Fun Facts: Michigan State-Iowa

The weather is warming. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

Now, on with the Fun Facts:

1. Iowa is the only Big Ten team that is undefeated at home this season.

2. Iowa, Michigan and North Carolina are the only teams to defeat a Top 3 team on the road. Iowa did so at Ohio State. Michigan and North Carolina did so at ... Michigan State.

3. The Spartans have won 27 or more games in five of the last six seasons.

4. Tom Izzo, in his 19th season as MSU's coach, has never had a losing record in Big Ten play. His teams were 8-8 or 9-9 five times.

5. Sophomore Spartan guard Gary Harris is the only Big Ten player who has scored in double figures every game this season.

6. Harris was Indiana's Mr. Basketball in 2012. MSU's Matt Costello was Michigan's Mr. Basketball the same year. MSU guard Keith Appling was Michigan's Mr. Basketball in 2010, the year Iowa's Devyn Marble was a prep senior in Southfield, Mich. Michigan's Mr. Basketball in 2013 was current Iowa State player Monte Morris. Morris played at Flint Beecher, the alma mater of former Iowa star Roy Marble.

7. MSU freshman guard Alvin Ellis III doubled his career-high last Saturday with 12 points against Michigan on 4-of-4 field goal shooting (2-of-2 from 3-point range) and 2-of-2 free throw shooting. Ellis III is joined in the Big Ten by Michigan's Glenn Robinson III and Northwestern's James Montgomery III.

8. Iowa was eliminated by Michigan State in each of the last three Big Ten tournaments.

9. Izzo was the recruiting coordinator at Tulsa for seven weeks in 1986. It's the only time he has lived or worked outside Michigan.

10. Costello is from Bay City, Mich. Scotland's Bay City Rollers pop muisc group of the 1970s got their name by throwing a dart at a map of the U.S. The dart hit near Bay City. The first dart they threw hit inside Arkansas, "Arkansas Rollers."

11. That group has no known connection to these Bay City Rollers, a roller derby team in Hawkes Bay, New Zealand.