Halftime Analysis: No. 19 Michigan at Iowa

Halftime analysis of No. 19 Michigan basketball’s road trip to Iowa, as conference play rolls on in the Big Ten conference.

[jwplayer 6ji44vXR-ThvAeFxT]
After opening the season 7-0 and rising as high as No. 4 in the country, Michigan has gone 4-5 in its last nine games and settled into the No. 19 spot in back-to-back weeks.

Four of those losses came away from Ann Arbor, and the Wolverines have yet to win a game in an opponent’s arena (0-4). Michigan (11-5 overall, 2-3 Big Ten) tries to turn that around with it’s trip to Iowa (12-5, 3-3) tonight.

The Wolverines defeated the Hawkeyes, 103-91, earlier this season at the Crisler Center. Iowa has gone 6-2 overall since their defeat in Ann Arbor.

The Hawkeyes had revenge on the mind at home, building a double-digit lead in the early-goings of the half, but Michigan was able to hang around and get themselves back to within four points at the break. The Wolverines currently trail, 47-43.

POSITIVES:

  • Welcome back Eli Brooks. The junior carried Michigan in the first half, scoring 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting including a pair of three-pointers, breaking a 1-of-16 slump from deep. Brooks had been very quiet in recent games, and the Wolverines missed his scoring desperately. He led Michigan in scoring in the half.
  • David DeJulius was very good off the bench for the Wolverines, scoring 8 points on 4-of-8 shooting with 3 rebounds and 2 assists. His contributions were big given that starting point guard Zavier Simpson was out of the game for an extended stretch with foul trouble.
  • Michigan did an excellent job taking care of the ball in the first half, with just two turnovers in the first 20 minutes.

NEGATIVES:

  • Michigan struggled on defense in the first half, as the Hawkeyes managed to shoot nearly 52 percent from the field (15-of-29) and over 45 percent from the three-point line (5-11). Iowa knocked down a couple tough shots, but for the most part they got the looks they wanted in the first 20 minutes, and knocked them down more often than not. The Wolverines need to be stingier on the defensive end in the second half.
  • Foul trouble is a major concern for Michigan entering the second half. Backup center Austin Davis had three fouls in the first half, while starters Zavier Simpson and Franz Wagner both had two fouls. Iowa took advantage of the fouls as well, shooting a perfect 12-of-12 from the free throw line.