What a Win Over Iowa Would Do for Michigan State
Michigan State will undoubtedly face an uphill battle when it takes on the Iowa Hawkeyes next Saturday in East Lansing.
Iowa is 4-2 after a convincing win against the Washington Huskies at home. Its only two losses were against a top-five team in the country, Ohio State, and a one-point loss to Iowa State early in the season. The Hawkeyes have won three out of their last four games and look to continue rolling when they face Michigan State.
While the Spartans will have their hands full against Iowa, it will not be the first time they have entered a game this season as the underdogs. Michigan State is 3-3 and 1-2 in the Big Ten this season. The Spartans are reeling after losing their last three games in a row but return home to face Iowa next weekend.
Iowa gives Michigan State the opportunity to prove the last two weeks were just a case of playing teams with significantly more talent than them. While Iowa arguably has better players than Michigan State, Iowa’s roster is not nearly as talented as Ohio State’s or Oregon’s.
Iowa, like Maryland, which the Spartans beat, and like Boston College, which the Spartans nearly beat, arguably has a better roster than Michigan State but is not nearly the formidable opponent Ohio State and Oregon are.
A win over Iowa would prove the Spartans are much more like the team that won the first three games of the season and not the team that has lost the last three games. A win over Iowa would also prove that Michigan State’s start to the season was no fluke. The Spartans beating Iowa would make up for the team’s failure to be competitive against Ohio State and Oregon for extended periods of time.
Michigan State has a chance to steal a win against a talented Iowa team. However, for the Spartans to pull off the upset at home, they must play well for an entire game and not just over the second half of a game. Iowa will make Michigan State pay for its mistakes. So, the Spartans must limit the turnovers and score as often as they can.
A win over Iowa would be the signature win so far for Coach Jonathan Smith’s tenure at Michigan State.
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Ezekiel is a former Sports Editor from the Western Herald and former Atlanta Falcons beat writer.