Michigan State basketball: 3 bold predictions for big road battle at Iowa
![Michigan State guard Tre Holloman, center, celebrates a play against Indiana with guard Tyson Walker during the first half on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023, at Breslin Center. Michigan State guard Tre Holloman, center, celebrates a play against Indiana with guard Tyson Walker during the first half on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023, at Breslin Center.](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/addcb7e95e6a0b919059974e5aec5019ec960601d2a416b9be189b3f5d67e598.jpg)
Winning one of the next two road games would go a long way for Michigan State basketball. Not only would a road win at Iowa on Saturday help get the Spartans into a position to earn a double-bye in the Big Ten Tournament, but it would potentially help NCAA Tournament seeding.
If the season ended today, Michigan State would likely be a 7-8 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but getting around that 6-line would be huge.
But winning in Iowa City is not an easy task. Michigan State hasn’t won at Carver-Hawkeye Arena since the 2018-19 season when Cassius Winston was running the show.
Can the Spartans get it done on Saturday? You’ll have to read our bold predictions to find out.
3. Michigan State stays hot from deep
Against Indiana, Michigan State started incredibly slow and then heated up in a big way. The Spartans finished 10-for-21 from deep and scored 80 points on one of the conference’s best teams.
While I don’t know if I can predict another 80-point outburst from this offense, I think the Spartans will hit somewhere in the ballpark of 10 threes again and force Iowa to respond.
Iowa has never been known for its defense under Fran McCaffery and I don’t think that’s going to start any time soon, but the Spartans will take advantage of some stellar ball movement and hot shooting from deep to at least make Iowa sweat this one out.
Jaden Akins, Joey Hauser, and Tyson Walker will stay hot.