Time for the Hawkeyes to Panic?
Iowa has lost two straight, and the world appears to be falling apart in Iowa City because of it. Coming off of a loss to Michigan State, a team that could win it all, and a loss at Minnesota, I think Iowa fans need to take a moment to calm down. Iowa is going through a very tough part of their schedule, and they may be staring at another loss against a top five team in Michigan. It’s time for Iowa fans to realize that they were never an elite team like Michigan State or Michigan, and winning these games should not be an expectation, but only a bonus
Michigan Continues to Roll
Other than a rare off night that resulted in a loss against Wisconsin, Michigan comes in to Carver Hawkeye Arena being as dominant as any team in college basketball. Michigan is 20-1, beating #9 UNC, #16 Villanova, and #17 Purdue by a combined 63 points. It’s no secret that Michigan has reached elite status, and they will look to come into Iowa City and steamroll the Hawkeyes
Keys to the Game: Iowa
Iowa will come into Friday with all five players from the starting lineup averaging double figures on offense, but as Iowa fans know, their shooting has been far too inconsistent against ranked opponents. The solution? Feed freshman Joe Wieskamp and junior Isaiah Moss. After coming off his best game in college against Illinois, where he shot 8-8 and tallied up 24 points, Wieskamp has been absolutely no part of the offense. In the two losses to Michigan State and Minnesota, Wieskamp scored only 8 points, shooting the ball just two times against the Gophers. Isaiah Moss has been stellar of late, providing a much needed spark from beyond the arc. When these two are clicking, it ignites the entire team. Look for them to be the difference makers against Michigan.
The Hawkeyes have been absolutely brutal on defense of late, allowing 80+ in three of their last four games. If the Hawks have any chance of beating Michigan, they will not be able to keep this trend going. Those of us in Iowa City can only hope the Hawks are able to fix their defensive woes, or we will be quickly heading for the exits. If the Iowa defense does show up, I will be interested to see if they can keep up the intensity throughout the game. Against Michigan State, Iowa was up by eight early on in the second half, and proceeded to allow a 40-17 run to end the game. Iowa will need a full 40 minutes out of their defense against Michigan.
Keys to the Game: Michigan
There isn’t much to say here. Michigan comes in doing what they do best, and that’s playing lock down defense. Michigan has held their opponents to 60 or less points in four of their last five games, and they will look to do the same against the Hawkeyes. The one area of concern for Michigan has to be their offense offense of late. With Iowa being fully capable of catching fire on offense at any given moment, Michigan will need to shoot better than they did against Ohio State, where they shot 37% as a team. I expect the Michigan offense to come out and play much better against the Hawkeyes.
With Zavier Simpson coming off a triple double against Ohio State, look for him to be a key contributor.
Big Ten Implications
Michigan comes in with a record of 20-1 overall, and 9-1 in the conference. This puts them in first place in the Big Ten, but a loss to Iowa could drop them below Michigan State in conference standings. This should be all the motivation they need to make sure they don’t get upset.
Iowa was looking good in the Big Ten standings a week ago, but losses to Michigan State and Minnesota have dropped them to 7th in conference play, with a record of 5-5 against the Big Ten. While Iowa would not fall in the Big Ten standings with a loss to Michigan, a win would keep them within striking distance of Minnesota and Wisconsin, as well as ensure that they aren’t fighting to make the tournament.
My Thoughts
Michigan is going to be one big test for Iowa, but it isn’t an impossible task. Iowa has shown glimpses of greatness in every aspect of the game this season, but they will need to put all of those things together for a full 40 minutes to have a chance. I think it will be a close game in the first half, but similar to Michigan State, the Hawkeyes will show their true colors in the second half and ultimately lose by double digits.
