Spartans Finish Home Schedule against No. 24 Hawkeyes

With their shot of at least a share of the Big Ten regular season completely gone, Michigan State tries to build their tournament resume as they take on Iowa Thursday tonight in East Lansing.

The Spartans have dropped their last two games and three out of their last four. Including tonight’s Iowa game, MSU has two games left before the start of the Big Ten tournament.

Iowa stopped a three-game skid on Sunday, as they defeated Purdue, 83-76. The Hawkeyes lost three straight before beating the Boilermakers.

Michigan State beat Iowa in Iowa City in the first matchup, 71-69, in overtime. The Spartans were without Adreian Payne and Branden Dawson in that game and had a huge contribution from Matt Costello, who recorded a double-double in the contest.

With a fully, healthy line-up, the Spartans have to become as cohesive as possible in their remaining regular season games if they hope to be playing in April.

The Hawkeyes rely mostly on their senior guard Roy Devyn Marble. Marble had 21 points in the first game and leads the team with just over 17 points a game.

If Michigan State hopes to win this game, they need Keith Appling to regain his confidence. Appling has looked tentative since returning from his wrist injury. He is averaging just over three points in limited minutes since the Feb. 16 Nebraska game.

Tonight’s tip-off is scheduled for 9 p.m. EST.


Andrew Hayes is the host of Impact Izzone for Impact Sports.

Photo: Scott Wasserman/Impact Sports