Michigan State basketball: 3 bold predictions vs. Iowa

Michigan State basketball is looking for some revenge after losing a heartbreaker in overtime at Iowa last year. Let’s get bold.

Michigan State basketball returns home for its first of two home games this week. The Iowa Hawkeyes come to town on Tuesday in what is the only matchup between these teams this year. Last year saw two great games played between these teams, so we could be in for some excitement again.

However, if these bold predictions come true, I think MSU will beat Iowa by a large margin.

1. MSU holds Iowa under 65 points

I think Michigan State is due for another defensive masterclass. The Spartans just held Michigan under this total, including holding the Wolverines scoreless for the final seven minutes, but their offense is nothing compared to Iowa. The Hawkeyes are No. 14 in the country and No. 2 in the Big Ten averaging 83.7 points per game. So MSU’s defense will need a legendary performance for this prediction to come true.

Iowa also hasn’t been held under 65 points yet this year, but they have been close many times. They’ve had games finishing with 65-68 points multiple times, so this prediction may not be that unrealistic. One thing on MSU’s side is its elite defense. The Spartans have held 14 of their opponents under 65 points this year. They also have the No. 35 scoring defense in the country, giving up just 65.8 points per game.

Iowa’s offense is elite though, so even with Michigan State’s stellar defense, this will be tough. But Michigan State did this last year at home holding Iowa to 61 points, and I think they’ll do it again on Tuesday.

2. Tre Holloman hits double figures

It’s been quite some time since we’ve seen a great performance from Tre Holloman. Not that he’s been playing bad by any means, he just hasn’t exploded for a lot of points recently.

Holloman has finished in double figures four times this season, but the last time was about a month ago. He scored 12 points at Maryland on Jan. 21 and hasn’t hit double figures since. He’s also only scored more than five points twice in the seven games since then.

But I think Tuesday will be another coming out party for him.

Holloman will hit a couple of threes while also aggressively attacking the rim, and will finish with 11 points.

3. Davis Smith scores again

In case you missed it, senior Davis Smith scored two points against Michigan on Saturday. These points came at the end of the first half, which is very surprising because usually Smith only plays at the end of games that are blowouts.

I don’t think Smith will get in during the first half this time, but I think Michigan State might blow Iowa out. So he will see the court at the end of the game, and I think we’ll see him knock down a 3-pointer to send the Breslin Center into a frenzy.

The Spartans are hot as they head into March, and they look to keep it rolling in front of their home crowd. They have won three straight and look to make it four as they continue to climb the Big Ten standings.