Michigan State Spartans Insider Podcast: Recapping Spartans' Statement Win Over Illinois

No. 11 Michigan State conquered Illinois in Champaign on Saturday, downing the Fighting Illini, 79-65, to earn Coach Tom Izzo a historic accolade. Our Aidan Champion recaps the Spartans' win on this episode of the Michigan State Spartans Insider Podcast.

Feb 15, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo during the second half against the Illinois Fighting Illini at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- No. 11 Michigan State earned its 20th win of the season with its 79-65 victory over Illinois on the road on Saturday.

The win earned Spartans coach Tom Izzo the all-time record for most conference wins by a Big Ten head coach, as he passed Bob Knight with win No. 354 against conference opponents.

Michigan State battled back from a 16-point deficit to ultimately find itself down just 4 at halftime. The second half would be a grudge match until the Spartans pulled away with a 15-0 run to close the game.

Our Aidan Champion recaps the contest on this latest postgame edition of the Michigan State Spartans Insider Podcast.

You can watch the episode below:

Below is a transcript from Izzo's opening statement of his postgame press conference:

Izzo: "Well, boy, whoever said about the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, there's no question that our loss to Indiana was one of my lowest of my career because of the way we played. And give them credit the way they played. And disappointed a lot of people at home. But to get back off the ground and do what these guys did tonight, especially when they got down 16 and the place was hopping and Terrance's [Shannon Jr.] shirts and jersey and everything they did for him, which was really classy. In fact, speaking of classy, he just came into my locker room and congratulated me, and I said, 'If you wouldn't have played here, I would have got this done a lot earlier.' Because we had a lot of losses to that guy. But Brad [Underwood] is a good friend, and this was a hell of an environment, and I can't think of a better way to bounce back than winning here because there's been some wars over the years, and I have great respect for their program. But wow, what a win for us. We played pretty well most of the way. We had some stretches early where we didn't, and they capitalized, but to outrebound, to have seven turnovers, which was a season-low for a team that turns it over too much, was great."

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