Women's tipoff: MSU at Iowa

• When: 4:30 p.m. today

• Where: Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa City, Iowa

• TV/radio: Big Ten Network/WVFN 730-AM

• Records: MSU is 15-7, 6-5 Big Ten; Iowa is 11-11, 4-7.

• Coaches: Suzy Merchant is 60-32 in her third season at MSU and 261-152 overall in 15 seasons. Lisa Bluder is 180-120 in her 10th season at Iowa and 536-262 in 26 seasons overall.

• Series: Iowa leads 31-22, but MSU has won six of the last seven including a 68-56 victory on Jan. 29, 2009, in East Lansing.

• Last game: MSU defeated Penn State, 65-44, on Thursday at Breslin Center. Iowa lost Thursday at home to No. 6 Ohio State, 86-82.

• Projected lineups

MSU

Pos. Name PPG

G Brittney Thomas (5-10) 6.8

G Jasmine Thomas (5-9) 6.0

F Lykendra Johnson (6-1) 9.2

F Aisha Jefferson (6-1) 7.3

C Allyssa DeHaan (6-9) 12.4

Iowa

Pos. Name PPG

G Kamille Wahlin (5-8) 14.0

G Jaime Printy (5-11) 15.1

G Kachine Alexander (5-9) 14.5

F Kelly Krei (6-2) 7.8

C Morgan Johnson (6-5) 9.4

• MSU update: As their defense continues to ignite a four-game win streak, allowing just 51.8 points in that span, the Spartans' offense has started to produce a bit more scoring across the board. Six players scored five-or-more points against Penn State, with MSU getting 35 points from its bench - led by 14 from a resurgent Lauren Aitch and 12 from Kalisha Keane. "I thought our bench was big, and certainly (Aitch) and Kalisha came in and gave us a nice one-two punch," Merchant said. MSU's bench players average 29.1 points, 18.4 rebounds and 6.7 assists during their combined 81.3 minutes per game. And after struggling from outside early in Big Ten play, the Spartans have made four-or-more in each of their last five games (24 total). DeHaan was given a seventh block after a review of the game tape, and she now needs just six more to surpass Sandora Irvin's NCAA record of 480 - though St. Mary's (Calif.) junior Louella Tomlinson is at 471, four behind DeHaan. This is MSU's only meeting with Iowa this season.

• Iowa update: The Hawkeyes, who've battled injuries all season, stunned a lot of people with their offensive outburst and near-upset of the Buckeyes. "We can't hang our heads. This was a one-possession game with (28 seconds) left. We'll learn from it, move on and get ready to take on Michigan State," Bluder said after. That loss ended a three-game win streak for Iowa. Alexander - who Merchant called "a triple-double kid" - is averaging a team-best 10.7 rebounds in the Hawkeyes' guard-oriented attack. "They really spread you out and have some great shooters, and obviously some pretty good drivers, too," Merchant said. "They present a lot of challenges for us, and I think they're playing really good basketball." The game is Iowa's "Pink Zone" game to help promote breast cancer research and awareness.

• Prediction: MSU must flex its interior strength on offense and rebounding and put forth an even greater perimeter defensive focus, or Iowa's outside shooters can steal the Spartans' current momentum.

• Make it: MSU 70, Iowa 58

--Chris Solari