Takeaways from Iowa basketball road loss vs. Michigan State

Fresh off winning the Acrisure Series last week, Iowa basketball hit the road for a tough Big Ten opener against Michigan State.

Playing the eighth-ranked Spartans in East Lansing was going to tell the world a lot about this iteration of the Hawkeyes in their first year under Ben McCollum. The Breslin Center is one of the most difficult road venues to play at in the conference, and Iowa jumped right into the belly of the beast on Tuesday.

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The result was a blowout 71-52 loss to the Spartans. After a fast start, Iowa never got settled into the game, and they fell to 7-1 on the season and 0-1 in the Big Ten. Here are the biggest takeaways from this tough loss to Michigan State.

Offense never found a rhythm

Dec 2, 2025; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes guard Isaia Howard (23) defended by Michigan State Spartans forward Jaxon Kohler (0) during the first half at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Dale Young-Imagn Images

The Hawkeyes jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead in this game, but that’s where the offensive positives came to an end. Iowa shot 38% from the field in this game, struggling to counter every run the Spartans had in this game. Throw in 30% shooting from behind the arc and 11 turnovers, and you have the recipe for a tough offensive night.

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It was a rough night individually for a lot of Iowa’s stars. Bennett Stirtz had an uncharacteristically poor shooting night, scoring just 14 points on 4-10 shooting. Alvaro Folgueiras struggled off the bench, scoring two points in 18 minutes. One bright spot was senior Brendan Hausen, who scored seven points in seven minutes. It might be time for the former Kansas State sharpshooter to see some more minutes.

Rebounding was an issue

Dec 2, 2025; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State Spartans forward Kaleb Glenn (8) moves the ball against Iowa Hawkeyes forward Cooper Koch (8) during the first half at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Dale Young-Imagn Images

The Hawkeyes are…

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Publish date : 2025-12-03 13:01:00

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