IOWA CITY -- In ever-familiar fashion this season for Iowa (15-15, 6-13), the Hawkeyes held on for 30 minutes of Thursday's contest before No. 8 Michigan State (25-5, 16-3) pulled away for the 91-84 win in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Despite a relentless first half and some of the best basketball Iowa played all season, the Spartans rallied in the second half, outscoring Iowa 43-26 over the final 12 minutes.
Here are three takeaways from the loss.
27 Free Throws
Thursday's contest included big runs by both teams. Each had their reasons.
In the first half -- largely dominated by Iowa -- the Hawkeyes went on a 22-2 run between the 15:17 and 9:06 minute marks.
"We did a poor job the first half," legendary Spartans head coach Tom Izzo said following the game. "I didn't think my team was ready to play. We kind of reverted back and it hasn't happened much this year. But in my humble opinion, we tried to change our identity. All of a sudden we're going to be pretty boys and shoot 16 threes in a half. ... We didn't guard anybody. They were killing us in every way, shape and form."
During that stretch, Michigan State couldn't get much of anything to go, shooting just 1-12 from the field with the one field goal being a layup. In the entirety of the first half, the Spartans shot 12-30 from the floor and 4-16 from deep.
The Hawkeyes took a 37-30 lead into the break.
For the first eight minutes of the second half, Iowa did its best to stay in control, leading by 11 at one point, but when the 12 minute mark hit, everything changed. In the span of two minutes and 11 seconds, the Spartans went from appearing to be in shambles, at risk of a devastating late-season loss to one of the lowly teams in the conference to completely man-handling the Hawkeyes and gaining a one-point lead -- their first since the 14:33 point in the first half.
The Spartans looked like the No. 8 team in the country the rest of the way. Between 12:03 and 3:54 to go in the second half, Michigan State went on a 33-6 run, trampling the Hawkeyes en route to victory.
Izzo credited his team's effort for the change of pace.
"Don't let any of my staff or me tell you there were these great offensive adjustments," he said. "We changed a few things on the ball screen coverage. But for the most part, it was real simple. It's really basic. It doesn't take anything, no analytics, no all this other crap. ... I thought we just played harder."
McCaffery had a different assessment.
"[Michigan State shot] 27 free throws in the second half," he said.
Same Stuff, Senior Day
Same stuff, different day.
Throughout the 2024-25 season, Iowa has competed with some of the best teams in the country for a half or more, falling short each time. Iowa State, Illinois, Wisconsin, Maryland, Purdue and others. Now, add Michigan State to the list.
In what looked like an opportunity for a signature win and an excellent way to send off the senior class, The Hawkeyes didn't have enough to compete with the now-Big Ten regular season champions.
Between the struggles of Payton Sandfort's senior season, inconsistent play from the bench and issues of staying healthy, the Hawkeyes haven't been able to put together winning effort against some of the best teams in the conference this season.
While the effort was continually there for McCaffery's team night-in and night-out, without starting center Owen Freeman and contributor Cooper Koch off the bench, Iowa routinely didn't have the gas down the stretch against each and every team listed.
Considering the trend of losses, capping the final home game of season with a let-down loss to the Spartans, to a degree, only makes sense. A disappointing end in Carver to a disappointing season.
"Watch What You Wish For"
Following the win, Izzo wasn't shy in his praise for McCaffery, citing some of the rumors and speculation that Iowa will move on from their longtime head coach at the end of the season, which is just three days away.
"Watch what you wish for," Izzo warned. "It's easy to throw stones. ... Fran, he's one of my favorite guys because he does speak his own piece, and he's very smart. And I know this --He's sticking around if it's up to me because I need him. I need some of the guys that helped build this conference again, and he's one of them. I think tonight proves it. We had everything to play for. They didn't have as much to play for. I'm supposed to be such a good coach. He kicked my butt, our butt, for most of that time."
Speaking to the media following Izzo, McCaffery thanked him for the recognition.
"I appreciate him saying that, I really do," McCaffery said. "He wouldn't say it if he didn't believe it, so I appreciate that. It's a reflection on these guys and how they keep fighting. I'm really proud of them."
Izzo was particularly candid about what the Iowa administration offers McCaffery and the men's basketball program compared to other schools in the Big Ten and the rest of the country.
"You know, they don't have the resources," Izzo said. "I'm going to say what I think. This ain't what Fran thinks. I mean, everybody has different amounts of resources. [Iowa is] not on the middle or high end."
He continued, saying he believes McCaffery's 15-year tenure as the face of the Iowa men's basketball program should be far from over
"I know what I think," Izzo said. "I know what the coaching community thinks. That's all I can tell you. I watched it. I was 40 feet from it. He's got a lot left in the tank. I promise you that."
NEXT: Iowa will head west to take on Nebraska (17-13, 7-12) with the winner earning the final spot in the Big Ten Tournamen. The teams face in Lincoln on Sunday at 11:30 am. The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports.
