It’ll take more than just a lot of Luka Garza for Iowa to win at Michigan State on Tuesday
By Pat Harty
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Two of the best men’s basketball players in the Big Ten will be on the court together when Iowa plays at Michigan State on Tuesday.
The leading contender for Big Ten Player of the Year for this season in 6-foot-11 Iowa junior center Luka Garza versus the Big Ten Player of the Year from last season in Michigan State senior point guard Cassius Winston.
They, obviously, won’t be matched against each other, but how they perform will likely go a long way in determining the outcome.
But it won’t be the deciding factor.
If ever there was a game in which Iowa needed Garza’s supporting cast to step up, Tuesday’s game against the Spartans is it.
Iowa lost both games in which Garza has scored his most points this season.
Michigan withstood Garza’s career-high 44 points to prevail 103-91 on Dec. 6th in Ann Arbor, Mich., while Indiana overcame 38 points by Garza to win 89-77 on Feb. 13 in Bloomington, Ind.
Garza is averaging 28.8 points in Big Ten road games, and yet, Iowa still only has a 2-5 record in those games.
So as great as Garza has been this season in terms of productivity and consistency, he can’t do it alone, especially on the road.
He can’t lift his team to victory without his teammates helping to carry part of the load.
It’s the same with Cassius Winston and Michigan State.
Winston, like Garza, almost always rises to the occasion, but it’s the supporting casts for both teams that are more hit and miss.
“A lot of guys do great things some of the time, most of the time, but not usually all of the time,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said Monday on a teleconference. “Because there are pretty good coaches in this league and pretty good players really trying hard not to make that happen.”
Iowa could be without starting guard C.J. Fredrick for a third consecutive game due to an ankle injury. Fredrick has made considerable progress since suffering the injury in the first half of the Indiana game nearly two weeks ago, but Fran McCaffery said Monday that Fredrick still is questionable for the Michigan State game.
“Still not sure,” Fran McCaffery said. “Still working on it.”
If Fredrick can’t play, Iowa will have just seven recruited scholarship players available for a key Big Ten matchup at a place where Iowa rarely wins.
Only twice since 1993 has Iowa defeated Michigan State at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Mich., with the most recent victory coming in 2016.
McCaffery was asked on Monday what makes the Breslin Center such a hard place to play for visiting teams.
“They usually have a good team,” McCaffery said of Michigan State.
And while that’s true, this isn’t one of Tom Izzo’s best teams at Michigan State.
His current team, which is tied with Iowa and Wisconsin for second place in the Big Ten with a 10-6 record, doesn’t have the same star power or quality depth compared to previous Michigan State teams.
The Spartans still are dangerous at home, however, so it’ll take a group effort for Iowa to prevail.
Senior forward Ryan Kriener, senior guard Bakari Evelyn and junior forward Cordell Pemsl all rose to the occasion in the last two games against Ohio State and Minnesota, and it’s probably no coincidence that Iowa won both games.
Garza’s dominance, coupled with veteran leadership makes for a potent combination.
It’s just a matter of doing it on a regular basis.
Iowa will likely be in serious trouble if between Kriener, Evelyn and Pemsl two of them struggle.
The matchup at point guard will be another key factor because you know what to expect from Winston, while Iowa freshman Joe Toussaint is more unpredictable, except for on defense where the Bronx, N.Y. native always makes a positive impact.
“The key I think always if you have a freshman is if he does make mistakes that he doesn’t let them linger and he continues to grind and believe in himself and know that we believe in him," Fran McCaffery said. "You know that you’re going to get an unbelievable defensive effort out of him, and that’s a great place to start.”
One game doesn’t make or break a season, but the winner of Tuesday’s game will greatly improve its chances of finishing in the top four in the Big Ten standings, and earning a double-bye at the conference tournament.
You can almost assume that Garza will be at his best, but he can't be a solo act.
Iowa vs. Michigan State
When: Tuesday, 6:01 p.m.
Where: East Lansing, Mich., Breslin Center
TV: ESPN2
Records/rankings: Iowa is 19-8 overall, 10-6 in the Big Ten and ranked 24th in this week’s Associated Press poll. Michigan State is 18-9, 10-6 and ranked 17th in the AP poll.
All-time series: Michigan State holds a 75-55 advantage over Iowa in the series. The Spartans have won 13 of the last 15 meetings, dating back to 2011. Iowa snapped a nine-game losing skid in 2015, sweeping the season series. Michigan State won last season’s two contests: 90-68 in East Lansing and 82-67 in Iowa City. The Spartans hold a 45-18 advantage in games played in East Lansing. Iowa snapped an 18-game losing streak at East Lansing, Michigan, with an impressive 76-59 win on Jan. 14, 2016, inside the Breslin Center. Iowa is 3-22 all-time at the Breslin Center.
