Iowa Beats Michigan State in Overtime After Wild 2nd Half Comeback

The Hawkeyes stunned the college basketball world with an improbable home win on Saturday.

A top candidate for men’s college basketball game of the year unfolded on Saturday as Iowa took down Michigan State, 112–106, in a wild overtime thriller at home.

Trailing 91–78 with 1:34 left in regulation, the Hawkeyes (18–11, 10–8) pulled within 10 points with 40 seconds to play and eventually bounced back with an absurd 20–11 run that included five three pointers on eight attempts. Sophomore forward Payton Sandfort, who nailed the first shot to cut the 13-point deficit, sunk the last of those threes in the closing seconds to propel Iowa to OT.

Sandfort’s clutch shot added to Iowa’s already surging momentum as coach Fran McCaffery’s squad went on to pull off the improbable victory. And, in case you were wondering just how unlikely the win was, Michigan State’s win probability hit 99.8% late in regulation before Iowa’s run. Unreal.

Clutch gene 🧬@payton_20_ x #Hawkeyes
pic.twitter.com/C6Ux06jGzs

— Iowa Men’s Basketball (@IowaHoops) February 25, 2023

Sandfort (22 points), junior forward Kris Murray (26) and guard Tony Perkins (24) finished with a combined 72 points to cap the day. As for the Spartans (17–11, 9–8), senior guard Tyson Walker and sophomore guard Jaden Akins were two of the five MSU players who scored in double digits, pouring in 31 and 21 points, respectively.

After setting the CBB world ablaze with the unbelievable comeback, Iowa also managed to make NCAA history on Saturday. The Hawkeyes became just the fourth team ever to win when trailing by 11-plus points with less than a minute remaining in regulation, according to David Warlock, the NCAA’s Director of Media Coordination/Statistics.

Additionally, Iowa-MSU is the first Big Ten game in the last 25 seasons to see both teams eclipse 100-plus points in regulation, per ESPN Stats & Info. The 218 total points scored in the contest also set a mark as the third-most in a Big Ten conference game over the last 40 seasons.

As fans continued to process Saturday’s incredible game, many took to Twitter to weigh in on what they just witnessed. Check out some of the best reactions to Iowa’s wild win below:

UNREALLLLL!!!! NO QUIT @IowaHoops

— Caitlin Clark (@CaitlinClark22) February 25, 2023

What an unbelievable rally and win for Iowa over Michigan State. One of the best games of the year in college basketball.

— Kevin Sweeney (@CBB_Central) February 25, 2023

Season saver. Really happy for the guys. Never quit!

— Jordan Bohannon (@JordanBo_3) February 25, 2023

Iowa outscored Michigan State by 16 points over the last 1:29 of regulation - when Fran McCaffrey stared down an official during a TO - in one of the craziest finishes I've ever seen.

— Larry Lage (@LarryLage) February 25, 2023

FINAL: Iowa 112, Michigan State 106 (OT)

The game of the year. The game of the Fran era?

Incredible.

— Chad Leistikow🆑 (@ChadLeistikow) February 25, 2023

This Iowa-Michigan State game is insane.

— Ryan McFadden (@ryanmcfadden_) February 25, 2023

I’m flabbergasted. Michigan State was at a 92% chance to win with 20 seconds left.

— Owen Siebring (@owensiebring) February 25, 2023