EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan State coach Tom Izzo has been trying to downplay being on the brink of breaking Bob Knight’s record for Big Ten basketball wins.

Perhaps he knew what was coming Tuesday night.

Indiana beat the 11th-ranked Spartans 71-67, leaving Izzo with 353 conference victories to stay tied with Knight a little longer.

Izzo will get his next shot Saturday night at Illinois.

Former NFL coach Steve Mariucci surprised Izzo by showing up at the Breslin Center, sitting on the Spartans’ bench with his back facing Izzo as he walked to the sideline for warmups before Michigan State hosted the Hoosiers.

Izzo and Mariucci, who coached the San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions, grew up together in Iron Mountain in Michigan’s upper peninsula and attended nearby Northern Michigan.

The Basketball Hall of Fame coach tied Knight’s Big Ten record of 353 conference wins with an 86-74 comeback victory over Oregon on Saturday.

Knight, who died in 2023, led Indiana to three NCAA titles from 1971 to 2000 and was one of Izzo’s mentors during his first season as Jud Heathcote’s successor at Michigan State in 1995.

Indiana coach Mike Woodson, a star player for Knight from 1976-80, is in his fourth and final year in the latest attempt to return the program to glory. The school announced last week that Woodson is stepping down following the season.

“I can’t let them quit,” said Woodson, whose team ended a five-game losing streak. “We’ve just got to keep working and keep pushing each other and see where it leads us.

“We’ve still got a lot of season left.”

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Follow Larry Lage at https://apnews.com/author/larry-lage

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