EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State was putting the finishing touches on a 68-52 victory over Minnesota Wednesday night when the Izzone student section started the chant.
"I-z," said one group.
"Z-o," answered the others.
They were spelling the name of Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, who was on the verge of winning his 400th game.
A day earlier, Izzo had totally downplayed the milestone, pointing out that "(Mike) Krzyzewski's got 2 million."
Still, when the moment arrived, Izzo had to try to fight back tears.
"Usually when he's getting emotional, it's about something for somebody else," senior captain Draymond Green said. "It's great to see him get emotional about something that he accomplished."
Izzo's first victory came on November 20, 1995 against Chaminade, 69-66, in the Maui Invitational.
Izzo and the program have come a long way since fans were referring to him as "Fizzo" after some early struggles.
Who knew the feisty kid from Iron Mountain in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, would turn into a future Hall of Famer?
He is averaging nearly 24 victories a season in less than 17 years on the job, not to mention those six Final Four appearances and one national championship.
With the Breslin Center crowd showing their appreciation for him, Izzo said he took a moment to think about his predecessor, Jud Heathcote.
Izzo spent 12 seasons as an assistant coach at MSU under Heathcote.
"I think any time you accomplish something that is a milestone, you should take the time to appreciate the people that got you there," Izzo said. "I don't think there's any question if he wouldn't have stuck up for me, I wouldn't be here. If he wouldn't have taught me like he did, I wouldn't be here. I'm appreciative of that."
Part way through his news conference, Izzo was interrupted by Green and the rest of his players, who presented him with a commemorative game ball.
"It's a great feeling to be a part of it," Green said. "I love that guy.
"Tomorrow, he won't care about it anymore. But I care about it. I'm going to keep it in my heart."
Asked what was going through his mind as the game ended, Izzo said, "That I was 517 behind Krzyzewski. It's hard to be real excited about something like that."
Izzo, however, finally acknowledged that the milestone was a little bigger than he was letting on when he was asked about getting emotional.
"I guess it means a lot," Izzo said. "I struggle still because so many guys have won so many more games. But I'm proud that we're staying consistent."
Izzo became only the fourth coach to win 400 at a Big Ten school, joining Bob Knight (661 at Indiana), Gene Keady (512 at Purdue) and Lou Henson (423 at Illinois).
Minnesota coach Tubby Smith has 482 victories in 21 seasons at four different schools.
"Class guy," Smith said of Izzo after the game. "His teams play extremely hard. I didn't want to be his 400th win, but he's a guy you know who does things the right way."
Perhaps more important than No. 400 to Izzo was that his 10th-ranked Spartans (17-4, 6-2 Big Ten) kept pace with Michigan and Ohio State at the top of the conference standings. MSU's next game is Tuesday at Illinois. Michigan and Ohio State play Sunday in Columbus.
Green almost personally delivered this victory to his coach. No player on the floor had more points (22), more rebounds (14) or more assists (six).
"He's a real difference-maker," Smith said of Green. "I thought he was the difference tonight."
Izzo praised Green's versatility, calling him "my resident superstar."
"I thought that was one of the better performances a player has had here for me," Izzo said. "I see how far that kid has grown. I told (former MSU standout) Morris Peterson, ‘Draymond is taking steps like you did.'"
"He's a special guy," Izzo added of Green. "He's one of the best Spartans I've had."
The only flaw in Green's performance was that he missed four of his seven free-throw attempts. Nobody's perfect.
After Green stopped by the postgame news conference to congratulate his coach, someone asked Izzo if he had another 400 victories in him.
"Yeah, 400 more," he said, shaking his head.
