When the buzzer sounded, 52 points hung next to the Hawkeye on the scoreboard. It was the fewest points Iowa scored this season. It was the fewest points MSU allowed. 

"We knew that they were going to set a lot of ball screens," MSU sophomore guard Jeremy Fears said. "So never relaxing against them was our theme, never relaxing in this game. There were quick passes, ball screens, some of their action, so our whole purpose was to never relax."

From the opening tip through the first four minutes, it was Iowa’s game, led by Stirtz, who opened with a step-back three-pointer. When the ball swished through the net and the gym held its collective breath — even if only for a moment — it seemed like Stirtz was in control of the game.

But then Stirtz missed. Then he missed again. And again. And again. He even missed a three throw — something uncharacteristic for the 80% free throw shooter. Just as quickly as the Breslin fell silent when Stirtz hit his three point shot, it erupted after every miss, finding relief behind an off game from Iowa’s best scorer. 

Stirtz did not score again until the 16:35 mark of the second half, 22 minutes after his opening field goal. He finished 4-for-10 with 14 points and four assists — a steep drop from his 29-point performance against Ole Miss just a week earlier.

Stirtz’s struggles were as much a result of Michigan State’s tough, in-your-face defense as they were of his own off night. All game, Spartan guards — and at times the post players — stayed glued to Stirtz, contesting every dribble and shot. Still, the 19-point-per-game guard missed shots he normally makes, marking an uncharacteristically difficult night.

"Let’s be honest about it, Stirtz had probably one of his worst games in a while," MSU head coach Tom Izzo said. "We deserve some credit, but we don’t deserve all the credit. He missed some shots I think he normally makes."

The man guarding Stirtz was Fears. The man guarding Fears was Stirtz. Both played good defense – strong, physical, suffocating, one-on-one street ball with a little bit of help from the officials. 

Fears was a major reason Stirtz only scored 14. Stirtz was a major reason that Fears shot 2-for-6. To finish the game, Fears scored 14 points – ten of which from free throws – and had six assists. 

"I thought we defended really well," Izzo said. "Jeremy was just at a different level tonight. I thought he was locked in. He should be becoming one of the best defenders in this league, and when he's doing that it just energizes our whole team. So defense travels. Defense consistent. There's not many good teams that are pretty good defensively."

If Stirtz’s struggles were enough to write about, Michigan State’s defense on the rest of the Hawkeye offense deserves equal attention. No other Iowa player scored in double figures. Guard Brendan Hausen led the rest of the team with seven points on 2-for-4 shooting. The combination of Spartan guards’ quickness, the height and strength of the post players, and the team’s collective effort effectively sank Iowa’s offense.

The defense of the Spartan unit also plays into the physicality that was exhibited by MSU. All night, the Spartans clawed, fought and scrapped with a team that is practically new to the Big Ten. With 12 transfers on this Hawkeye team and none of them being from the conference, it’s hard to be ready for a Big Ten matchup – especially if it's against MSU.

"[Physcality] is really important to our culture," Izzo said. "I don’t plan on that changing. In this game, as [MSU football head coach] Pat Fitzgerald was sitting [on the sidelines], it felt like a football game, and I’m okay with that."

When the final whistle blew, MSU had 37 rebounds. Iowa had 18. MSU had 21 second chance points. Iowa had four. MSU had 34 points in the paint. Iowa had 18. These are physicality stats paired with defensive stats. It proves that MSU dominated all game long. It proves that it's ready for No. 4 Duke. Spartans and Bluedevils tip-off on Saturday, Dec. 6 at noon in the Breslin Center.