Fans gathered at the Breslin Center on Michigan State University's campus Sunday afternoon to celebrate. Not only did the men's basketball team pick up a much-needed victory over a tough conference opponent, but Steven Izzo, the son of legendary head coach Tom Izzo, finally finished his career after appearing in dozens of games. He scored his first point.
Steven IzzoThe graduate student, currently playing his fifth season at MSU, has always been a fan favorite. Although he's only 5 feet 8 inches tall, Tom and Lupe Izzo's only son joined the team as a non-recruiter as a freshman in 2019. Since then, he has appeared in 43 games, almost always coming on in the final minutes of the Spartans' games. Victory is almost certain.
Every time Stephen gets playing time for Breslin, the fans in attendance stand up and hope that his teammates will feed him the ball and that he can eventually score a point himself. He often dribbles around and takes solid shots, but his short stature and opponent's talent always seem to thwart his shot attempts.
Until Sunday.
With about a minute left and the Spartans leading by nearly 20 points, Steven Izzo trotted onto the court to give it his all again. This time, he got paid in a surprising way. Stephen Izzo received a pass from sophomore guard Tre Holloman, dribbled around Rutgers guard Austin Williams and fired a Hail Mary shot. The shot bounced around the rim and ended up in the hoop for two points.
As the crowd roared with excitement, Izzo's teammates cleared the bench and held him in celebration. Williams was also called for a foul on this shot, so after enjoying the moment with his fans and friends, Steven Izzo headed to the free throw line to take one more shot.
He also made it a one count.
Watch the heartwarming video below.
The Spartans started the season as a top-five favorite, but quickly fell out of the rankings after consecutive non-conference losses. The Spartans are currently at a disappointing 10-7 overall on the season and 2-4 in the Big Ten Conference, but they can't afford to lose a home game against the Scarlet Knights, who finished last in the conference but had a good record. Ta. of the game. The lead changed hands frequently for the first 25 minutes or so, but the Spartans eventually took over, thanks in part to fifth-year forward Malik Hall, who had 15 points and six rebounds.
MSU next hosts the Minnesota Golden Gophers (12-4) on Thursday. Rutgers returns to its home base in Piscataway, N.J., to host the Nebraska Cornhuskers (13-4) on Wednesday.
Coach Tom Izzo has been at the helm of MSU for nearly 30 years and is already a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, winning a national title and appearing in the Final Four eight times. His 25 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances will technically be a record if his Spartans teams continue to struggle in the conference. longest in the country The University of Kansas may be in jeopardy now that the 2018 season is vacant and its tournament berth for that year is gone.
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