EAST LANSING, Michigan, Sporting Alert – The rematch between No. 4 Michigan State and No. 16 Iowa is the highlighted college basketball midweek matchup on Thursday night, January 14.
The Hawkeyes (12-3, 3-0 Big Ten) handed the Spartans their only defeat of the season on Dec. 29
Michigan State (16-1, 4-1 Big Ten) did not have Denzel Valentine in its lineup then, but the star forward is expected to be recalled to the starting setup, after he returned from a minor knee surgery against Penn State on Sunday — will take on No. 16 Iowa in a showdown between two Top 20 ranked teams at Breslin Center.
Valentine, who shoots 45 percent from the floor, and is averaging 17.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.1 steals per game — leads Michigan State in multiple categories entering this clash and he is expected to get a bit more than the 23-minutes he played against Penn State.
Besides the All-American Valentine, the Spartans can also call on the likes of Bryn Forbes, who averages 14.4 points per games and shooting 50 percent from the field and from 3-point range, as well as Eron Harris, Matt Costello and Deyonta Davis.
Meanwhile, Iowa (12-3, 3-0 Big Ten), enters this game on a five-game winning streak, including the 83-70 win over MSU.
Jarrod Uthoff is averaging 18.6 points and 6.1 rebounds for the Hawkeyes, who are searching for their fourth win in Big Ten league play.
He is coming off back-to-back 25 point performances.
Iowa guard Mike Gesell scored a career-high 25 points in the previous meeting between these two teams.
In other games in the Top 25 on Thursday, No. 20 Pittsburgh will take on No. 21 Louisville in an ACC battle at KFC Yum! Center, live at 9:00 PM ET on ESPN, WatchESPN.
BYU is at No. 25 Gonzaga on ESPN2 at McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, Washington while Washington will play at No. 18 Arizona on FS1 at McKale Center, in Tucson, Arizona.
Listed below as well are the college basketball fixtures for the games streaming live on ESPN3.com and WatchESPN.
A loaded schedule has been assembled for Wednesday night and teams that don’t usually get live television airing, get the chance to showcase respective talents on ESPN3 and WatchESPN.
College Basketball Top 25 Fixtures
Check Out All Live GameCast on ESPN
No. 16 Iowa at No. 4 Michigan State 7:00 PM ESPN, WatchESPN
BYU at No. 25 Gonzaga 9:00 PM ESPN2, WatchESPN
No. 20 Pittsburgh at No. 21 Louisville 9:00 PM ESPN, WatchESPN
Washington at No. 18 Arizona 9:00 PM FS1
ESPN3 LIVE STREAMING
Wofford at The Citadel 6:00 PM ESPN3, WatchESPN
NJIT at Florida Gulf Coast 7:00 PM ESPN3, WatchESPN
Kennesaw State at Jacksonville 7:00 PM ESPN3, WatchESPN
Lipscomb at North Florida 7:00 PM ESPN3, WatchESPN
Cleveland State at Wright State 7:00 PM ESPN3, WatchESPN
Furman at Mercer 7:00 PM ESPN3, WatchESPN
Oral Roberts at IUPUI 7:00 PM ESPN3, WatchESPN
Louisiana Lafayette at Georgia Southern 7:30 PM ESPN3, WatchESPN
Youngstown State at Northern Kentucky 7:00 PM ESPN3, WatchESPN
Louisiana Monroe at Georgia State 7:30 PM ESPN3, WatchESPN
South Carolina Upstate at Stetson 7:00 PM ESPN3, WatchESPN
Milwaukee at Valparaiso 8:00 PM ESPN3, WatchESPN
East Tennessee State a Satmford 8:00 PM ESPN3, WatchESPN
Marist at Rider 8:00 PM ESPN3, WatchESPN
Green Bay at UIC 8:00 PM ESPN3, WatchESPN
San Diego at Portland 10:00 PM ESPN3, WatchESPN
Hawaii at UC Riverside 10:00 PM ESPN3, WatchESPN
