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Michigan State looks to avoid another upset at Iowa

Jan 29, 2009 - 11:22 AM No. 9 Michigan State (16-3) at Iowa (12-8) 7:00 p.m. EST

IOWA CITY, Iowa (Ticker) -- The last time Michigan State traveled to Carver-Hawkeye Arena, a historically poor offensive showing led to a shocking upset.

The ninth-ranked Spartans visit an Iowa squad with another upset in mind Thursday, looking to avoid a repeat performance.

With an 11-game winning streak and a lofty ranking of sixth in the country, Michigan State dropped a 49-36 contest to Iowa last season, setting a school record low for points in the shot-clock era. The Spartans made 16-of-52 from the field, hit just one free throw and committed 18 turnovers.

Another game like that would be a shock for Michigan State (16-3, 6-1), which is 3-0 on the road in conference play for the first time in school history.

After having their 28-game home winning streak snapped by Northwestern last Wednesday, the Spartans bounced back with a 78-67 win over Ohio State. Durrell Summers scored a career-high 26 points and Kalin Lucas added 20 as Michigan State returned to its winning ways.

Lucas leads the team with 14.4 points and 5.1 assists per game while Raymar Morgan is averaging 13.5 points and 6.6 rebounds.

Iowa (12-8, 2-5) has won three straight and five of six at home against Michigan State. However, the Hawkeyes are coming off a heartbreaking loss at Penn State on Saturday and may be without senior forward Cyrus Tate for the fifth straight game because of a sprained ankle.

Jake Kelly's 19 points were not enough as Iowa surrendered a 14-point lead in a 63-59 loss to the Nittany Lions.