Big Ten Daily (Jan. 26): Tom Izzo Chasing 700th Win at Michigan State
Tom Izzo has a chance to accomplish a special feat on Friday night. A Michigan State road win over No. 13 Wisconsin (8 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1) would give the longtime Spartans leader his 700th career victory.
Izzo entered the 2023-24 campaign with 687 wins, needing just 13 more to hit the impressive milestone. Michigan State enters Friday night's game at 12-7 on the season and a 4-4 mark in Big Ten play.
Earlier this season, Izzo made Big Ten history, coaching in his 500th conference game. The only other coach to hit that impressive benchmark was Indiana legend Bob Knight (504).
On Feb. 6, Izzo will surpass Knight's total with 505 Big Ten games. With a win on Friday night, he would become the first coach in history to reach 700 victories at one conference school.
Michigan State has struggled on the road this season, posting just a 1-3 record in away contests and 2-5 in games outside of the Breslin Center (includes neutral-site games).
There has been signs of life from the Spartans recently, though. After a 1-4 start in league play, Michigan State has ripped off three straight wins, taking down Rutgers, Minnesota and Maryland.
If the Spartans don't get the job done on Friday, Izzo's next chance comes in a rivalry game against Michigan. Michigan State will host the Wolverines on Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET (Peacock).
Purdue's road woes vs. Rutgers
The state of New Jersey has been unkind to Purdue in recent years. Not only have the Boilermakers been bounced from the NCAA Tournament by teams within state borders the last two years (St. Peter's and Fairleigh Dickinson), they've struggled with Big Ten foe Rutgers.
Rutgers has defeated Purdue in five of the last six regular season meetings. The Boilers have particularly struggled at The RAC, losing in each of their last three trips.
The last time Matt Painter's team left Piscataway with a win? Feb. 3, 2018. So, it's been awhile.
Purdue will try to reverse course on Sunday and steal a win against the Scarlet Knights (1 p.m. ET, Fox). While the Boilers appear to have the advantage on paper, Rutgers has played much better in home games this season.
Steve Pikiell's squad has won each of its last two games at The RAC, defeating Indiana and Nebraska. The Scarlet Knights own a home record of 9-1, with the only loss coming to Illinois in December.
Rutgers has defeated No. 1 Purdue each of the last two years. This year, the Boilermakers enter the game ranked No. 2. Can the Scarlet Knights pull off another massive upset? Or will Purdue finally exercise the demons in New Jersey?
Wisconsin reportedly hiring Alex Grinch
Luke Fickell is reportedly adding to his staff. According to Bruce Feldman, Wisconsin is expected to hire Alex Grinch as the next safeties coach.
Grinch has worked primarily as a defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach for the past decade. He got his first coordinator opportunity at Washington State (2015-17) under Mike Leach. Grinch then joined Urban Meyer's staff at Ohio State in 2018.
Grinch spent the last five seasons working as the defensive coordinator on Lincoln Riley's staff at Oklahoma (2019-21) and USC (2022-23).
In early November, with USC's defense seriously struggling, Riley decided to cut ties with Grinch.
Wisconsin finished the 2023 season with a 7-6 record. The Badgers ranked eighth in the Big Ten in pass defense, allowing 208 yards per game.
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