EAST LANSING, Mich. _ Tom Izzo has never made a secret that he wants a second national championship.
It has driven, at times consumed, him since winning in 2000. Michigan State's 64-year-old coach knows how getting multiple titles can take a coach from great to legendary, a program from exceptional to blueblood.
But as far as fans who think Izzo needs it for validation of his Hall of Fame career?
"I'd say they're right," Izzo said Tuesday, "because I need to validate it for me. I don't need to validate it for them. I have my own goals. And I have my own aspirations of what I want to do. ...
"I don't want to say it to get them off my back. I want to say it because if that's your goal for me, I promise you my goals are bigger than your goals for me, just like, I'm sure, your goals for yourself are bigger than the ones I have (for you)."
The Spartans (32-6) need two more wins to put Izzo into that elite company of coaches who have won more than one, starting Saturday in the Final Four against Texas Tech (30-6). Tipoff is approximately 8:49 p.m. at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, following the first game between Virginia and Auburn.
"Man, all we've been talking about is Texas Tech. We can't win a national championship game without beating Texas Tech," junior All-American Cassius Winston said. "We'll get to a national championship game if it's ahead of us. Right now, we have to focus on the opponent ahead of us getting to that point. Everything we've been talking about has been this game ahead of us."
It is the eighth Final Four appearance Izzo and the Spartans, who won the 2000 NCAA Tournament. That came three months before current MSU freshman Marcus Bingham Jr. was born. And it's been so long since that title that there even have been multiple slang phrases coined to shorten the process.
Call it a natty, call it a c'hip or a 'ship, whatever. Izzo's players want to deliver it to him this weekend, at a Final Four in which the Spartans are the marquee draw.
"We all have that goal right now," fifth-year senior Kenny Goins said. "It's one whole program driving in one direction. So just to have our coach say that, it's that much more motivation.
"I know he'll be working his butt off doing everything he can to get us ready for the game, so I think that just really shows you how driven this entire program is top-down. From coach Izzo down to managers, secretaries, whoever you want to call them, we're all pushing for that end result."
Only 15 coaches in Division I history have won multiple national titles, led by John Wooden's 10 at UCLA. Mike Krzyzewski's five with Duke rank second and most among active coaches, followed by Adolph Rupp's four with Kentucky. Three others _ Roy Williams, Jim Calhoun and Bob Knight _ have three each.
MSU has two national titles, with Izzo's mentor Jud Heathcote winning it 40 years ago with Magic Johnson.
"Three national championships with the same school validates it," Izzo said of his quest for another trophy. "The more I keep talking about it, puts you in a smaller fraternity. But you know what? Listen, I've learned that people that question you are going to question you. The haters are going to hate you. ... And really, five years ago fire and brimstone in me would have wanted to fight that person.
"Now I want to say, you're right."
There is a case to be made that this has been Izzo's best coaching job in his 24 seasons, a year in which the Spartans revamped their offense after last year's early exit in the second round with a loss to Syracuse and then continually reinvented themselves as injuries mounted to Joshua Langford, Nick Ward and Kyle Ahrens.
Izzo realized in losing NBA lottery picks Miles Bridges and Jaren Jackson Jr. from last year's team that this year's group did not have as much talent. But he has said what this team may lack in physical traits it more than makes up for in smarts and savvy.
"Everybody on this team is tough, and they're here for a reason," senior guard Matt McQuaid said. "We have grit. We're resilient, and that has a lot to do with coach. We've been through a lot of adversity through the year with different guys going down and different people stepping up and just playing for the people that go down. I feel like we really feed off of, that and we're a really connected team and we love each other and love the coaching staff and playing with each other."
That connectivity and adaptability, both before and during games, is one of the reasons Izzo has called this his toughest group mentally.
With two games left to show that all of that can coalesce into another national championship.
"What's neat about my job is I get to take things that are players' goals, and I get to push them passed what they even dreamed they would be because they're not experienced. They're not as old as us," Izzo said. "They're just starting their dreams and their journey. And I get to help mold that journey. And hopefully if you demand a lot and you get a lot, that's going to improve that journey as that individual goes on in life."
