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Michigan basketball falls to Iowa in Ann Arbor, 88-78

Chris Balasby:Chris Balas•01/27/24•

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Michigan coach Juwan Howard and his team dropped another home game Saturday. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

The Michigan basketball free fall continues. U-M and Iowa played a high-paced game as expected, but once again, the Wolverines came up short, losing 88-78. U-M dropped to 7-13 overall, 2-7 in Big Ten play, with the latest loss. They are entrenched in last place, 14th out of 14 teams in the conference, with the easier part of the schedule behind them.

The first half was a back-and-forth affair for the first 15 minutes or so, neither team able to break from the other. Both shot it well — they combined for 40 points in the paint in the first 20 minutes, 22 from U-M — other than outside, where the Wolverines went 4-for-12 from long range, Iowa 2-for-7.

Michigan wing Nimari Burnett created a bit of distance for the Wolverines with 5 straight points, a finish in transition and a triple from the left corner that gave the Wolverines a 33-27 lead with 5:38 remaining. It ballooned to as many as nine with Olivier Nkamhoua hit a jumper at 5:30. 

Once again, though, the Wolverines struggled to hold a lead. The defense got leaky, and the Hawkeyes twice cut it to four, the second at 1:14 when they left two Iowa guards, including Tony Perkins, alone underneath for easy finishes. 

It was 44-42 at the break with the Wolverines shooting 58 percent, the Hawkeyes 51. Nkamhoua led Michigan with 10 points, Burnett added 8, and McDaniel scored 7. The Wolverines had 11 assists on their 18 made baskets.

SECOND HALF — Iowa pulls away from Michigan

Iowa scored the first 8 points of the second half before Michigan called timeout, taking a 50-44 lead. The Wolverines missed their first 6 shots, turning it over twice, and fell behind 52-44 befor3 Terrance Williams II tripled at 16:30. McDaniel followed with a driving floater for 2 to cut it to 52-49 at 15:50 and the first TV timeout. 

The Wolverine kept clawing. They were withing two at 57-55 on a Jace Howard corner triple at 13:00, but they gave it right back on a three-point play at the other end. Forward Will Tschetter tripled to cut it back to two, but once again the Hawkeyes got an easy look at the bucket that ended in two Owen Freeman free throws. 

Iowa opened a 67-60 lead before Michigan rallied again. A Williams II triple cut the lead to one, 67-66, at 10:03. But … Iowa scored the next 5 to pull ahead again. Payton Sandfort hit his 4th triple in 5 attempts in the run. He hit another at 6:27 to make it 77-68, and the Wolverines were back on the ropes.

It was 83-71 at 4:03 with Michigan having gone without a field goal in 6:03. The crowd started heading for the exits at 3:42 during the final TV timeout. Sandfort added the dagger at 1:10 with yet another triple that made it 88-75.

Williams II led Michigan with 16 while Nkamhoua, Burnett, and McDaniel added 13 each. U-M will play at Michigan State Tuesday at 9 p.m.

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