The Michigan State Spartans are taking on the Iowa Hawkeyes in a Big Ten ESPN college basketball game on Tuesday night and the matchup will be streaming online from the WatchESPN website and will be live from Carver-Hawkeye Arena at 7 pm and comes after the team lost to their rivals in the Michigan Wolverines.
Tom Izzo and his team are one of the best in the nation and they come into the matchup ranked seventh overall and they have been excellent in conference play, going 7-1 on the season and they now are 18-2 overall as they take on the number 15 Hawkeyes in a matchup of teams in the AP Top 25 rankings. Both teams have played well this season and the game against Iowa comes before a huge matchup against Georgetown and that will be on the road on a neutral floor for MSU and comes before a number of tough games, including matchups with Wisconsin and then later again on the road against Michigan.
Gary Harris led the way for the Spartans against Michigan with 27 points and Keith Appling had 10 assists in the game to keep the team in it and now they will play their second ranked opponent in a row from their own conference after playing Michigan in Iowa. The team has ranked matchups in three of the next five games including the Wolverines, as the Badgers are coming up in a little over a week and that should be an anticipated game as well for both sides.
Check here for the Michigan State and Iowa live coverage from ESPN college basketball.
Michigan State has been one of the best offensive and defensive teams in the nation and they come in scoring nearly 80 points per game and that is good for top 30 in the nation and they have been excellent handling the ball, ranking fourth in assist per game this season as well. The team is in the top 40 in all major offensive categories and they are shooting from the floor at a 47 percent clip this season and snagging nearly 40 boards per game. The defense has been just as good, allowing less than 65 points per game and averaging nearly 10 steals per contest and those skills and experience will help the team come March Madness.
Iowa comes into the game after a big win on the road against Northwestern and after this they have a game against Illinois and that will be on the road as well on Saturday. The team has won four of the last five games, the only loss coming to Michigan just like Michigan State and Iowa also has a huge upset win during that time, taking down number three Ohio State and that could end up being one of the signature wins for the team all season. The school comes in ranked fifth in scoring with 85 points per game and third in rebounding and they are a team that Michigan State will not take lightly.
