Michigan Basketball: Previewing a key matchup against Iowa

Thursday, Michigan basketball takes on Iowa after a gruesome loss to Ohio State on Saturday. The Hawkeyes are on a three-game double-digit winning streak, winning their past two matchups by 23 points each.

Iowa had a convincing win against Nebraska on Sunday, leading by as many as 36 points. While there was not an overwhelming difference in field goal percentages or the rebound margin, turnovers were a big factor in this dominant win.

The Hawkeyes scored 24 points off of the Cornhuskers’ 15 turnovers, compared to Nebraska only scoring nine points off of nine turnovers by Iowa.

The Hawkeyes also caused problems for the Cornhuskers’ defense — scoring 21 fast break points and five dunks — four of which came from one player.

This player is sophomore forward Keegan Murray, who scored a career-high 37 points against Nebraska and went 71. 4 percent from the field.

No other Hawkeye exceeded 10 points in this matchup. Murray is both Iowa and the Big Ten’s leading scorer this season, averaging 23.3 points per game.

Redshirt senior guard Jordan Bohannon will likely be another major problem for Michigan basketball on Thursday.

Bohannon has been a consistent player for the Hawkeyes all season, averaging 10.7 points per game and 88.7 percent from the line. That being said, he has been playing his best basketball of the season this past month — with his season highs in all offensive statistic categories being in the month of February.

The Hawkeyes lead the conference in points per game with 84.0, compared to the Wolverines’ 72.1 points per game. Iowa is first in the Big Ten when it comes to steals per game with 8.08, whereas Michigan basketball is dead last with only 4.39 steals per game.

Iowa also leads the conference with a turnover margin of 8.2 turnovers which should be a worrisome issue for the Wolverines as their turnover margin is -1.6 turnovers.

The Hawkeyes force an average of 17.1 turnovers per game and score an average of 16 points off of these turnovers in conference play.  However this month Iowa has increased that average to 21.3 points off of only 13 forced turnovers.

Some keys for Michigan basketball

Multiple Wolverines need to step up in order to pull out a win in Iowa City. Senior guard Eli Brooks and sophomore center Hunter Dickinson were the only two Michigan players to score in double digits against Ohio State.

Additionally, the Wolverines had a total of four bench points in this matchup — a number that will not cut it against an Iowa team that averages 90.1 points per game.

Michigan is only one game behind Iowa in conference play. With only seven games left in the regular season, the Wolverines need to pick up some first and second quadrant wins in order to enhance their NCAA tournament chances.