Michigan hosts #24 Iowa on Senior Night in a Quad 1 matchup

Michigan comes in 16-12 overall, and 10-8 in the conference while tied for sixth place in the Big Ten. The Wolverines are coming off of a win on Tuesday night over rival Michigan State, continuing to build their resume for an at-large bid. The Spartans are now 38th on the NET, so the win is unfortunately tiered as a Quad 2, not a Quad 1. San Diego St is 26th on the NET so that still stays as a Quad 1 win. Michigan’s lack of bad losses is helping them stay in good standing with the advanced analytics. Their two lowest ranked losses are to #103 NET Minnesota and #87 NET Central Florida. Michigan has an emotional Senior Night coming up, being the last home game for a handful of players. They need to ride these emotions and be ready to play against one of the hotter teams in the league.

Iowa comes in 21-8 overall, and 11-7 in the conference while tied for 4th place in the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes have won seven of their last eight, making them one of the more dangerous teams in the country right now. After the loss at Penn St, Iowa head coach Fran McCaffrey switched up the lineup and it has paid dividends. Their one loss in that stretch was to Michigan. Iowa rallied late but the Wolverines had control for most of that game. Despite controlling the first game, it is tough to sweep good teams in the Big Ten. Iowa is rated 18th on the NET, so a Michigan sweep would do wonders for their resume by adding a fifth Quad 1 win. To do this, Michigan has to take advantage of their size and versatility again.

Michigan vs Iowa Statistical Overview

Pace: Iowa averages 72.8 possessions per game, ranking 59th in the country.

Offensive Rebound Put-Backs: Iowa scores 1.291 points per possession (PPP) on rebound put-backs which ranks 9th in the country, 4th among high major programs, and 1st in the Big Ten.

Post Ups: In post up situations, Iowa scores 1.088 PPP which ranks 4th in the country and 1st nationally.

Team Offensive Efficiency: Iowa’s offense scores on 1.003 PPP, ranking 15th in the country.

Team Defensive Efficiency: Iowa’s defense allows 0.876 PPP, ranking 167th in the country.

Iowa Main Personnel

#15 Keegan Murray: Murray is a 6’8″ 220 pound wing out of Iowa. He averages 23.3 points, 8.6 rebounds, and two blocks on 56.1% shooting from the field and 36.5% from the 3pt line. Murray is one of the premier wings in the country and a future draft pick. He is one of the more efficient players in the country, ranking 56th nationally in overall offensive efficiency, scoring 1.212 PPP. In post-up situations, Murray scored 1.345 PPP which ranks 13th in the country. In transition, Murray ranks 120th in the country scoring 1.5 PPP. Murray has scored at least 23 points in seven of the last eight games. In likely his last home game, Murray had 26 points and 18 rebounds. (Last Game vs Michigan: 23 points 9/23 FG, seven rebounds, four blocks)

Supporting Personnel

#3 Jordan Bohannon: Bohannon is a 6’1″ 175 pound guard out of Iowa. He is averaging 11 points on 37.5% shooting from the floor and 37% from 3pt range. He wants to shoot from distance, 79.5% of his shots come from 3pt range, his defender must force him to put the ball on the floor. Unlike previous seasons, Bohannon is looking to score and not really distribute to teammates. In his game against Northwestern, he had 18 points on 14 attempts during his third Senior Night. (Last Game vs Michigan: 11 points 2/5 FG, 5-5 FT)

#22 Patrick McCaffrey: McCaffrey is a 6’9″ 200 pound wing out of Iowa City. He is averaging 10.7 points and 3.8 rebounds on 41.3% shooting from the floor, and 32.1% from the 3pt line. McCaffrey has good length and size to guard quicker players and offer rim protection. In the last three road games, McCaffrey has averaged 7.7 points on 33.3% shooting. (Last Game vs Michigan: 13 points 6/11 FG, five rebounds)

#24 Kris Murray: Murray is a 6’8″ 225 pound wing out of Iowa. He is averaging 9.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1 block on 47.6% shooting from the floor and 40% from 3pt range. Kris is a left handed wing, able to excel in post up and spot up situations. He picks his spots throughout the game, always in control, very rarely taking bad shots. (Last Game vs Michigan: 8 points 3/7 FG, one rebound, one steal)