Thursday, March 6
Iowa City, Iowa
8 PM
Michigan State University
at
Iowa
Photo by: Matthew Mitchell Photography
No. 8 Michigan State Plays Final Big Ten Road Game on Thursday Night at Iowa
3/5/2025 7:18:00 PM | Men's Basketball
East Lansing, Mich. – Michigan State plays its final Big Ten road game of the regular season, traveling to visit Iowa on Thursday, March 6 (8 p.m. ET, FS1). The Spartans, winners of five-straight games, are coming off a 71-62 win over then-No. 11 Wisconsin.
The game will air live on FS1, with Kevin Kugler and Robbie Hummel calling all of the action. The Spartan Media Network radio call can be heard state-wide and on the web at MSUSpartans.com, with Will Tieman handling the play-by-play and Matt Steigenga serving as the color analyst, and Zach Surdenik is the studio host. The game can also be heard on channel 81 on SiriusXM and on the SiriusXM app.
About the Spartans
The game will air live on FS1, with Kevin Kugler and Robbie Hummel calling all of the action. The Spartan Media Network radio call can be heard state-wide and on the web at MSUSpartans.com, with Will Tieman handling the play-by-play and Matt Steigenga serving as the color analyst, and Zach Surdenik is the studio host. The game can also be heard on channel 81 on SiriusXM and on the SiriusXM app.
About the Spartans
- Michigan State enters Sunday's game with a 24-5 overall record (15-3 B1G) and are No. 8 in the Associated Press and No. 7 in the USA Today Coaches polls.
- The Spartans are ranked No. 11 in the NCAA Net Rankings, No. 9 per KenPom.com and No. 12 in the ESPN BPI.
- The Spartans, winners of five-straight games and six of the last seven games, are coming off a 71-62 win over then-No. 11 Wisconsin on Sunday.
- It was the team's 4th-straight win over a ranked opponent and MSU has more wins over ranked teams (6) than any team in the Big Ten and is 6th nationally in ranked wins.
- Michigan State beat Illinois, 79-65, on Feb. 15 on the road, a win that gave MSU Head Coach Tom Izzo his 354th Big Ten Conference win, moving him past former Indiana coach Bob Knight for the all-time Big Ten lead.
- Michigan State has won 19 of its last 22 games.
- Senior guard Jaden Akins leads the Spartans in scoring with 12.9 points per game and Michigan State is the only team in the country to have just two players averaging double-digit points while playing under 26.4 minutes per game (Jase Richardson, 11.0 ppg).
- MSU is also just one of four teams in the AP Top 25 with at least 7 players averaging at least 6.8 ppg (Alabama, Arizona, BYU).
- MSU has five players averaging at least 7.8 ppg and 10 scoring at least 4.9 ppg.
- MSU has relied on its depth, with six players averaging at least 20.0 minutes per game and 10 players at least 10.0 minutes.
- The Spartans are the only team in the country with 10 players averaging at least 14.2 minutes per game.
- Akins leads the team with 12.7 ppg and is fourth with 3.7 rpg, while Richardson is averaging 11.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists, junior guard Tre Holloman is third on the team, averaging 8.6 ppg and 3.9 assists (T12th B1G), junior forward Jaxon Kohler, who has seven double-doubles this year, is scoring 7.9 ppg and leads the team with 7.9 rebounds per game, 6th in the Big Ten (5th in B1G games only with 7.9 rpg).
- Sophomore forward Coen Carr is averaging 7.8 ppg and 3.3 rpg and senior forward Frankie Fidler adds 7.5 ppg/3.5 rpg and redshirt freshman guard Jeremy Fears Jr. is averaging 6.8 points and a team-leading 5.6 assists per game, which ranks 3rd in the Big Ten.
- MSU is averaging 21.8 FT attempts per game (No. 51 in the country) after going to the line 17.2 times per game in 2023-24 and the Spartans rank No. 6 in the country in free throw percentage (79.3%) and No. 15 in free throws made per game (17.3).
- The Spartans are No. 4 in the country in fast break points per game (16.76 ppg) and No. 5 in bench points (34.97 ppg).
- MSU also ranks No. 3 in the country in rebound margin (+9.6), No. 9 in defensive rebounds per game (28.14/g) and No. 13 in rebounds per game (40.21).
- Iowa enters the game on Thursday night with a 15-14 overall record, including a 6-12 mark in the Big Ten Conference.
- The Hawkeyes, coming off a 68-57 loss at Northwestern last Friday, have lost their last two games, four of the last five and seven of the last night overall.
- Iowa has a 12-5 record at home, including a 5-4 record in the Big Ten, with conference wins at home against Northwestern, Nebraska, Indiana, Penn State and Washington.
- Iowa ranks 2nd in the league scoring offense (82.2 ppg) and is 18th in scoring defense (79.1 ppg) ... In Big Ten games, the Hawkeyes are 5th in the league in scoring offense (76.7 ppg) and 18th in scoring defense (83.1 ppg).
- Michigan State and Iowa meet for the only time this season and for the 138th time in program history ... MSU leads the all-time series with Iowa, 77-60.
- The Spartans are 47-20 at home all-time against the Hawkeyes, including a 22-5 record at the Breslin Center.
- Iowa has won the last two games in the series, including two of the last three at the Breslin Center.
- Overall, Iowa has won five of the last six games in the series.
- Tom Izzo is 35-16 in his career against Iowa.
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