8A — Wednesday, February 14, 2018
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Three takeaways from Michigan’s first game against Iowa
It seems like eons ago that the
Michigan men’s basketball team
traveled
to
Carver-Hawkeye
Arena.
The Wolverines shot the lights
out in the first half on Jan. 2 to get
out to a huge lead against Iowa
that they would never relinquish.
The game involved breakout
performances on both sides of
the court and lackluster outputs
from typically good players that
eventually led to Michigan’s
75-68 victory.
The Daily breaks down what
led to the Wolverines’ win
and what could go wrong this
Wednesday to flip the outcome
when the Hawkeyes come to Ann
Arbor.
Hot shooting
As
previously
referenced,
the Wolverines were just about
unconscious
in
Iowa
City,
especially in the first half.
Michigan went 11-for-25 from
beyond the arc and 8-for-15 in the
opening 20 minutes.
The Wolverines led by as many
as 18 points in the first half and
had a double-digit cushion for
over eight minutes in the period.
Even when Iowa pushed back
at the 5:03 mark with a pair of
Tyler Cook free throws to cut
it to eight, Michigan quickly
answered with a 7-0 spurt
started by a 3-pointer from fifth-
year senior forward Duncan
Robinson.
In all, it led to a 48-point
first half — the third-most the
Wolverines have scored in any
opening period, and the most
they’ve scored in Big Ten play.
Recently,
Michigan
has
struggled
to
replicate
that
shooting. Save two good outings
against Purdue and Sunday’s
against Wisconsin, the Wolverine
offense has looked far less potent
of late.
Granted, the Hawkeye defense
is vulnerable against opponents
who aren’t sharpshooters — they
have the worst scoring defense
in the Big Ten — but if Michigan
wants to replicate its exact
gameplan Wednesday, it will
have to prove Sunday’s shooting
was not a mirage.
Livers and Simpson break
out
The first game came at a time
when junior forward Moritz
Wagner
—
the
Wolverines’
leading scorer — was hampered
by a foot injury he suffered
against Texas. It was clear that
Wagner wasn’t back to his usual
self against the Hawkeyes, as he
scored just four points and played
eight fewer minutes than his
backup, sophomore Jon Teske.
In his place, Michigan enjoyed
an even scoring output from
redshirt
sophomore
forward
Charles Matthews and senior
guard Muhammad-Ali Abdur-
Rahkman. However, it also got 13
and 15 points, respectively, from
freshman forward Isaiah Livers
and sophomore guard Zavier
Simpson off the bench.
Livers
made
an
impact
immediately after stepping on
the court. On his first play, he
tipped a missed free throw to
Teske, then assisted Teske for
a mid-range jumper to tie the
score at 10. Just over a minute
later, he caught a lob from
Abdur-Rahkman in transition
and threw it down for his first
points.
The 13 points remain Livers’
career high, and the performance
was a leaping-off point that
eventually led him to break into
the starting lineup.
Simpson’s point total tied his
career high too, but where he
made his money — as he’s done
all season — was on the defensive
end.
Michigan
coach
John
Beilein and his staff harped on
the Wolverines that they needed
to stop Iowa guard Jordan
Bohannon.
The
sophomore
admitted
after the game that his coaches’
words motivated him to shut
down Bohannon. The Hawkeyes’
second-leading
scorer
was
limited to 12 points on the night
and just three in the second half.
Simpson was mostly responsible,
as he played 32 minutes.
For
him,
too,
the
game
propelled him into the starting
lineup. In the Wolverines’ next
game against Illinois, Simpson
took over for freshman Eli
Brooks at the point guard spot, a
position he has yet to relinquish.
But
again,
things
have
changed since then. Though
Simpson previously led Michigan
in 3-point shooting, he hit a cold
streak, going 1-for-15 from deep
in the last four games.
Livers, on the other hand,
might not even play tomorrow.
He suffered a left ankle injury
against Northwestern and sat
out Sunday against the Badgers.
Beilein said in Tuesday’s press
conference that he’s “hopeful”
Livers will return in tomorrow’s
game. But even if Livers does
come back, it’s unclear in what
capacity that will be. At any rate,
it’s unlikely he will be able to
perform at the same level he did
in the first Iowa game.
Cook cooks
While
Simpson
did
an
admirable
job
limiting
Bohannon,
the
Hawkeyes
still found offensive success
with forward Tyler Cook. The
sophomore opened the game
by putting Wagner in a blender
with a behind-the-back dribble
and throwing down an emphatic
two-handed slam.
It was an accurate precursor
for what was to come.
Cook dunked on Wagner, he
dunked on Livers and he dunked
on Teske en route to 28 points.
He has become Iowa’s leading
scorer this season, averaging
over 15 points per game.
In January, the Wolverines
couldn’t stop Cook. Since, they’ve
struggled to stop multiple other
big men in conference play,
like Purdue’s Isaac Haas and
Wisconsin’s Ethan Happ.
Sure, Wagner’s healthy this
time around, but even that hasn’t
helped
against
skilled
post
players this season.
Cook’s big night wasn’t enough
to turn the tides in favor of the
Hawkeyes back then, but if he
has a similar night Wednesday,
and Bohannon proves Beilein
right, Michigan could have its
hands full defensively.
KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily
Freshman forward Isaiah Livers broke out in the first meeting between Michigan and Iowa, scoring a career-high 13 points while coming off the bench.
The Wolverines jumped out to a huge lead in their 75-68 win over the Hawkeyes at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Jan. 2
MIKE PERSAK
Managing Sports Editor