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How and what to watch for No. 15 Iowa vs. Michigan State

Iowa and Michigan State have gone through some tough stretches recently heading into Saturday’s rematch.

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Iowa Hawkeyes center Luka Garza shoots a three-point basket as Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Caleb McConnell defends during the second half at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

The Michigan State Spartans and Iowa Hawkeyes will play each other for the second time in 11 days when they play in East Lansing on Saturday, February 13th. Iowa won the first meeting on February 2nd with an 84-78 win.

Michigan State (10-7, 4-7 Big Ten) is among college basketball’s blue bloods struggling through the 2020-21 season. The Spartans lost three straight after returning from a COVID-19 outbreak but won their last two including a 60-58 home victory over the Penn State Nittany Lions earlier this week. Michigan State’s leading scorer Aaron Henry added a game-high 20 points on 9-of-19 shooting from the floor.

Iowa (14-6, 8-5 Big Ten) had lost four of five games before earning a 79-66 home victory over the No. 25 Rutgers Scarlet Knights earlier this week. Joe Wieskamp scored a game-high 26 points on 9-of-14 shooting including 5-of-7 from three-point range. He also added 10 rebounds. Luka Garza scored 22 points on 8-of-20 shooting with 10 rebounds, and Jordan Bohannon scored 12 points with seven assists. Iowa ranks No. 1 in adjusted offensive efficiency.

Game Time/TV Channel/Streaming

You can watch Iowa vs. Michigan State on Saturday, February 13th at 2:30 p.m. ET on Fox, or you can stream it via this link or on the Fox Sports Go app with a cable or streaming service login. If you don’t have a cable login to access the Fox Sports Go app, you can get a free trial from YouTube TV, Hulu with Live TV, AT&T TV Now, FuboTV, or Sling TV to stream it.

Point Spread, Totals, Odds, Trends

Point spread: Iowa -4.5
Point Total: 151
Money line: Iowa -205, Michigan State +165

  • Iowa is 2-4 straight up and 1-5 against the spread in their last six games.
  • The total went under in four of Iowa’s last six games, and Michigan State hit the under in six of their last seven.
  • Michigan State is 2-12 against the spread in their last 14 games.

The Best Bet

Two teams trending in opposite directions, but the key here is the No. 1 offense in adjusted efficiency facing the No. 34 defense, and the No. 89 offense taking on the No. 120 defense. It’s good-on-good, bad-on-bad, and that can lead to draws. We’ll go a smidge under just because of the lack of pace of both teams, and Iowa’s ability to extend deep in the shot clock defensively.

Pick: Under 151

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