Michigan Handles Iowa to Snap Losing Streak

By Sean · Monday, February 1, 2010 · 1:38 AM |  Share | Leave a Comment 

I went to Crisler Arena on Saturday to watch a Big Ten basketball game, but it felt like I took a wrong turn and ended up at the Intramural Building.  I say that because it seriously felt like Michigan played against a team comparable to a group of regular students you would see at the IM building.   Actually, that might be a bit of a slap in the face to some of the people that play IM basketball.  I don’t know how this team has won in the conference twice and just barely lost to Michigan State, but I think someone sitting behind me described Iowa best when he said, “They would be a good Division 2 team — maybe.”

Iowa’s lack of talent was on display from the very start of Saturday’s game.  The Hawkeyes went scoreless for the first six and a half minutes of the game and failed to actually make a field goal for nearly the first ten minutes of the game.  This ice cold start allowed Michigan to open the game on a 13-0 run.  From there Michigan eventually took a 22-5 lead before Iowa’s issues rubbed off on the Wolverines.  Michigan has played down or up to its opponents quite a bit this season, and Saturday seemed no different following the initial big run.  After that Michigan went nearly four minutes without a point and six or so minutes without a field goal, though Iowa didn’t exactly do much itself during that drought.  As a result, Michigan led 29-17 at halftime.

In the second half it was more of the same.  In the first ten or so minutes of the half Michigan went on a couple runs and over time continued to pull away from the Hawkeyes.  This resulted in Michigan going up by as many as 24 points before it essentially sleepwalked through the final nine or ten minutes of the game, allowing Iowa to only lose 60-46 when all was said and done.

Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims combined for 40 of Michigan’s 60 points in this game.  Each had 20 points, and Sims also had 12 rebounds to complete the double-double.  The other 20 points came from Stu Douglass (6), Zack Novak (6), Laval Lucas-Perry (4), Zack Gibson (2), and Darius Morris (2).  As you probably guessed, it was a pretty lackluster effort for the team shooting-wise, especially outside of Harris and Sims.  Those two combined to shoot 44% from the field; that’s not great, but it’s not terrible, either.  The rest of the team, on the other hand, shot 25% from the field, which is just awful.  Perhaps Michigan simply played down to its opponent, which as a team shot 31% from the field and 26% outside of its leading scorer (Aaron Fuller, who had 16 points).  I guess it didn’t matter, though, because as much as Michigan struggled, it still destroyed Iowa and was up by 24 before basically putting things in neutral at the end of the game.

Michigan is now back over .500 with a record of 11-10.  Next up on the schedule is a game at Northwestern on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET on the BTN).  In the first meeting between these two teams Michigan went from leading by 17 to trailing by 10 to quickly making a comeback only to lose in the end.  It was definitely a tough one to swallow, especially at home, so hopefully Michigan will be able to get some revenge on Tuesday.

The Wildcats have gone 2-4 since that first meeting with Michigan, though one of those wins came against Purdue and only one of those losses was at home (against Wisconsin).  Northwestern is actually currently below Michigan in the Big Ten standings, though it is still 14-7 overall.  If the Wildcats even want to think about their first ever NCAA tournament appearance, they have to win games like this, so you can bet they will come to play on Tuesday.  Here’s to hoping Michigan evens up the season series by winning for what would be the fourth straight time in Evanston.