Tom Izzo Says He Needs 2019 NCAA Title to 'Validate' His Career at MSU

Michigan State's Tom Izzo knows what a second championship would mean for his legacy.

"I need to validate it for me, I don't need to validate it for them," Izzo told reporters Tuesday. "I have my own goals and dreams and I have my own aspirations of what I want to do. What I want to do is put Michigan State University in rare air."

Izzo would become the 16th head coach in men's college basketball history to win multiple titles if Michigan State is able to win two more games. The Spartans have reached seven Final Fours under Izzo but have only once won the national championship.

Izzo said he now understands there will always be critics of his Final Four performance, something he admits he once would have bristled at.

"I've learned that people that question you are going to question you, the haters are going to hate you," Izzo said "All I've got to make sure I do is what's best for my team and the university I work at. I want to do that each and every day."

The 2018-19 season has been one of Izzo's best coaching runs, as he's helped guide the Spartans despite injuries to their first Final Four since 2015. Perhaps most special in the run was Izzo's victory over Duke and Mike Krzyzewski, who has had Izzo's number throughout their respective careers. Michigan State is 2-11 against Duke under Izzo.

The Spartans enter this weekend's Final Four as slight favorites over Texas Tech, and they're the second favorite to win the title behind Virginia, per Vegas Insider.