Michigan Basketball: How to watch and stream Wolverines vs Iowa

Michigan basketball plays again on a Friday night and this time the game is at Iowa. Here’s all the key info including how to watch and stream.

For the second straight week, the Michigan basketball team will be playing on an odd night at an odd time. Well, the time isn’t so weird, but the day of the week certainly is.

That’s because before this season, seeing the Wolverines or any Big Ten team on a Friday night was rare, outside of in the postseason of course at the Big Ten or NCAA tournament. However, as in football, the Big Ten has moved to some Friday night games and for the second straight week, Michigan basketball will be part of one.

Last week, the Wolverines played at Indiana, a game Michigan won going away after jumping out to a 17-0 lead. That was a nice win because UM has generally struggled to win over the years at Assembly Hall, which brings us tonight and Carver-Hawkeye Arena, another place where the Wolverines have struggled.

Before last season, when Michigan swept Iowa in three games, including a win in Iowa, as well as an overtime victory against the Hawkeyes in the Big Ten tournament, the Wolverines had lost two in a row in Iowa City and like in football, it hasn’t always been kind.

We will go over some of the storylines and keys for tonight’s game but first, here is how to watch and stream:

Game Info:

Game 22: Michigan at Iowa

Where: Carver-Hawkeye Arena Iowa City, Iowa

When: 7:00 PM EST

TV: Fox Sports 1

Stream: FoxSports2Go

Radio: Michigan IMG Network or WWJ (950 AM) in Detroit

Breakdown:

This is an important game for both teams as Iowa is trying to build a better case for making the NCAA tournament, while also trying to give itself a chance at a better finish in the Big Ten standings and a better seed at the Big Ten tournament.

Michigan, on the other hand, is locked in a tight battle with both Michigan State and Purdue for the Big Ten championship. The Boilers are 8-2 in the league and one game back of the Wolverines and Spartans, who are each 9-1.

While I put together a more in-depth breakdown and threw out some predictions for the game tonight, in a quick rundown, Iowa vs Michigan is a battle of strength vs strength. Iowa has one of the best offenses in the conference and Michigan has the best defense, not only in the Big Ten but maybe the country.

Iowa is the No. 30 team in the Kenpom rankings and Michigan is No. 5. Iowa is ranked 10th in terms of offensive efficiency and the Wolverines are first. On the other end of the floor, the Hawkeyes struggle. They are allowing more points than any other team in Big Ten play and are allowing opponents to hit a high percentage of 3-pointers in those 10 games.

The key for Michigan will be getting off to a strong start offensively, while also keeping Iowa in the halfcourt. As long as the Hawkeyes aren’t running the floor and getting a bunch of scoring chances in transition, the Wolverines defense should be fine, especially with Jon Teske and Ignas Brazdeikis inside to defend Tyler Cook and Luka Garza.

It would also help Michigan basketball if Charles Matthews broke out of his slump, however, Isaiah Livers, Zavier Simpson and Jordan Poole have all been effective offensively.

Whatever happens, it should be another interesting installment of Friday night Big Ten basketball.