Rival Coach Gives Immense Praise for Spartans' Izzo's Career, Big Ten Record

The Michigan State Spartans earned a crucial home victory over the Purdue Boilermakers on Tuesday night. Following the game, Boilermakers coach Matt Painter gave immense to Spartans coach Tom Izzo and the achievements he has earned over the years.

Michigan State's head coach Tom Izzo, right, talks with Purdue's head coach Matt Painter before the game on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The No. 14 Michigan State Spartans (21-5, 12-3) earned a much-needed win on Tuesday night as they downed the No. 13 Purdue Boilermakers (19-8, 11-5) at the Breslin Center. Following the win, Boilermakers coach Matt Painter had some inspiring words regarding the Spartans' head coach.

Painter was asked about Coach Tom Izzo breaking the all-time Big Ten wins record last weekend against Illinois and gave his opinions on the historical feat. He and Izzo are very good friends as he tossed in a little dig regarding how long his counterpart has been a part of the Spartan program.

"It's unbelievable," Painter said. " ... I compared it to Joe Dimaggio's 56-game hit streak, and obviously, it still stands, right? For me, it's a lot different; he recruited me -- I'm 54, so that means he's old -- when he was an assistant here, and so, I've known him for like a really long time, and he's done it the right way."

Painter is fourth all-time in career Big Tens with 237 in his 21st season at the helm of the program. He continued to praise the Spartans' head coach, talking more about what it means to build a consistently successful program and everything that comes with it.

"It's hard, man, battling everybody else in competition but also battling your own people," Painter said. "I think people don't understand that the people that support you, you battle also. Because when you raise your expectations and you go to eight Final Fours and 10 Big Ten championships, people expect that. As a coach, what people expect from you is your best year, so if he doesn't win the national championship, win the Big Ten, he's s---, right?. And we all know he's really good, right? If you can't handle that, then you shouldn't coach. Treat people the right way, work hard, do the best that you can, but understand it's a game of basketball. He's been able to take that and change a lot of people's lives and help people through opportunities."

Izzo has received criticism from national media in past years for the way he coaches his players. The clips of him screaming at his players and expecting the best from them. Painter put into perspective why good coaches do those things and expect the best out of the players that he cares about so much.

"He obviously has discipline, and he's on people, but he cares about them, and that's something we always talk about," Painter said. "We don't yell at people we don't care about, and he's the epitome of that and he deserves everything coming his way."

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