Michigan State isn't the same without Denzel Valentine

If Denzel Valentine needs further proof that he belongs at the forefront of the national player of the year race, the Michigan State senior should send voters a tape of Tuesday's game.

A Spartans team that soared to the top of the polls when Valentine was healthy suddenly looked vulnerable in its first significant test without him.

With Valentine sidelined while recovering from arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, Iowa thumped Michigan State 83-70, handing the top-ranked Spartans their first loss this season in emphatic fashion. Not only did the Hawkeyes never trail in the game, they led by 10 or more points the entire second half.

It's tempting to label the outcome a surprise considering Michigan State (13-1) entered No. 1 in the nation and Iowa (10-3) entered unranked, but the reality is this was no upset. The Hawkeyes were 2.5-point favorites in Las Vegas because oddsmakers knew that no player is more valuable to his team than Valentine is to Michigan State.

In 12 games prior to his minor knee injury, Valentine averaged 18.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.1 assists, propelling Michigan State to marquee victories over Kansas, Providence and Louisville. The Spartans managed to thwart mid-major power Oakland's upset bid in overtime in their first game without Valentine, but they were no match for Iowa in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Without Valentine to initiate the offense, Michigan State's typically efficient attack bogged down against Iowa's zone.

The Spartans shot 3-for-13 from 3-point range, committed 16 turnovers and did not have any of the unselfish ball movement that had been their early-season trademark. Only the low-post scoring of Matt Costello (17 points) and the straight-ahead forays to the rim by Eron Harris (21 points) kept the score from getting out of hand.

Michigan State could never mount much of a run because Iowa was dominant offensively. Gesell scored 25 points and Jok tallied 19 as the Hawkeyes shot 48 percent from the field as a team despite early foul trouble for star forward Jared Uthoff.

Any hope Michigan State had of rallying from a 14-point halftime deficit probably vanished a mere two minutes into the second half. It was then that the top-ranked Spartans surrendered the basketball equivalent of an own goal.

When Iowa guard Mike Gesell inbounded the ball from under his own basket in the direction of teammate Peter Jok, Michigan State's Alvin Ellis III jumped into the passing lane and tipped the ball with his right hand. The ricochet caromed off the back rim and the glass before falling through the rim, a lucky break for the Hawkyes on a night when they really didn't need one.

That was ample proof it was Iowa's night. On a night when Michigan State needed some breaks to make up for the absence of its star, it was instead the Hawkeyes that got all the bounces.

The good news for the Spartans is Valentine is scheduled to be back in a week or two and the schedule eases a bit between now and then. Up next for the Spartans before a Jan. 14 rematch with Iowa: Minnesota, Illinois and Penn State, all of which are expected to finish in the bottom half of the Big Ten.

Nonetheless, whereas those appeared to be easy wins for Michigan State a couple weeks ago, nothing is routine without Valentine. Not surprisingly, the Spartans just aren't the same caliber of team without their injured star.