No. 3 seed Michigan State advanced to its third Sweet 16 in the last four seasons with a 77–69 win over No. 6 seed Louisville on Saturday. The Spartans await the winner of Sunday’s No. 2 UConn vs. No. 7 UCLA tilt in the Sweet 16 next weekend.
Michigan State rode a record-breaking performance by star point guard Jeremy Fears Jr., who set a school record for most assists in a tournament game with 16, and the stellar play of Coen Carr who scored 21 points and grabbed 10 boards to the victory.
Longtime Spartans coach Tom Izzo was as energetic as ever down the stretch of the game, showing excitement for his players as they put the game away. Izzo spoke passionately to his team in the locker room after the game in hopes that they would continue to take his staff’s coaching well and trust in the process as the program looks to make another deep March run.
“We’re going to Washington, D.C. because you advanced to the Sweet 16,” Izzo told his players in the locker room. “We said it was going to be six, now it’s down to four. You gotta trust that I said, you get us to the four and we’ll get you to the next two. Anything we say and do, you gotta listen, you gotta learn, you gotta do it.”
.@coachbrucepearl got emotional watching @MSU_Basketball rally around Coach Izzo 🥹 pic.twitter.com/sdPG9bn6qJ
— TNT Sports U.S. (@TNTSportsUS) March 21, 2026
When asked by the media after the game where he gets his continued enthusiasm from while coaching in a new professionalized era of college basketball, the 71-year-old Izzo was forthright in his response.
Tom Izzo on the state of coaching in CBB:
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) March 21, 2026
"I respect the guys that have left. I understand why some of them did. But my boss told me a long time ago, your job is to be a steward of the game. I don't think right now enough coaches are standing up to be stewards of the game" pic.twitter.com/J3T0KZj8AZ
“My energy is because deep down, I respect the guys that have left. I understand why some of them did. I appreciate what my boss told me a long time ago, ‘Your job is to be a steward of the game,’” Izzo said. “I don’t think right now enough coaches are standing up to be stewards of the game. A steward of the game means to try to do what’s best for the player. We’ll see as time goes but right now, at least for another week, I’m still hanging in there, man. Not going anywhere. Not going anywhere.”
Izzo and the Spartans are dancing on, as Michigan State remains as consistent a program as it has always been under the longtime coach. New era of college basketball or not, there’s one thing for certain: the Spartans are a force to be reckoned with in the NCAA tournament.
More March Madness for Sports Illustrated
Listen to SI’s college sports podcast, Others Receiving Votes, below or on Apple and Spotify. Watch the show on SI’s YouTube channel.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why Tom Izzo Believes Its Important That He Keeps Coaching in NIL Era After Many of His Peers Have Left.
