Tom Izzo could only smile and chuckle, shaking his head admiringly, after watching his Michigan State Spartans lay it all on the floor vs Illinois.

To be fair to Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, there aren't as many Alan Andersons and Shannon Browns across college basketball as there once were.

Michigan State overcame a poor start to knock off ranked foe Illinois from the Breslin Center. The Spartans won by the final score of 80-78.

As long as Tom Izzo is the head coach of the Michigan State Spartans, they’re not a team that should be overlooked.

Scrappy. Physical. Closer than you’d expect. And yet they always end the same way: With Tom Izzo shaking Greg Kampe’s hand in ...