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After starting 0-4 in true road games to start the season, No. 19 Michigan traveled to Iowa on Friday night in desperate need to change the narrative away from Ann Arbor.
The Hawkeyes built a double-digit lead in the first half, but Michigan battled back with a run to end the frame to cut their deficit to 47-43 at the break. In the second half, Iowa built his lead back to seven before the Wolverines went on a 14-2 run to take a lead of their own.
However, the Hawkeyes made the money plays down the stretch to retake the lead and hang on for a 90-83 win, handing Michigan another crushing loss on the road to drop them to 0-5 away from the Crisler Center.
Here are five takeaway’s from the Wolverines’ defeat:
1. better shooting on the road
The biggest factor in Michigan’s struggles on the road this season has been poor shooting. The Wolverines still shot below average from the three-point line (11-for-34), but overall Michigan shot 50 percent from the floor (34-of-68). That’s a sizable improvement from what the Wolverines have shot in their other road games this season.
2. welcome back Eli Brooks
Michigan got a huge lift from junior Eli Brooks in this one. The shooting guard had gone through a rough stretch shooting the ball in recent games, but Brooks came out of his funk to score 25 points on 9-of-17 shooting, including 5-of-11 from three-point range. A night like this can’t be expected every time Brooks steps on to the floor, but if the junior can consistently be a threat from outside, it will open Michigan’s offense up more for other guys.
3. frustrating NIGHT FOR johns jr., simpson
Brandon Johns Jr. had a poor night in Iowa City. The sophomore fouled out of the game, and finished the game with more turnovers (3) than points (2). Meanwhile, point guard Zavier Simpson was mostly held in check by the Hawkeyes. He finished with 7 points on 3-of-7 shooting, and dished out six assists. For Simpson, it was good to see him not try to force things offensively — he had just two turnovers, one coming in the closing seconds — but he’ll need to find ways to make a bigger impact offensively. For Johns Jr., this performance simply wasn’t good enough in a starting role, plain and simple.
4. free throw line discrepancy
Juwan Howard was visibly frustrated with the officiating on Friday night, and was issued a technical foul early in the second half. Michigan’s 14-2 run quickly followed that technical. The Wolverines had to battle through foul trouble most of the night, having been whistled for 23 fouls as opposed to 13 for Iowa. The Hawkeyes went 27-of-30 from the foul line, while Michigan was 4-of-5. Style of play is also a factor when considering the number of trips a team makes to the charity stripe, so the discrepancy in foul shots can’t be attributed to officiating alone however.
5. letting another slip away
Michigan got off to a strong start at Minnesota last week, leading by double digits in the first half, but couldn’t keep that momentum going in a 75-67 defeat. The Wolverines had a chance to end their road losing streak once again tonight. They battled through adversity throughout the game, and found themselves somehow with a 7-point with under 10 minutes to play, yet once again Michigan couldn’t make the finishing plays required to pull out a road win in this conference. As a result, the Wolverines find themselves 2-4 in conference play, and may be already out of the race.