Iowa men’s basketball rallied from 13 points down with 1:34 remaining in regulation to beat Michigan State 112-106 in overtime Saturday in Iowa City, marking the highest-scoring Big Ten game of the season. Here’s what you need to know:

  • Iowa (18-11, 10-8 in conference play) hit five consecutive 3-pointers in the final 38.7 seconds to tie the score at 101 apiece and send the game to overtime. Coach Fran McCaffery was called for a technical foul with 2:03 left to put Iowa behind 89-76.
  • Three Iowa players scored more than 20 points: Kris Murray put up 26 points, Tony Perkins had 24 and Payton Sandfort added 22 in his 31 minutes off the bench (including the game-tying 3-pointer with three seconds left in regulation). MSU’s Tyson Walker led all scorers with 31 points.
  • The Spartans (17-11, 9-8 in conference play) shot 59.3 percent from the field and 73.3 percent from 3-point range, turning the ball over 15 times. The Hawkeyes shot 50.7 percent from the field and 47.2 percent from distance.

Fans are streaming back into Carver. The decibel reader hit 116 on the final 3-pointer. Unreal.

— Scott Dochterman (@ScottDochterman) February 25, 2023

The Athletic’s instant analysis:

How big was this win for the Hawkeyes?

This might have saved Iowa’s season. The Hawkeyes had dropped games at Northwestern and Wisconsin in which they had shot just 6-of-52 from 3-point range. Trailing by 10 points inside the final minute, Iowa appeared to have lost its third straight this week. Instead, the Hawkeyes hit five 3-pointers in the final 38.7 seconds to send it into overtime and pull out a stunner. It had meaning for the Hawkeyes. The players rushed into the student section after the win, McCaffery hugged former players near the locker room and everyone gave high-fives to fans crowding around the tunnel. — Dochterman

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What the loss means for Michigan State

One minute, Michigan State was sitting with a prime opportunity to pick up its eighth Quad 1 victory of the season, its fifth road win and stay in strong position for a double-bye in the Big Ten Tournament.

The next minute, the Spartans were unraveling and wondering how it went so wrong, so fast.

Without question, Iowa deserves massive credit for delivering an unthinkable string of made 3s. This was a historic comeback. However, Michigan State wasn’t some innocent bystander. In that frantic final 1:15, the Spartans struggled at times against the Hawkeye press, committed two turnovers, allowed two offensive rebounds, missed two free throws and opted not to foul when up three on Iowa’s final possession.

Then, in overtime, Michigan State went 1-for-5 from the field with a turnover and two offensive rebounds allowed. Iowa won in OT despite second-leading scorer Filip Rebraca being on the bench having fouled out.

Lost in this craziness was that, up until the end, this was a terrific Michigan State performance. Walker was incredible, scoring a season-high 31 points on 11-of-14 shooting. Jaden Akins delivered a breakout career-high 21 points. All told, Michigan State shot nearly 60 percent from the field, scored 1.30 points per possession and hit the century mark in a Big Ten game for the first since a March 2, 2008, win against Indiana (103-74).

And the Spartans still lost.

That’s tough to digest, but Michigan State will have to find a way. The Spartans’ regular season closes with a road game at Nebraska, a home game against Ohio State and a TBD matchup against Minnesota that still needs to be rescheduled. Michigan State will be favored in all three and can still reach 12 wins in conference play. Depending on some tiebreakers, a double-bye in the Big Ten Tournament could still be in play. — Quinn

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Highlight of the game

Clutch gene 🧬@payton_20_ x #Hawkeyes

— Iowa Men’s Basketball (@IowaHoops) February 25, 2023

Key stats

Michigan State’s win probability soared to 99.8 percent when it led 89-76 near the end of the second half, per ESPN.

It was the first Big Ten game in the last 25 seasons in which both teams scored 100-plus points in regulation, ESPN Stats and Info said.

Required reading

(Photo: Jeffrey Becker / USA Today)