Michigan State basketball made a dramatic comeback at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
It almost felt fitting that another Spartan comeback won the Big Ten title after a season full of them.
Iowa led by 14 points early in the second half, but No. 7 MSU used its depth to go on a 33-6 run to win 91-84 Thursday night.
For the ninth time in 10 games, the Spartans trailed at halftime, but another rally gave Tom Izzo his fifth conference title and first since 2018. After leading by two points at halftime, the Spartans won six of those nine games and defeated Purdue.
The Spartans (25-5, 16-3) shared the Big Ten regular-season title Wednesday night after No. 15 U-M lost at home to No. 14 Maryland. MSU hosts the Wolverines at noon Sunday (CBS) in a rematch of their 75-62 win in Ann Arbour on Feb. 21.
Beyond the rivalry and NCAA tournament seeding, that game is meaningless. The Spartans will open the Big Ten tournament in Indianapolis at noon on Friday as the top seed.
Jaden Akins scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half, while Jase Richardson scored 22. Tre Holloman scored 11, and Jaxon Kohler and Jeremy Fears Jr. scored 15 points.
Iowa (15-15, 6-13), which had won five of six against MSU, must win its final game Sunday at Nebraska to qualify for the 15-team Big Ten tournament. The Hawkeyes’ Josh Dix had 18 points, and Payton Sandfort and Seydou Traore had 15.
Big Accomplishments
Izzo tied Indiana’s Bob Knight and Purdue’s Ward “Piggy” Lambert for Big Ten history in his 30th season, with Knight mostly and Lambert entirely predating the league’s 1998 postseason tournament. Izzo, 70, surpasses Knight with 358 conference wins this season.
However, this was his fifth time as sole champion. The 2009 NCAA runner-up and Izzo’s first two Final Four teams in 1999 and 2000 won league titles. The Spartans last won the Big Ten in 2018, losing to Syracuse in the second round.
His comeback on Thursday atoned for one of his biggest career meltdowns.
On Feb. 25, 2023, MSU lost a 13-point lead in the final 1:34 to Iowa, which forced overtime with six 3-pointers, and won 112-106 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Just four Division I teams have lost after leading by 11 points with 55 seconds left in regulation.
This time, no. Izzo and Co. knew the history and wanted to prevent a repeat.
Ugly open
It was Iowa’s senior night, but the stands were barely half full. Perhaps the Hawkeyes were inspired.
MSU fell behind by double digits for the sixth time this winter in Big Ten play.
The Spartans’ offence looked stagnant and staggered after an 11-5 start, including five Fears and four Kohler points. When Iowa played zone, their half-court offence sucked. With layups and 3-pointers from kickout passes, the Hawkeyes exploited their half-court defence.
Iowa scored 14 straight points on a 22-2 surge with interior penetration and outside shots. Even Brauns’ dunk and Treore’s layup forced Izzo to call a timeout with 9:04 left in the first half and MSU trailing 27-13 after nearly four minutes without a basket.
The Spartans chipped away, but the Hawkeyes led 37-30 at halftime and quickly extended it to double digits.
Furious finish
However, MSU showed its resolve all season and in recent wins over Oregon (14), Illinois (4), U-M (4), Maryland (2), and Wisconsin (2) after halftime deficits.
Two Payton Sandfort free throws with 12:13 left gave Iowa a 58-48 lead. Akins scored on a foul layup, Richardson made two free throws, and Akins hit a 3-pointer. Only one possession was played.
Then Coen Carr flew. The Spartans were within a point after he flipped his defensive rebound to Fears for a fastbreak and ran the court, elevating for a lob and dunk. After that, the sophomore blocked and offensively boarded before flushing off a Richardson lob. MSU led for the first time since 11-10.
Carr had eight points, five rebounds, and four blocks.
The Hawkeyes kept fighting, cutting a 17-point MSU lead after the big surge back to single digits in the final two minutes. The Spartans shot 68% in the second half and finished despite some free-throw issues.