East Lansing,Mich. – No. 7 Michigan State begins its pursuit of a Big Ten Championship Tuesday night,hosting Iowa at the Breslin Center. The Spartans (7-1) enter conference play after a dominant 88-64 victory over Oakland, while the Hawkeyes arrive with an unblemished 7-0 record.
This marks the 139th meeting between the two programs, with Michigan State holding a 78-60 advantage in the all-time series. For MSU,this game initiates a challenging Big Ten schedule and offers an early chance to establish dominance within the conference. Head Coach Tom Izzo’s teams have historically performed well in Big Ten openers, boasting an 18-12 record under his leadership, though the Spartans have dropped their last two home conference openers.
Jaxon Kohler delivered a strong performance against Oakland, recording his third double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Senior center Carson Cooper contributed 14 points and six rebounds, while freshman forward Cam ward added 11 points off the bench.
Iowa is under the direction of first-year head coach Ben McCollum, who brought six players with him from Drake. The Hawkeyes are led by junior guard Bennett Stirtz, the Missouri Valley Player of the Year, averaging 18.6 points and 5.4 assists per game.
Michigan State is 47-20 all-time at home against Iowa,including a 22-5 record at the Breslin Center. However, Iowa has won two of the last three games played in East Lansing. Izzo holds a 36-16 career record against the Hawkeyes. Last year,the Spartans clinched the outright Big Ten title with a 91-84 victory in Iowa City.
