Michigan State basketball: 3 bold predictions vs. high-scoring Iowa
![Michigan State guard Tyson Walker drives to the basket as Iowa guard Ahron Ulis defends Saturday, Michigan State guard Tyson Walker drives to the basket as Iowa guard Ahron Ulis defends Saturday,](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_2826,h_1589,x_0,y_189/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/137/01hq43fs7k2cxvar6nc0.jpg)
Every Michigan State basketball fan could probably tell you exactly where they were a year ago when the Spartans blew a 13-point lead in the final two minutes to lose a heartbreaker at Iowa.
It was one of those games that just didn't make any sense all the way from Fran McCaffery somehow avoiding being kicked out of the game for trying to intimidate a referee to Payton Sandfort and Co. hitting three after three to send the game into overtime, storming back from down double-digits with under two minutes to play.
The game made no sense.
And now Michigan State will get an opportunity to exact some revenge on Tuesday night. Iowa comes to town with a 15-11 record, needing to add a solid win to the resume to even be considered for the NCAA Tournament while the Spartans are 17-9 and riding a three-game winning streak.
Let's dive into the bold predictions for this showdown.
3. Xavier Booker plays 10-plus minutes
Michigan State is going to need some help in the post with Ben Krikke and Owen Freeman combining for over 25 points and 11 rebounds per game. Mady Sissoko will get the start, per usual, and then Carson Cooper will come in shortly after with Jaxon Kohler. No one will be quite that effective, but I could actually see Kohler scoring on a few nifty spin moves in the post.
But Tom Izzo vowed more playing time for Xavier Booker and he's going to get it on Tuesday night with the Spartans needing to space the floor more.
Booker will come in, hit a couple of big threes and even add a dunk to his stats, finishing with eight points, three rebounds, and a block. It'll be a really nice game for the five-star freshman, showing that he belongs in the regular rotation and it will even earn him some minutes in the second half.
I think we're going to see him play at least 10 minutes on Tuesday.