Iowa Pulls Off A Near-Impossible Comeback to Beat Michigan State in Overtime
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Iowa City, Iowa (PSF) - March isn’t here just yet, but the madness has already begun in college basketball. In a Saturday slate filled with countless great games and terrific endings, the Iowa Hawkeyes pulled off a win over the Michigan State Spartans in a game that nobody thought the Hawkeyes had a chance given the score and time remaining.
Down 13 points with just 1:34 remaining, this was a game that the Hawkeyes didn’t have any business winning. ESPN Analytics gave Michigan State a 99.8% chance of winning at this point.
Iowa played the fouling game to try and make a comeback, and somehow they did. They connected on five three-pointers in the final 39 seconds to send the game into overtime. Iowa carried the momentum from their inconceivable comeback along with the support behind them from the home crowd to defeat the Spartans 112-106.
Iowa became the fourth team in college basketball history to win a game in which they trailed by 11 or more in the final minute. It was the first Big Ten game in 25 years that both teams scored over 100 points in regulation, and the third-highest scoring game in the Big Ten Conference in the past 40 seasons.
Iowa’s Kris Murray led the scoring for Iowa with 26 points and also added eight rebounds and four assists. Tony Perkins had 24 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Payton Sandfort scored the game-tying three-pointer in regulation for one of his six made threes, finishing with 22 points and five rebounds.
For the Spartans, Tyson Walker was the top scorer with 31. He contributed four rebounds and five assists as well. Jaden Akins had 21 points and three rebounds. Joey Hauser finished with 18 points, five rebounds and four assists.
Both Iowa and Michigan State should make the NCAA Tournament as at-large selections if they aren’t able to win the Big Ten Conference Tournament. An incredible comeback from Iowa also overshadows the unbelievable collapse from Michigan State in not being able to close out the game. Crazy things happen in college basketball around this time of the year, and this is only the start of the epic finishes we’ll witness this season.
