Hawkeyes face big hurdle in No. 1 Spartans

IOWA CITY — Recent history has not been kind to Iowa men's basketball against Michigan State.

The Hawkeyes (9-3) have lost seven straight against the No. 1 Spartans (13-0), and are just 1-9 in the 10 meetings under the tutelage of Coach Fran McCaffery. Those seven losses have been peppered with heartbreak, to boot.

Three times in a four-game span over the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons, Iowa lost by three points or less (in overtime at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in 2014), and was in control of those games before it slipped away. Those losses have created a hurdle both mental and physical as MSU comes into Iowa City for the first Big Ten game of the season on Tuesday.

'When you're playing the No. 1 team in the country, there's a much smaller margin for error, and that's where the mental toughness comes in,' McCaffery said Monday. 'Against a team of this caliber, it's going to be important.

'Limiting your mistakes, giving yourself a chance to score every time down, not turning it over, not taking bad shots, and not having breakdowns from an execution standpoint — that gives you a chance to score the ball every time down.'

Some semblance of relief can be found for the Hawkeyes in that one of the best players in the country, Denzel Valentine, won't see the floor Tuesday night. His 18.5 points and 8.3 rebounds per game lead the team, though his impact is more far-reaching than that.

In his absence, Bryn Forbes (14.2 points per game) and Eron Harris (8.5 points per game) have taken on larger roles and have risen to the occasion. What Iowa would have expected with Valentine in the lineup is very different from what MSU will throw at the Hawkeyes.

'They're going to be different because he has the ball so much. But what they're going to see is a much more aggressive Harris, who's a terrific player, and a much more aggressive Forbes, who's also a terrific player,' McCaffery said. 'They rotate so many frontcourt guys, all those guys will be a little more active — I think (Matt) Costello being the main one.

'Both (Forbes and Harris) are quick, both are experienced. They're really crafty, and Tom (Izzo) runs really good stuff for those guys. They're getting the ball in different locations with different kinds of screening actions. So you've got to be locked in every second of every possession.'

McCaffery has great respect for Izzo, and it showed in his assessment of the team coming into their 8 p.m. game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. So many times over the last 10 meetings, Iowa caught the Spartans at a point where they've come together to play great basketball.

In some seasons, MSU has taken longer to get to that point, but not this year. An undefeated non-conference season and No. 1 ranking are proof of that. McCaffery sees a different Spartan squad heading into the conference schedule — though not necessarily different overall than what the Hawkeyes have faced before.

Even through Valentine's injury, the MSU attitude hasn't changed.

'I haven't noticed a huge difference. They seem to be really together,' McCaffery said. 'I remember one of his teams, a few years back, maybe not being as together, even though they were probably equally as talented. That's probably what I would say. They share the ball. Very few teams could play as many guys as they play and be as happy as they are. They're clearing a team that's committed to winning. They put winning above anything personal and I think that's any coach's dream. I think that's what you're seeing.'

Iowa has a major opportunity to right some wrongs over the last few years, with what they believe are solid back court matchups — especially given Mike Gesell, Anthony Clemmons and Peter Jok's experience in conference play.

Mental hurdles have been tough to cross in some of those losses, but not getting caught up in the memories of those games will be another big one to clear this time around.

Keeping perspective is what McCaffery believes will go the farthest toward putting an end to an ugly — and at times painful — losing streak to Michigan State.

'Obviously we're playing the team everyone thought would be best in our league. They're presently No. 1 in the country, so when you're playing a team that's the best, you hope to play your best and continue to grow,' McCaffery said. 'They recognize the accomplishments of Michigan State. In the last 20 years they've really been, in many ways, a top three or four team nationally. There's an awareness, but I think, in the general sense, there's one way to prepare, there's one way to work, and that's with incredible professionalism.

'It can't be, 'Oh, we're playing the No. 1 team, we better get fired up,' and then (not) next week we're playing somebody not as good. You know whoever we play next week is just as capable of beating us as Michigan State is. You have to have that mentality existing from October through March.'

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