Hawkeyes view mental toughness as Spartans’ trait

IOWA CITY - Iowa junior Anthony Clemmons spent part of his summer training with Michigan State players in his hometown of Lansing, Mich.

Clemmons grew up with current Spartans Denzel Valentine and Bryn Forbes and considers them his best friends. Clemmons won a pair of high school state titles at Lansing Sexton alongside Valentine and Forbes while playing for former Spartan Carlton Valentine. Clemmons knows what the Spartans are about under Coach Tom Izzo, and he understands why Iowa has struggled against them.

'I'd say in the previous years we probably weren't as mentally tough,” Clemmons said. 'The maturity ... we just didn't have it on the mental side. I think that's a big part of their success and what makes them so unique. Their mental toughness is high, their swagger is high, their confidence is high. That's helped them in a lot of ways. I think that was our disadvantage.”

No player on Iowa's roster has beaten the Spartans (10-5, 1-1 Big Ten), who have stopped the Hawkeyes eight consecutive times entering tonight's battle (6 p.m. ESPN). The Hawkeyes (11-4) are 2-0 in Big Ten play for the first time since 2002-03.

Many of Iowa's most difficult losses under Fran McCaffery have come to Michigan State. Last year at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, the Spartans played without two of its top players in Adreian Payne and Branden Dawson yet still beat Iowa in overtime. Iowa scored just one field goal in the final 15 minutes of action. That left McCaffery questioning his players' toughness afterward.

At the 2013 Big Ten Tournament, Michigan State used a 22-2 second-half run - along with a handful of questionable calls - to beat Iowa by three points and prevent the Hawkeyes from earning an NCAA tournament berth. Earlier that season, Iowa fumbled away a 12-point lead at home and lost 62-59.

'They've been very intense, hard-fought games,” McCaffery said. 'We had leads, and we didn't close them out.”

All of those games - along with multiple clubbings in East Lansing - showed Iowa failed to match Michigan State's toughness. That's largely mental, with the Spartans rallying from major deficits. But there's also the physical side, where Michigan State is known for its hard-nosed play.

'They'll be aggressive, especially on defense,” Iowa forward Jarrod Uthoff said. 'They'll be chopping, they'll be hacking, they'll get in your head and make you play tentative. That's exactly what we can't do. If we play aggressive, we'll be fine.

'You can tell, especially on defense, when they really get into you. They make a couple of shots and all the sudden they start jabbering, and they start getting into it and teams get sideways, which you can't do. You've got to keep being aggressive, keep plugging away.”

Michigan State's hustle plays are underrated in this streak. After the Spartans' overtime win last year, McCaffery said Iowa won only two of 10 50-50 balls. Those plays either extend or end possessions and often result in easy baskets.

'They close out possessions extremely well,” Iowa senior Aaron White said. 'If you look at the game last year, there were a handful of plays where we thought we had a stop and we were going to run it the other way, and they get a loose ball and they finish with a layup. Just not closing out possessions.

'It was either last year or two years ago they got a free-throw miss and then laid it in, which is a big possession in the game. Just little plays like that, they just have a great ability to step it up when they need it. That presents a challenge of being mentally locked in for 40 minutes, 45 minutes. However long it takes. They're good in that aspect and they have great confidence about them, which helps them win a lot of games.”

The game has obvious importance for both squads. Michigan State remains a work in progress after losing to Texas Southern three weeks ago and the league opener at home to newcomer Maryland. Iowa could start league play 3-0 with wins against three currently or formerly ranked opponents.

'They've beaten us 13 out of the last 14 times,” Uthoff said. 'I'm looking forward to it.”

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