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A statistical look at Michigan State basketball, with a dash of football talk

Izzo versus Big Ten opponents

Posted by kj on Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008

Well, the unanimous conclusion of this blog’s readers is that Wisconsin is our main rival.  And I can’t argue with that conclusion.  Chalk this week’s Coffee Talk question up as non-debate-inducing.

The one caveat readers offered about Wisconsin being our biggest rival is the one-sidedness of the rivalry in recent years.  Wisconsin has beaten MSU in 11 of their 14 meetings since Bo Ryan took over as the Badgers’ head coach.

This got me to wondering where Tom Izzo’s records stand against each Big Ten team during his career.  Here are the numbers:

Tom Izzo’s Career Records
Versus Big Ten Opponents
W L PCT
NORTHWESTERN 21 2 .913
PENN STATE 18 3 .857
MINNESOTA 16 7 .696
OHIO STATE 16 7 .696
IOWA 16 8 .667
MICHIGAN 15 8 .652
PURDUE 14 9 .609
INDIANA 13 10 .565
ILLINOIS 14 11 .560
WISCONSIN 15 14 .517
TOTAL 158 79 0.667

Izzo has a winning record against all 10 conference opponents, but now stands just one game up on Wisconsin during his career.  (That means he was 12-3 vs. Wisconsin pre-Bo.)  Next season will be a key year in terms of maintaining a positive balance vs. the Badgers.

Illinois has the next best record vs. Izzo and has probably been MSU’s #2 rival during the Izzo era.  Indiana’s #3, with the odds favoring Purdue leapfrogging them in the next couple years.

Michigan actually ranks 5th in terms of winning percentage vs. Izzo–although those numbers are built around the 5 wins Michigan racked up against MSU in the first 3 years of the Izzo era (the numbers have not been adjusted for Michigan’s self-imposed sanctions.)

Going forward, I put pretty goods odds on John Beilein building a team that contends more years than not in the Big Ten.  If he could build a nationally-ranked program in the Big East at a school with virtually no natural recruiting base, there’s every reason to think he can do the same with more access to local talent at Michigan.  And the financial investment Michigan has made in Beilein should ensure he gets enough time to rebuild the team to fit his system.

A tigher rivalry with Michigan would be a net positive for Michigan State in terms of the additional buzz it would create in the state.  And, as I think I’ve commented previously, Beilein’s and Izzo’s contrasting styles (3-pointers/zone vs. up-tempo/man-to-man) will lead to fewer in-state recruiting battles than might otherwise arise, allowing the two teams to maximize the use of in-state talent.

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Filed in commentary6 responses so far

6 Responses to “Izzo versus Big Ten opponents”

  1. kjon 22 Jul 2008 at 9:17 am 1

    Talk about adding insult to injury. Bleacher Report ranks Bucky the Badger ahead of Sparty in their top ten list of college mascots.

    http://bleacherreport.com/arti.....10-mascots

  2. Kurton 22 Jul 2008 at 11:36 am 2

    I shouldn’t admit this, but I’ve always kinda liked Bucky….

  3. kjon 22 Jul 2008 at 1:56 pm 3

    Kurt is a Bucky lover! Kurt is a Bucky lover!

    Yeah, you shouldn’t have admitted it.

  4. Spartalyticalon 22 Jul 2008 at 3:41 pm 4

    Now you must die.

    Sorry.

  5. SpartanDanon 22 Jul 2008 at 6:11 pm 5

    The only thing to like about Bucky is the uncanny resemblance with Bo.

  6. Wisconsin Game Preview | Spartans Weblogon 20 Feb 2009 at 9:29 pm 6

    [...] that’s been our greatest nemesis in recent years.  Since Bo Ryan took over as head coach, we’ve lost 11 of 14 games against the Badgers.  The last time these two teams met, the result was perhaps the most crushing [...]