Iowa Dominates MSU in Spartans Second 30-Point Loss this Season
EAST LANSING – Michigan State basketball suffered the worst home loss of Tom Izzo's career Saturday afternoon.
"I'm embarrassed," Izzo told reporters in the postgame presser. "That was a poor performance, and I have two people to blame. The coach of the Spartans, Tom Izzo, and I got to give credit to (Iowa)."
The Spartans fell to Iowa by 30-points (88-58), tied for the program's worst conference defeat since 1996 and the second of the 2020-21 season (it's also the third trouncing of 20-points or more in league play this year).
"Today was an ambush. But it's one game," said Izzo. "It's not good, but it's not indicative of how we've played ... No excuses. Blame should go on me, solely on me, and not them."
There are eight games left on the schedule, and Michigan State sits at 4-8 in the Big Ten, far and away from competing for a fourth straight regular-season title.
After years of dominance, there isn't anything wrong with falling short, and another Iowa loss doesn't mean MSU will miss the NCAA Tournament, but they haven't shown the ability to go on a run.
Nor have the Spartans competed well against Northwestern, Purdue, and Minnesota – middle of the pack Big Ten teams.
Each of them has defeated Michigan State.
If two of those contests are victories, MSU is 6-6 in the conference with a manageable workload, but now, the Spartans will likely need to beat Maryland, Indiana, and Purdue, plus take down Illinois, Michigan, or Illinois – a tall task this team isn't up for.
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