MSU's Tom Izzo has Hilarious Hot-Mic Moment vs. Indiana
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Tom Izzo isn't exactly known for using a lighter touch for his coaching style.
Just before a commercial break during No. 12 Michigan State's game against Indiana on Tuesday night, the Peacock-exclusive broadcast seemed to forget to mute the boom mic that was hovering above the Spartans' huddle. Not one, but two f-bombs from head coach Tom Izzo went over the actual broadcast before the feed actually cut away.
Izzo’s Angry. Accidental fbomb on air. I’ve been there. #tv #Izzo pic.twitter.com/ocKuEMEj7M
— JON GRAFF (@GraffJon) January 14, 2026
Cover the kids' ears
Hey, it happens. Perhaps some Michigan State fans had to briefly cover the ears of their children, but anyone who has watched an MSU basketball game over the last three decades probably has already guessed that Izzo's language is not exactly G-rated. Overall, it's definitely a bit humorous that that moment made it onto the air.
It's also hard to debate the results, whether one thinks the explicit language is necessary or not. The Spartans' 81-60 victory over the Hoosiers on Tuesday marked Izzo's 752nd career win, putting him into a tie for 22nd in Division I history with Hank Iba.
More on Izzo
Izzo is in the midst of his 31st season as the head coach at Michigan State. He's been in East Lansing longer than that, though, as he was an assistant for 12 seasons at MSU under Jud Heathcote. Izzo is the winningest coach in Big Ten history, both in terms of total wins and victories in conference games.
The hard-nosed style works. It also certainly doesn't seem to push very many former players away from the program, either. His former pupils are constantly coming back to East Lansing, whether it's for the team's annual "Grind Week," where players like Draymond Green or Gary Harris come back and work out with the team. Athletes don't often come back to mingle with coaches who they think pushed them too far or treated them poorly.
Just during the last game against Indiana, Jaden Akins came back and received a very warm welcome from the fans when he was shown on the Breslin Center jumbotron. Akins is currently having a great start to his pro career with the Motor City Cruise in the G League, averaging 21.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game so far.
That's the biggest indicator that Izzo's style works. It's gotten MSU to every single NCAA Tournament for decades now, it's gotten players to the NBA, and it also brings a large portion of them back to East Lansing at some point. So much so that former players Raymar Morgan and Goran Suton are a part of the current staff. Not many programs have that.
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A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
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