On the Road Again…
Submitted by Paul Mercier on Thu, 01/29/2009 - 10:55
Willie Nelson said it best, “On the road again, I just can’t wait to get on the road again.” But, normally these words would never be spoken by an athlete, except maybe this year’s Spartans. The road warrior Spartans will once again travel to another team’s home when they play the Iowa Hawkeyes tonight. Izzo’s team will play its fifth conference road game of the season tonight, carrying with them a 4-0 record in the previous games, including big wins at Minnesota, OhioState, and PennState.
The ninth ranked Spartans seem to be pretty comfortable playing in hostile environments, as they have won a total of nine games away from the Breslin Center this year, only bested by St. Mary’s who has 10 road victories so far this season.
Things do get better for the team in the upcoming week: despite a schedule that will see them have a brutal 5 games in only 13 days, the Spartans will play 3 straight home games against Penn State, Minnesota, and Indiana to open February. Heading into the second half of the Big Ten season, these home games could be much needed.
The big question tonight is: how affective will Raymar Morgan be? The still ailing Morgan’s inside presence will be greatly needed against a smaller Hawkeye team, but just how much he’ll be able to play is still in question. The good news, however, is that Izzo should be able to rely on arguably his best leaper in Durrell Summers. Summers seems to have a new found confidence, and could play a large rebounding role against Iowa.
Tonight’s 7:00 start will be broadcast on ESPN; the team’s seventh big network broadcast game this year.
