For a variety of reasons, there was a celebratory mood inside the Jack Breslin Student Events Center on Monday night.

The Michigan State Spartans were able to shake off a slow start and pull away from a scrappy Oakland squad by a final score of 79-62. In doing so, the Spartans were able to build on Saturday's huge win over the No. 6 Baylor Bears in Detroit's Little Caesar's Arena.

The game itself was also celebration of college basketball in the state of Michigan which pitted the current longest tenured coach in all of college basketball (Oakland's Greg Kampe in his 39th season) against the third longest tenured coach (Michigan State's Tom Izzo in his 28th season).

But the biggest celebration of the night was reserved for the Spartans' senior guard Tyson Walker, who scored his 1,000th point in a Michigan State uniform with a baseline catch-and-shoot baseline jumper midway through the second half.

Walker became the 54th player to reach this milestone in Michigan State history and the 24th fastest, having reached the millennium mark in a little over two years. Head coach Tom Izzo was surprised by Walker's position on this list.

"I thought that it would be even higher than that," Izzo joked. "They didn't guard anybody back in (former Spartan coach) Jud's (Heathcote) days maybe."

Izzo took several minutes in the press conference to reflect on the journey that Tyson Walker has made since he arrived on campus. He said that Walker is a "special guy" who reminds him of former Spartan Gary Harris. Izzo added that Walker has been "a treat" to coach.

Coach Izzo even started to reminisce about his recruitment of Walker when the rising junior in the transfer portal after spending two years at Northeastern University.

"I remember sitting at breakfast with his (Walker's) dad," Izzo recalled. "His dad said 'he can score it. He can guard it, and one thing he's going to do is he's going to do what you tell him. Don't check his apartment to make sure his bed is made. It will be made. Don't pick him up for class. He'll get to class.' It's kind of funny, but I'm serious. That's what he said to me, and we kind of fell in love with him right then."

"I am just happy for him," Coach Izzo continued "It's nice to see a guy live his dream."