The team also displayed resilience in the second half that had been missing recently, prompting Izzo to see the silver lining after yet another tally being added to the loss column.

“We gave ourselves a chance, we just didn't make some shots,” Izzo said.

The loss dropped Michigan State to sixth in the Big Ten standings with a 9-6 conference record. The Spartans are slowly fading from the hunt for their fourth Big Ten title in five years but still have plenty of opportunities to develop into a stronger team heading into the postseason. 

Despite playing 26 games this season, Michigan State Head Coach Tom Izzo believes the Spartans have yet to play a complete game to the best of their abilities from start to finish. The most recent loss to Illinois was more encouraging than previous games in Izzo’s eyes but the consistency is still absent.

“We've played some good teams, we just haven't played a complete game,” Izzo said. “Wisconsin: a bad first half, good second. Penn State: a good two-thirds of the game, didn't finish. We are not playing the entire game.”

MSU is looking to snap out of the funk in Iowa on Tuesday against the Hawkeyes. It is the first matchup between the two this season.

Scouting the Opponent

Iowa (18-8, 8-7) comes into the matchup as one of the hottest teams in the Big Ten, winning four out of its last five games including a win over Ohio State on the road in their latest game on Saturday.

Iowa’s strength this year has been its offense, which ranks fourth in the country in points per game (83.5) and ninth in the country in adjusted tempo (15.4 seconds per possession), according to KenPom. 

The Hawkeyes are powered by Big Ten Player of the Year candidate sophomore forward Keegan Murray, who ranks fourth nationally in scoring (23.4 PPG) and is averaging 27.6 points over the last five outings. Murray also leads the team in rebounding (8.2) and has consistently excelled on both ends of the floor as Iowa has strengthened its NCAA tournament bid.

Murray’s leap from last year to this year came out of nowhere from Izzo's perspective. Izzo credited Murray’s extra maturation for his success this year.

“Keegan has almost done an unbelievable job and (Iowa Head Coach Fran McCaffery) deserves some credit, but I think Keegan and his brother have improved a ton too,” Izzo said.

Sophomore forward Kris Murray, Keegan’s twin brother, is one of four Iowa players averaging double-digit points a game (10.0) and has served as his twin’s companion in the frontcourt off the bench. The Hawkeyes are also led by redshirt sophomore guard Patrick McCaffery (11.0) and redshirt senior guard Jordan Bohannon (10.7) to power the high-octane offense.

“They got four guys in double figures,” Izzo said. “Bohannon's been there — it seems that we keep running into these point guards that have been there five, six, seven years. He's been there a long time. They've got multiple weapons on offense.”

Defensively, the Hawkeyes have been solid but not near the top of the Big Ten for most of the season. Izzo said it will be interesting to see how MSU is defended on Tuesday and it could be a way for the offense to get back on track after struggles in the last five games.

“I think we've played some of the best defensive teams in the conference these last couple of games and we'll see what they do defensively against us,” Izzo said. “And hopefully we'll get our offense on track.”

MSU-Iowa will tip off at 7 p.m. EST Tuesday night and the game will be televised on ESPN.