Michigan State Basketball: 3 keys for Spartans to upset No. 5 Iowa

Fresh off a disappointing Big Ten loss, Michigan State Basketball will try to rally for their biggest win of the season over nationally-ranked Iowa.

There are a handful of teams that have fallen from the graces of the national ranks over the course of the young season – and Michigan State Basketball has been in that collection.  After climbing as high as no. 4 in the AP Poll, the Spartans have fallen out of the ranks – but now, they have the opportunity to reassert themselves as a force in the Big Ten, taking on the no. 5 Iowa Hawkeyes on Thursday night.

After romping through the non-conference schedule undefeated at 6-0, the Spartans have struggled to begin Big Ten play.  They opened the conference schedule 0-3 behind losses to Northwestern, Wisconsin, and Minnesota – their worst start in nearly 20 years.  Michigan State subsequently rebounded, picking up back-to-back wins over Nebraska and Rutgers – but are coming off a disappointing loss at home to Purdue, 55-54.

Michigan State’s resume currently is nothing short of lackluster.  They currently rank 84th in the latest NET rankings, having amassed an awful 0-3 record against Quad 1 teams.  Their win over Duke has not aged well, and Michigan State’s dominating 23-point win over Rutgers – albeit impressive – has also not looked as good of late, considering the Scarlet Knights are 1-4 in their last five games.

A win over Iowa would do wonders for the Spartans moving forward – but this will be Michigan State’s toughest challenge yet.  The Hawkeyes enter the showdown at 11-2, winners of four-straight over Northwestern, Rutgers, Maryland, and Minnesota – with three of those coming by double-digits.

There is not much to be said about the Hawkeyes that is not already known.  They feature one of the best offenses in college basketball – one that currently ranks second in efficiency – as well as the consensus National Player of the Year in Luka Garza, whose season-low has just been 16 points.  Garza is coming off a stellar 33-point showing against Minnesota, having gone 13-20 from the floor and 6-8 from the charity stripe.

These two squads met once last season, and Michigan State claimed a 78-70 victory in East Lansing.  When they met, both squads were fringe top-25 squads – and now, the roles have widened substantially, in favor of Iowa.  The Hawkeyes have cemented themselves as a national title contender, while the Spartans are desperately in search of a season-defining victory.  But for them to pull off the upset, there are a few keys they need to follow.