Jack Freifelder | NCAA.com | December 29, 2016 MSU gets pick-me-up from Tom Izzo's mom after win Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo helped his team maintain their poise in a 75-74 win on Tuesday. Share There's no denying that it's been a tough start to the year for the Spartans of Michigan State. A quartet of high-profile losses against Arizona, Kentucky, Baylor and Duke might have had fans grumbling about what has traditionally been a top-flight college basketball program. Things have started to settle for head coach Tom Izzo and company — who have gone 5-1 without freshman phenom and leading scorer Miles Bridges — but a blip on the radar in the form of a defeat at the hands of Northeastern likely had some of those same fans reaching for the panic button again. However, Izzo has proven to be a master of helping guide his team through a season while growing as a unit along the way. In other words, Michigan State fans have no fear: Big Ten conference play is here. And this year's campaign started off on the right foot with a 75-74 overtime victory against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Dec 28, 2016 at 8:06am PST To cap it all off, the team was visited by Izzo's mother, Dorothy, after the game. Not sure if Mrs. Izzo was ready for the attention from all these strapping young lads, but a hug from mom — even someone else's mom — always makes a win better. A 75-74 overtime win, good; a 1-0 start in Big Ten conference play, better; a chance to see Tom Izzo's mom hug every sweaty, smelly Spartan in the locker room, priceless. College volleyball: Michigan State shocks No. 7 Purdue 3-2 in Cathy George's 300th win Michigan State fought an epic five-set battle in a victory at No. 7 Purdue on Wednesday night, earning a 3-2 victory (25-16, 25-27, 25-23, 16-25, 15-10). The win was Cathy George's 300th at Michigan State, a memorable way for the mentor to celebrate a milestone victory. READ MORE How the NCAA college wrestling championship works Here is a comprehensive guide to the NCAA college wrestling tournament and its history, including how athletes qualify for the championship, where it will be held, select individual and team records and how the scoring works. READ MORE 7 of the biggest September surprises in college football The first month of the college football season is in the books. We didn't see these storylines coming. READ MORE