Michigan travels to Iowa for another Quad 1 road matchup

Michigan comes in 13-10 overall, and 7-6 in the conference. The Wolverines had four games in eight days, capping it off with a tough home loss against Ohio State. Michigan found ways to get looks but struggled finding the bottom of the net. The execution was solid throughout the game, but in a time the starters were struggling to score, Michigan needed the bench to step up. Michigan will need to either stop the potent Iowa offense or find a way to put up points. In a game that is on the road against a team who loves to run, slowing the games down may be their best bet to keep the game within reach.

Iowa comes in 17-7 overall, and 7-6 in the conference. The Hawkeyes have won three in a row, and look to extend their winning streak to four. Based on NET rankings, Michigan will be the best team Iowa has faced in three weeks. Iowa found a lull in their schedule when Ohio State had to postpone. Over the course of a month, Iowa played one ranked team and they have been able to pick up some easy wins. This Iowa team is not your typical Hawkeye squad. They have been better on the defensive end, and they have been a tough and scrappy group. This is a big game for both teams because they are in the same position in the Big Ten standings as the seven and eight seeds. With nine teams still contending for an at large berth, the 8/9 seed Big Ten tournament game could be a “Loser to the NIT” game. It is in the best interest to be a top seven seed headed into championship week.

Michigan vs Iowa Statistical Overview

Pace: Iowa plays 73.1 possessions per game, ranking 59th in the country.

Team Offensive Efficiency: Iowa scores 1.15 points per possession (PPP), ranking 4th nationally.

Team Defensive Efficiency: Iowa’s defense allows 0.976 PPP, ranking 128th nationally.

Points Per Game: Iowa scores 84 points per game which ranks 4th in the country.

Assist/Turnover Ratio: Iowa averages 16.4 assists (20th nationally) and only 8.8 turnovers (3rd nationally), ranking 1st in the country averaging 1.9 assist/turnover ratio per game.

Iowa Main Personnel

#15 Keegan Murray: Murray is a 6’8″ 220 pound wing out of Iowa. He averages 23.3 points, 8.4 rebounds, and two blocks on 57% shooting from the field. Keegan Murray is pegged a 2022 1st round NBA draft pick. He is one of the more efficient players in the country, ranking 53rd in efficiency, scoring 1.233 PPP. In post situations, Murray ranks 16th in the country scoring in the post with 1.373 PPP. Murray is the best college wing I have seen this year from a competitive standpoint, and it is impressive having these numbers come from a perimeter player. In his last three games he has been on fire, Murray has averaged 30.3 points and 9.3 rebounds.

Supporting Personnel

#22 Patrick McCaffrey: McCaffrey is a 6’9″ 200 pound wing out of Iowa City. He is averaging 11.1 points and 3.7 rebounds on 41.9% shooting. McCaffrey is a high level athlete, using his wingspan and length to bother opposing offenses. High energy player, Michigan must know where he is at all times when shots go up. In the last two games after an 18 point performance, McCaffrey is averaging 7.5 points per game on 29.4% shooting.

#3 Jordan Bohannon: Bohannon is a 6’1″ 175 pound guard out of Iowa. He is averaging 10.7 points on 37.6% shooting from 3pt range. Over 78% of his shots come from long distance, his defender must force him to put the ball on the floor. His assists have dropped heavily this season, he’s looking to score the ball on most of his touches. Two games ago he went for 30 points, hitting ten 3pt shots at Maryland. Defenders have to closeout hard on his toes and put him in uncomfortable situations.

#24 Kris Murray: Murray is a 6’8″ 225 pound wing out of Iowa. He is averaging 10.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks on 49.1% shooting from the floor and 40.8% from 3pt range. Kris is the twin of Keegan, and while Keegan is the scorer, Kris is much more efficient in the few opportunities he gets from game to game. He is content with getting eight points in three shots against Maryland, and he is also content with going for 29 points on 66.7% shooting against Indiana. Kris has good size, and a willing defender.