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Michigan State Basketball: 5 takeaways from comeback win at Iowa

By Connor Muldowney

IOWA CITY, IOWA- JANUARY 24: Guard Jordan Bohannon #3 of the Iowa Hawkeyes scrambles for a loose ball in the first half against center Thomas Kithier #15 of the Michigan State Spartans on January 24, 2019 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)
IOWA CITY, IOWA- JANUARY 24: Guard Jordan Bohannon #3 of the Iowa Hawkeyes scrambles for a loose ball in the first half against center Thomas Kithier #15 of the Michigan State Spartans on January 24, 2019 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images) /
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Michigan State basketball had to work hard to pull off a big road win at Iowa. What did we learn from the Spartans’ comeback effort?

Down eight points early in the second half on the road against the No. 19 team in the country, Michigan State looked as if it might crumble under pressure and finally record its first loss of the Big Ten season, but that wasn’t the case.

Tom Izzo got into his guys’ ears and they responded, going on a 24-2 run that ultimately decided the game.

With the win, Michigan State improves to 18-2 overall and 9-0 in conference play. They have won 21 straight Big Ten regular season games and 13 consecutive overall contests this year. This team has grit, toughness and a will to win that fans haven’t seen since 2015’s Final Four squad.

What the Spartans were able to do on the road was nothing short of impressive, but there’s still more work to do as a road game against Purdue is approaching.

What did we learn from Michigan State’s come-from-behind win at Iowa?

5. Thomas Kithier is providing good minutes off the bench

Nick Ward didn’t look like himself early on, Kenny Goins and Xavier Tillman found themselves in foul trouble and, well, the Spartans don’t have many other options outside of those three to plug in to the post, but Thomas Kithier answered the call for the second straight game.

In just nine minutes, Kithier scored six points and grabbed five rebounds, including three offensive boards, but he did miss a couple of defensive assignments. Outside of some lapses on the defensive end, Kithier did his job, and then some, which was acting as a placeholder for Ward, Goins and Tillman.

Over the past two games, he’s averaging five points and 3.5 rebounds even though he’s played a total of 14 minutes in that span. He’s also 4-for-4 from the floor. He has more points in the last two games than he did on the entire season before that.

Kithier is proving to be a valuable option off the bench and he’ll continue to see his minutes increase.

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