Michigan State basketball could use Iowa matchup for December momentum

Michigan State basketball picked up a nice road win over Rutgers, but a victory against Iowa would lead to a strong month of December.

Picking up a road win over Rutgers to start conference play with a 1-0 record was nice, but sealing the deal with a victory over Iowa, ranked No. 14 last week, would be even better.

The Spartans saw their five-game winning streak ended abruptly last Tuesday as Louisville got the better of Tom Izzo’s team in overtime. Michigan State bounced back to beat the Scarlet Knights on the road, 78-67, quieting a sold out RAC — the first since 1997.

Iowa comes to town on Monday evening for the Spartans’ first home game since Nov. 18 when they beat Tennessee Tech by 68 points.

The Hawkeyes are coming off a tough home loss against Wisconsin to start conference play and will be looking to bounce back with a notable road win. Michigan State can’t overlook this streaky shooting team led by a fiery Fran McCaffery.

Michigan State could use this game, and a win, to extend their momentum throughout the month of December and heading back into conference play in January.

Here’s how you can watch Monday’s MSU vs. Iowa game:

Date: Monday, Dec. 3
Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
Location: East Lansing, Mich.
Venue: Breslin Center
TV: FOX Sports 1
Live Stream: FOX Sports Go or FuboTV

Keys to Victory

We saw against Rutgers that working the ball into the post works. Facilitate the offense through Nick Ward and good things will happen. Tyler Cook may very well be matched up with Ward on Monday, so getting him into foul trouble would work, too, but making sure the junior big man touches it on nearly every possession deep in the post would cause some collapsing defenders from the perimeter and a kick-out would set up an open three.

Defending the perimeter has to be top on the list of priorities for the Spartans. Iowa makes just 32 percent of their shots from deep, but it can get hot and stay that way throughout the course of a game. Luka Garza and Joe Wieskamp can hit their shots from long-range, making over 40 percent, so even if Matt McQuaid doesn’t play, the defense must lock down the perimeter and not look scattered like they did in the first half against Rutgers.

Players to Watch

Iowa has a plethora of shooters on the roster, but the top player has to be the explosive Tyler Cook who has taken Miles Bridges’ spot as the most feared dunker in the Big Ten. Here’s who you should be watching for on Monday night:

• Tyler Cook: 15.4 points, 8.1 rebounds, 55% FG
• Luke Garza: 13.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 61% FG, 40% 3-point
• Joe Wieskamp: 10.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 46% FG, 43% 3-point

Prediction

Iowa is probably the toughest matchup Michigan State will see until Jan. 5 when the Spartans travel to Columbus to take on Ohio State. The Hawkeyes have a high-scoring offense, but with a streaky shooting lineup, they’ll fall cold late at Breslin. Iowa will start off red-hot and Tyler Cook will silence the crowd early with a thunderous jam, but they won’t be able to keep pace with the up-tempo Spartan offense. Michigan State wins as Nick Ward dominates the post.

Final Score: Iowa 69, Michigan State 80