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Iowa basketball: Beilein’s departure creates B1G opportunity for the Hawks

By Andrew Wade

DES MOINES, IOWA - MARCH 21: Head coach John Beilein speaks with Zavier Simpson #3 of the Michigan Wolverines against the Montana Grizzlies in the first half during the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena on March 21, 2019 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
DES MOINES, IOWA - MARCH 21: Head coach John Beilein speaks with Zavier Simpson #3 of the Michigan Wolverines against the Montana Grizzlies in the first half during the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena on March 21, 2019 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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Michigan head coach John Beilein is heading to the NBA and that creates an opportunity for the Iowa basketball team immediately.

For the past twelve years, the Michigan Wolverines basketball team has been outstanding in all aspects. They have compiled a .650 winning percentage in that time frame, which includes two trips to the Final Four. Moreover, they have been winning the battle against the Iowa basketball team, compiling a 15-9 record against the Hawks in that time frame.

It hasn’t always been that way though. In fact, prior to Beilein taking the reign at Michigan, they were stuck in college basketball purgatory finishing with a .500 or better record in conference play just twice in the prior decade.

Beilein’s presence has been huge for the Wolverine’s basketball program, and with his departure, it creates an interesting opportunity in the Big Ten. It’s not guaranteed, but a transition in leadership has caused greater programs to crumble before (USC post-Pete Carroll is a great example).

As it stands today, the Wolverines are losing their top three players to early declaration, and while the 2019 recruiting class is strong with two four-star players arriving, replacing Ignas Brazdeikis, Jordan Poole, and Charles Matthews would not be easy for a coach of Beilein’s stature let alone a brand new coach to the program.

For Fran McCaffery and the Iowa basketball team, they have to at least be slightly excited about this intriguing development from folks out of Ann Arbor. In the last two seasons, the Wolverines have ended the Iowa basketball team’s conference tournament play.

More importantly, for the future is next year the Iowa basketball team has two games against Michigan. In an earlier article, I wrote about the difficulty of the Hawkeye’s home/away matchups and specifically noted Michigan as a bad draw.

Now, I am changing my tune a bit. Yes, it will still be a tough game. This Wolverine’s team is still going to be talented, but losing your top three players and arguably one of the best coaches in school history will set this school back.

Next. How two bad classes crushed the Hawks. dark

For the sake of the Iowa basketball team next year, I hope it sets them back quite a bit.

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