Michigan State basketball: 3 bold predictions for important Iowa battle

Looking to end a tough stretch of three losses in four games, Michigan State basketball will host a sharpshooting Iowa team on Thursday night.

The Hawkeyes come in with a 12-7 record and in need of a win to stay above .500 in conference play and Michigan State is 13-7 with a 5-4 mark in the Big Ten.

There’s a lot on the line in this one including a legit shot at a Big Ten title and a tournament resume-building win.

Let’s get bold.

3. Michigan State holds Kris Murray under 20 points

This is somewhat of a rare feat for opposing defenses, but Michigan State will have to figure out a way to stop Kris Murray and it feels like the Spartans always rise to the occasion at home against opposing star players.

Sure, Zach Edey just scored 30 points, but he shot under 50 percent from the floor and had seven free throw attempts to get there.

I think we’ll see the Spartans conjure up the perfect game plan to slow Murray down as they have one of the better defenses in the Big Ten and Tom Izzo is usually a master of this.

If Malik Hall was healthy, I’d have this prediction on lock watch. But for now, it’s bold.