Izzo said that he didn't see this coming, but that is his job and even though he's disappointed, he gives credit to Iowa for their gameplay. He said the blame should solely go on him, not his guys.

The Spartans (10-8, 4-8 Big Ten) came out of the gate with a 7-6 lead, but Iowa started the game shooting 8-of-13 from the arc in the first half.

Joshua Langford and Marcus Bingham Jr., who were both a part of the starting lineup, bought MSU the first four points of the game off a layup and a dunk off a pair of turnovers.

But Iowa didn't settle like many saw in the first matchup against MSU.

First it was Jordan Bohannon, then Connor McCaffery and then Joe Wieskamp. All three hit 3-pointers to suddenly retake and then extend the Hawkeye lead to 18-9.

Once that lead was gone, everything followed suit in falling apart for MSU. The loss is the worst at the Breslin Center under Tom Izzo.

Both offensive and defensive game plans slacked. The Spartans shot 11-for-35 and trailed by as many as 20 points in just the first half.

Something was missing, and the bench was dead. Rocket Watts didn't play in the second half due to "health and safety precautions," an MSU spokesperson said.

It was Iowa's day and not MSU's. Wieskamp, Jack Nunge and McCaffery combined for 55 points to lead the Hawkeyes in the win.

The last 10 seconds of the game were spent standing around, no movement, as the Spartans filed back to the locker room in an exhausted defeat.

MSU now turns to Purdue (13-8), where they will head on Tuesday, Feb. 16 as a part of a two-game road stand against the Boilermakers and Indiana Hoosiers, whom they play on Feb. 20. Tipoff for the game at Purdue is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN.

Gabe Brown plays well, not many else do for MSU

Leading the Spartans in scoring was Gabe Brown, who came out with a total of 15 points on 6-for-10 shooting from the field. Aaron Henry backed him up beautifully with 13 points of his own.

The pair were bright spots in an otherwise dimly lit game.

"It's just about wanting to compete," Brown said. "... Like I said last time, I love basketball with everything in me, so if I can play as long and as much as I can, I'm going to do it at the best rate possible. When I go out there, I want to compete, just like every guy on the team, they want to compete."

Brown said that energy rubs off, so if he's out there crashing the glass and doing something right, the next player is going to do it and so on and so forth. It's a see-all, hear-all, do-all.

With three minutes left, A.J. Hoggard made a pass to Brown, who sliced for a dunk that pushed the Spartans within 30 points of their opponent.

Langford added another 11 to the board one game after breaking his 1,000-point career marker against Penn State on Tuesday night.

"Credit to Iowa, they're a great team, but there's still some things we have to fix," Langford said. "As a captain, I'm going to have to step up even more. I got to push my teammates to reach higher and deeper. We had a lot of bonehead mistakes and things we couldn't control, but at the end of the day we have to learn and just keep moving forward because it doesn't stop here."

Bingham capped his contributions at two points, Malik Hall at one point and Foster Loyer went down to the final buzzer scoreless.

There was an effort from Rocket Watts, Joey Hauser and Thomas Kithier. All three started the season in the starting lineup and, as time has gone on, each one has been replaced. Albeit Hauser's was a decision he brought to Izzo first.

Hauser came within foul trouble again, nearly got ejected and only scored nine points.

Not a lot went MSU's way on offense.

The Spartans made 35% of their attempted field goals, 29% of their attempted three-pointers and 50% of their free throws. The Hawkeyes made 49% of their attempted field goals, 52% of their attempted three-pointers and 58% of their free throws, never once losing their crown once it was placed on their heads.

With the loss, MSU's postseason tournament hopes again slip away following two consecutive wins. But the Spartans will face No. 24 Purdue, No. 4 Ohio State, No. 6 Illinois and No. 3 Michigan with changes to earn notable wins for their NCAA Tournament resume before the season is done.

"It's time for us to recollect," Brown said. "It's time for us to watch film, go back, talk with the coaches to see what we did wrong and get back to practicing. Every guy has to bring it each and every day. We've got to bring it to the game too."

"It's embarrassing ... but it's not over yet," he said. "We're still fighting, and we still believe we're going to make this run."