Michigan State (7-0) hosts Iowa (7-0) on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Breslin Center.,The Spartans are ranked No. 11 nationally, while the Hawkeyes are unranked but have had a strong start under new coach Ben McCollum.Michigan State (7-0) will face Iowa (7-0) on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Breslin Center. The game will be streamed on Peacock, with radio coverage on the Spartan Sports Network. Michigan State is ranked No. 11 in the AP poll and No. 12 in the USA TODAY Coaches poll, while Iowa is unranked.
The betting line favors Michigan State by 5.5 points.
Michigan State is coached by Tom Izzo, who is in his 31st season with a record of 743-302. Iowa is coached by Ben McCollum, in his first season with the Hawkeyes. McCollum previously coached at Drake, where he went 31-4 last year, and spent 15 seasons at Division-II Northwest Missouri State, winning four national championships.
Michigan State leads the all-time series against Iowa 78-60. The Spartans won the only meeting last season, 91-84.
Projected starting lineups:
MSU: C Carson Cooper, F Jaxon Kohler, F Coen Carr, G Trey Fort, PG Jeremy Fears Jr.
Iowa: C Cam Manyawu, PF Tavion Banks, SF Cooper Koch, SG Kael Combs, PG Bennett Stirtz
The Spartans are coming off an impressive 74-58 victory over North Carolina. Michigan State ranks highly in defensive efficiency and offensive rebounding. Their 3-point shooting has improved significantly in recent games, with Jeremy Fears Jr. leading the nation in assists per game (9.7) and Jaxon Kohler ranking sixth in the Big Ten in rebounds per game (9.7).
Iowa’s undefeated start includes wins over Xavier and Mississippi. Under new coach Ben McCollum, the Hawkeyes have adopted a more deliberate pace, ranking low nationally in tempo and possession length. Guard Bennett Stirtz, who followed McCollum from previous coaching stops, is a key player, averaging 18.6 points per game. The team features several strong 3-point shooters.
The matchup is expected to test Michigan State’s big men in ball-screen defense against Iowa’s two-man action. Iowa is a good shooting team from both 2-point and 3-point range. A key challenge for MSU will be to inject pace into the game against Iowa’s slower tempo.
Prediction: Michigan State is predicted to win 73-67. While Iowa is a capable team with a standout player in Stirtz, they have not yet faced an opponent with Michigan State’s physical toughness, defensive commitment, and offensive discipline. The Breslin Center crowd is expected to be a factor in the game.
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