Michigan Basketball vs Iowa: Predictions, Odds, TV Channel and Live Stream

Michigan basketball will battle Iowa Thursday night in a key matchup for the Wolverines NCAA tournament hopes. Here’s a look at the odds and a prediction. 

Following a costly defeat at the hands of Ohio State on Sunday, Michigan basketball opens the first of back-to-back road games Thursday against Iowa.

The Wolverines will head to Wisconsin on Sunday, which isn’t any less daunting. But with nothing but difficult games ahead, Michigan can’t afford a three-game losing streak. It has to find a way to win a game this week.

Iowa has a solid record and is 7-6 in the Big Ten, however, the Hawkeyes haven’t beaten a ranked team all season long. They have won three games in a row but those wins were over Nebraska, Maryland, and Minnesota, not exactly Big Ten heavyweights.

Iowa will be looking to improve its resume and Michigan basketball fans well know that Iowa City has not been kind to the Wolverines in football or basketball.

This is as big a challenge as beating Purdue at home last week. The Wolverines will need to play that well and here’s a look at the odds, as well as a prediction.

Michigan basketball vs Iowa odds

According to WynnBET’s odds, Iowa is a six-point favorite over the Wolverines at home on Thursday night. The over/under is 151.5 and the money line is -240 for Iowa and +185 for Michigan basketball.

Michigan basketball vs Iowa prediction

Even some of Michigan’s better teams have gone to Iowa and struggled. There is something about the building but this is a must-win game, as they all are for the Wolverines, so the hope is that the effort is better than we saw last Saturday.

Getting a few days of rest will help. Saturday’s game against Ohio State was the fourth in eight days for Michigan basketball and this U-M team doesn’t have a lot of depth.

But this Iowa team feels like a decent matchup for Michigan. Both teams want to score as Iowa leads the Big Ten in scoring. The Hawkeyes are also 12th in points allowed. The Wolverines are fifth in offense and eighth in defense, so a high-scoring affair is likely on the menu.

Michigan will have to find a way to slow down Keegan Murray who is scoring 23.3 points per game. Iowa also has five different players averaging at least 1.1 3-point field goals per game led by Jordan Bohannon who is making 2.5 per game and shooting 37 percent.

On the other side of things, Iowa doesn’t have anyone who can guard Hunter Dickinson. Iowa is ranked seventh in 2-point defense in the Big Ten but doesn’t have a rotation player that stands even 6-foot-10.

Hunter Dickinson will be key. He’s got to score in the paint and he’s got to be the facilitator. DeVante Jones needs to play well in ball screens and take care of the ball, but the offense needs to run through Dickinson and he needs to shoot better than he did Saturday.

It will be interesting to see how Iowa handles him and guarding the pick-and-pop. As much as I think the Wolverines will have a solid effort and will score plenty, I just don’t see their defense being good enough to slow down Iowa, which wins it 81-74.

What channel is the Michigan basketball game on?

Michigan basketball will play Iowa on ESPN at 7:00 PM EST/4:00 PM PST.

Michigan basketball vs Iowa Live Stream

Today’s Michigan basketball game can be live-streamed on Fubo TV.