Michigan State basketball head coach Tom Izzo is known around the college basketball world as “Mr. March.”
Over the 30 years he has been at the helm, Izzo has racked up one national championship, eight Final Four appearances, and 16 Sweet Sixteen runs. The Spartans have reached the NCAA Tournament for 27 consecutive years—the longest standing record in the sport. This consistency comes from the identity Izzo ingrains in every player he brings to East Lansing, signified by the team’s motto: “Defend, Rebound and Run.”
It all started in his first year coaching against Arkansas. The Razorbacks were coming off a championship, while Izzo was still learning the ropes after being called up to replace retired MSU head coach Jud Heathcote.
“I think for my whole career, it started when we grabbed 26 offensive rebounds against Arkansas, who was one of the toughest teams in the country,” Izzo said. “We have built on that and stuck with it ever since. We still defend and rebound.”
It was 24 offensive rebounds and 47 total to be exact, but this mantra is exactly how Izzo broke Bob Knight’s all-time Big Ten wins record this year en route to guiding the Spartans to the 2025 Big Ten regular-season championship and a No. 2 seed in March Madness. Even with all of the changes to playstyle in modern basketball and in the NIL era, Izzo has stayed true to what he believes wins games, and it hasn’t let him down yet this season.
While Michigan State doesn’t rank among the elites in offensive statistics (besides free-throw shooting), the team grinds opponents down with suffocating defense that leads to fastbreak opportunities. Freshman guard Jeremy Fears Jr.—the Spartans’ leader with 5.4 assists per game—sets the tone for this approach, and combined with a 10-player rotation, it leaves opponents too tired to put up a fight near the end of a 40-minute contest.
“Jeremy is starting to really push the ball. We’re getting our running game going a bit,” Izzo said. “We defend, rebound and run, but for the year we’ve scored almost 78 points a game.”
Junior forward Jaxon Kohler exemplifies what Izzo wants out of his players. The 6-foot-9 power forward isn’t the most athletic player on the team, but he is ferocious on the boards, leading his team with an average of 7.5 rebounds per game. Kohler’s energy down low stems from the respect he has for Izzo, which pushes him to add his own chapter in the Naismith Hall of Famer’s already incredible resume.
“It’s a huge honor to play for such an amazing coach,” Kohler said. “It’s really special to be on all of these teams that have made the tournament. I am very happy to be a part of it.”
Junior point guard Tre Holloman, along with Kohler, was a freshman during Michigan State’s last Sweet Sixteen appearance in 2023. While the overtime loss to Kansas State still stings in the back of fans’ minds, Holloman is using that experience to lead his team as a captain two seasons later.
“I learned from some great veterans in A.J. [Hoggard] and Tyson [Walker]: They taught me the way,” Holloman said. “I’m just trying to use that knowledge to play smart and steady and be a leader.”
Holloman has been a key piece in the first two rounds of the tournament, recording 14 points and multiple clutch 3-pointers to help keep the Spartans’ Final Four hopes alive.
Freshman guard Jase Richardson, who has stepped into a crucial role on the team in just his first year, has family history with Izzo and the month of March. His father, Jason, helped Izzo win the 2000 national championship before a successful career in the NBA.
While there are still a couple games to be played before Richardson can repeat what his dad accomplished, Jason did have some advice for his son on how to be successful during such high intensity moments.
“Just play as relaxed as possible,” Richardson said his father told him. “I feel like that’s the biggest thing: Try to come in with no worries. I need to get back to doing what he said.”
In the first round against Bryant, Richardson looked as cool as ever, scoring 15 points on an efficient 5-for-11 shooting performance. Against New Mexico, he wasn’t as successful, recording six points on 1-for-10 shooting.
But even with a dip in efficiency for the team’s second leading scorer, Izzo, as always, expects Richardson to continue defending, rebounding and running alongside his teammates until the final buzzer—hopefully for four more games. The Spartans’ quest to cap Izzo’s historic season with a championship resumes against Ole Miss on Friday, with a chance to advance to the Elite Eight.
About the Author
Nick Lundberg is a senior at Michigan State University and currently interns for WJR Radio in Detroit, serving as the student correspondent for the MSU football and basketball teams. Nick has been covering Spartan events since his time as a freshman with the campus paper, The State News, as well as gaining diverse media experience with other groups on campus.
