Iowa basketball: Hawks get their B1G Tournament rematch vs Wolverines

After handily beating the Fighting Illini last night, the men’s Iowa basketball team is back in action against the Michigan Wolverines.

Tonight’s game is a huge deal for the Iowa basketball program.

Is this team legitimately back or did they just take advantage of a weak and inexperienced Illinois team?

Moreover, was Iowa’s early-February win over Michigan a fluke or a sign?

Is this Michigan team actually good or are there serious flaws in the foundation?

And finally, can the Iowa basketball team advanced to the semifinals for the first time since the 2006 Big Ten Championship team?

Needless to say, there is a ton riding on this game, and fortunately, I do feel confident that I can safely answer one of the questions above. The Hawks beating Michigan was not a fluke. The Iowa basketball program matches up well against Michigan.

Whereas smaller teams can sometimes neutralize the advantage Luka Garza can provide, and bigger, physical teams can push the Hawks around and get them out of their free-flowing offensive rhythm, Michigan matches up almost identically to Iowa. Oddly enough, this is an advantage for the Hawks.

Down low, Michigan center Jon Teske (7’1”, 260 pounds) is a formidable defensive option for the Wolverines but is only their fourth-leading scorer and a little bit of a lumbering giant down low. In the first matchup against Iowa, Teske got into foul trouble early (and ultimately fouled out). Iowa’s 6’11” giant Luka Garza took advantage and dropped in 19 points on 8 of 12 shooting.

At forward, Michigan is led by five-star forward Ignas Brazdeikis who is their leading scorer but has more often than night went silent in big games for Michigan. Tyler Cook, however, is a superior athlete and has a size advantage over the 6’7”, 215-pound Bazdeikis. If Bazdeikis operates from his more traditional small forward position then sophomore Isaiah Livers (also 6’7”) will be in the paint. Again, advantage Iowa.

At the guard spots, Michigan has a similarly diminutive point guard in Zavier Simpson who is a well-rounded guard but doesn’t present a huge scare from a shooting perspective. Most importantly, he is not a very capable shooter from downtown, hitting just 28% of his three-pointers, which bodes well if Iowa’s defense struggles to close on the shooters.

Honorable Mention All-Big Ten shooting guard Jordan Poole will be matched up versus Isaiah Moss and Maishe Dailey for the majority of the night, and he is the most capable threat from behind the arc outside of Brazdeikis. He’s hitting 38% of his shots.

Where the Hawks often get burned is when teams start knocking down three-pointers with consistency and their shot isn’t falling. With Michigan, they don’t pose as much of a threat from behind the arc and on a player by player look, the Hawks hold the advantage in most areas.

However, as a team, Michigan operates more consistently and efficiently and it makes sense that they are favored (ESPN – 77.9%, KenPom – 76%).

Can the Hawkeyes make a run and advance to the semifinals for the first time since 2006? We find out when these two teams tip off at 825 PM Central Standard Time tonight. If you are not in Chicago and able to attend in person, the game will be aired on the Big Ten Network.