of the Year in 2001 and 2012 and earned AP College Coach of the Year honors in 1998.
In 31 years at the helm, Izzo has led the Spartans to eight final fours, 11 Big Ten regular-season championships and six Big Ten Tournament titles. MSU ranks No. 11 in the AP Top 25 poll, No. 9 per KenPom and No. 11 in the NET.
MSU, 26-7 (15-5), will face Louisville in the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament on Saturday at 2:45 p.m. on CBS.
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