Takeaways from Iowa basketball’s big win at Michigan State
The Iowa Hawkeyes (16-11, 8-8 Big Ten) went into East Lansing, Mich., and shocked the Spartan faithful to the tune of a 78-71 road win at Michigan State. In front of a packed out Breslin Center, Iowa picked up a win that dramatically enhances its potential at-large NCAA Tournament resume.
Behind strong performances from junior forward Payton Sandfort, graduate big Ben Krikke and redshirt senior forward Patrick McCaffery, Iowa was able to navigate the momentum swings at MSU.
“I think a great deal (of confidence), because of the respect we have for the two programs you just mentioned (Wisconsin and Michigan State). Not a lot of teams come in here and win. Not a lot of teams beat those teams either place.
“So, the fact that we were able to fight through an overtime victory against Wisconsin who was ranked. Then, another quad one win for us here on the road. Obviously, on the road it’s always going to be harder, and I think in many ways more indicative of your team’s ability to compete. But, now we got to do it again. We have to go on the road at Illinois. One of the best teams in the country,” Iowa head men’s basketball coach Fran McCaffery said afterwards.
What were several of the key takeaways from the road victory?
Iowa trio set the tone
McCaffery, Krikke and Sandfort each scored in double-figures in the first half. The trio was led by McCaffery’s 12 points on a perfect 4-for-4 shooting effort in the game’s first 20 minutes. Krikke added 11 and nine rebounds and Sandfort scored 10 in the first half.
Iowa separated to end the first half
The Hawkeyes got off to a strong start on the road, jumping out with the game’s first four points from freshman forward Owen Freeman. Iowa led 11-8 before Michigan State responded to leapfrog back in front on three separate occasions during the first half.
But, after falling behind 27-24, Iowa closed the first half on a 21-6 scoring run in the first half’s final 6:34 to gain control in East Lansing.
Iowa survived foul trouble from Owen Freeman
After scoring the game’s first two baskets, it looked like the nine-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week was due for another big performance. Instead, foul trouble ensured that wasn’t going to be the case.
After a quick pair of fouls in the game’s first three minutes, Freeman didn’t return until the start of the second half. Just like in the first half, Freeman collected a pair of fouls in quick succession and didn’t return until the game’s final 2:31.
A key piece for this Hawkeye team, Iowa managed to survive a game where Freeman was limited to just eight minutes of floor time. Freeman still finished with eight points, two rebounds, two assists and a block.
The Hawkeyes withstood Michigan State's second-half rallies
Every Hawkeye fan knew a rally or several would be coming from Michigan State. Sure enough, the Spartans charged at Iowa on several occasions.
After trailing by as many as 16 points early in the second half, Michigan State trimmed the deficit back to single digits seven different times. The Spartans were back within 62-56 with 7:12 remaining and 70-65 with 2:31 left to play.
Each time, Iowa found a response to close out the big road victory. On the final instance, it was Sandfort that got loose for a key layup and then Freeman that flushed it to extend the Hawkeyes’ lead back out to nine points and put the cherry on top.
Iowa has won five of six over Michigan State
With the win, Iowa has now won two of their past three at Michigan State. The Hawkeyes have also won five of the past six in the series. That stretch includes last season’s overtime thriller from inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena where Iowa staged an 11-point comeback in regulation’s final 55 seconds before winning in overtime, 112-106.
Hello, NCAA Tournament bubble
After back-to-back Quad 1 wins over Wisconsin and at Michigan State, Iowa is suddenly looking up for a potential at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament. The Hawkeyes have plenty of work yet in front of them, but with a pair of games left against Illinois, a game versus Penn State and at Northwestern still on the slate, Iowa will have chances to continue enhancing its resume.
Iowa entered the night No. 67 in the net rankings, but that’s destined to go up after the Hawkeyes grabbed their second Quad 1 victory. With three wins in of their last four regular season games, Iowa would have a solid NCAA Tournament case before heading to Minneapolis, Minn., for the Big Ten Tournament.
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