NFL Tickets
TV Schedule: Thursday, Jan. 14, 7:00 p.m. ET, ESPN
Arena: Breslin Center, East Lansing, MI
The Michigan State Spartans might be without their star player, Denzel Valentine, for the immediate future, but they are still one of the best teams in the country. With just one loss on the season, Michigan State looks to be the favorite to win the Big 10 and one of the favorites to win the national championship.
That being said, the Spartans will be wary of their next opponents, the Iowa Hawkeyes, that are the only team to have beaten Michigan State this season.
Iowa comes into this game ranked No. 16, rapidly rising in the top 25 after an undefeated start to conference play. The Hawkeyes, who many believed would have a down year, have proven that they are legitimate contenders to win the Big 10 regular season title and could make a massive statement by defeating the Spartans yet again on Thursday night.
Getting to the free-throw line was the key to Iowa pulling off the upset a few weeks ago, but Tom Izzo will have coached up his team on staying out of foul trouble. The Hawkeyes played well and never trailed. However, it would be naive to think that their 31 total free throws didn’t have an impact on the outcome of the game.
I like the Hawkeyes as a legitimate Elite Eight-and-beyond team with a real shot at winning the Big 10. However, Michigan State gets revenge for their earlier loss thanks to better shooting by Bryn Forbes and a home crowd in the Breslin Center.
Prediction: Michigan State 78, Iowa 74
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