Tom Izzo joins exclusive club after win over Wisconsin
Michigan State picked up a massive win over Wisconsin on Friday night, putting the Spartans in sole possession of first place in the Big Ten Conference standings.
After a home loss to Northwestern last week, and with another tough test upcoming against No. 17 Illinois on Tuesday, MSU was in danger of a potential losing skid had they not beaten the Badgers.
Instead, the Spartans — ranked No. 14 in the country and with an 86-74 road win over No. 8 Wisconsin — will likely return to the Top 10 in both national polls on Monday.
The 12-point victory was significant in other ways as well, specifically for head coach Tom Izzo. According to ESPN's Stats and Info twitter page, Izzo moved into third place all-time in double-digit road victories over teams ranked in the Top 10. He trails only Duke's Mike Krzyzewski and former North Carolina legendary coach Dean Smith.
Looking ahead at Michigan State's schedule, it's highly unlikely that Izzo will add to his total this season. The Spartans only have two more road games on their schedule against ranked opponents — No. 17 Illinois on Tuesday, Jan. 25 and on Mar. 3 against No. 19 Ohio State.
The Fighting Illini will not be ranked in the Top 10 when the Spartans travel to Champaign next week after Illinois lost to Maryland on Friday night. Likewise, the Buckeyes will have to put together a very strong stretch over the next five weeks to be ranked in the Top 10 when Michigan State goes to Columbus in March.
