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Big Ten Basketball: Ranking all 14 head coaches for 2019-20 season

By Joey Loose

EAST LANSING, MI - FEBRUARY 20: Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans looks on during a game against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Breslin Center on February 20, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MI - FEBRUARY 20: Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans looks on during a game against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Breslin Center on February 20, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /
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WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 31: Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans looks on against the Duke Blue Devils during the first half in the East Regional game of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Capital One Arena on March 31, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 31: Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans looks on against the Duke Blue Devils during the first half in the East Regional game of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Capital One Arena on March 31, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

1. Tom Izzo (Michigan State)

There can be no question; Izzo is the best current head coach in the Big Ten. His 24 seasons leading Michigan State have been filled with success and promise and his career accolades cannot be topped by any of the other 13 coaches in this league. With what this team brings back next season, don’t be surprised to see another Big Ten title on his resume, and perhaps even more.

Izzo is a Michigan man through and through, having played ball at Northern Michigan and serving there as an assistant coach. He was hired in 1983 to join Jud Heathcote’s Spartans staff as an assistant. There were certainly chances for Izzo to move on, but he stayed under Heathcote. After twelve seasons, he became head coach after Heathcote’s retirement in 1995.

As head coach at Michigan State, Izzo won the national title in 2000 and has produced eight Final Four teams, eight more than any other Big Ten coach. His 2009 team lost the title game to North Carolina while last year’s squad knocked out Duke on their way to another thrilling Final Four finish. Izzo’s Spartans have never been under .500 in conference play and have made the NCAA Tournament in each of the last 22 seasons. The accomplishments speak for themselves, as well as the long list of future NBA players tutored by Izzo, like Draymond Green, Zach Randolph, and Denzel Valentine.

With over 600 wins and an impressive team set for 2020, Izzo continues to build on a Hall of Fame career with the Spartans. He is by far the most impressive coach in the Big Ten. What separates Izzo from the highest tier of basketball coaches is his lone title, though that could change if this year’s team lives up to the hype. Either way, it’s impossible to argue any of the other coaches over Izzo, whose consistency and success in this league has been legendary.

Next. Predicting landing spots for top 2020 prospects. dark

Each of the fourteen programs in the Big Ten has a solid coach leading the program, though not every coach was created equal. We’ve already seen how they rank for next season, but perhaps their standing will change by next season.

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