Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo will try to pass one of his mentors, Bobby Knight, for the most career Big Ten victories at one school when the Spartans visit Michigan on Tuesday night in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Izzo matched Knight’s total of 662 conference wins when the Spartans edged No. 4 Purdue 68-65 on Saturday to end a three-game losing streak.
“It’s a big deal because I have incredible respect for the guys that I came up with, that I idolized,” Izzo said. “Bobby Knight was on the top of that list.”
But Izzo said his team’s success is more important than any of his individual accomplishments. Michigan State (19-9, 10-7 Big Ten) strengthened its outlook for the NCAA Tournament by defeating Purdue.
Now the Spartans will turn their attention toward in-state rival Michigan (15-12, 9-8), which also is eager to bolster its case for making the field of 68. The Wolverines are coming off a 93-85 loss to No. 15 Illinois on Sunday. Michigan is 1-1 under interim coach Phil Martelli, who is filling in for suspended head coach Juwan Howard for the remainder of the regular season.
“We just weren’t good enough, and we trailed for 40 minutes,” Martelli said after his team’s loss to Illinois. “And defensively, we seemed to be chasing.”
The Wolverines will have to slow down a Spartans’ offense that features plenty of depth, if not a singular dominant threat. Gabe Brown leads Michigan State with 11.4 points per game and is the only player on the Spartans averaging double figures. But four other players — Malik Hall (9.8), Max Christie (9.6), Marcus Bingham Jr. (8.9) and Tyson Walker (8.1) — are averaging at least eight points.
Walker made the big shot against Purdue, hitting a game-winning 3-pointer with 1.4 seconds remaining.
Michigan is led by center Hunter Dickinson, who is averaging 17.8 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks — all team highs. Eli Brooks is averaging 12.1 points, with Caleb Houstan (10.7) and DeVante’ Jones (10.1) also averaging double figures.
Michigan State has won two straight and six of the past eight head-to-head matchups against Michigan, though the Wolverines have taken the past two meetings in Ann Arbor.
–Field Level Media
