The Michigan Wolverines picked up their second Big Ten win under first-year head coach Dusty May on Saturday with an 85-83 nail-bitter against the Iowa Hawkeyes.
It was the Wolverines’ first conference battle at Crisler Center this season, and the win improved Michigan to 8-1 on the season.
The 7-2 Hawkeyes were off to a great start, most recently winning on a buzzer-beater against Northwestern on Tuesday. While Iowa had another chance to win in the same fashion in Ann Arbor, the magic ran out.
Here are the takeaways from the close win.
There isn’t a better frontcourt in the Big Ten
If there already wasn’t enough spotlight on the two Michigan 7-footers, Danny Wolf and Vlad Goldin led the Wolverines in most statistical categories yet again on Saturday. Wolf led both teams with 14 rebounds and Goldin led the team in scoring with 20 points.
The big men were picking up boards and scoring at a high clip, and were both extremely efficient from the floor. Wolf finished with 13 points on 6-for-9 shooting and 14 rebounds, and Goldin was 6-for-8 from the field and 8-for-11 from the free throw line. Not to mention, Wolf was back to his flashy passing, throwing the ball behind his back, no-looks to the corner, and dumping it to Goldin while taking two defenders with him mid-air.
Defensively, the two big men picked up a block each and they held the three Iowa centers to a combined four points.
Seven combined turnovers is still a glaring issue for Wolf and Goldin, but Michigan does not win that game without their presence on both ends of the floor.
Winning the charity stripe in both halves
The Wolverines spent 36:54 of the 40 minutes leading against the Hawkeyes, but it never felt like the game was safely put away. Michigan continued to turn the ball over, and the Iowa shooters got scorching hot from three late in the game. However, both teams were in the bonus with more than six minutes to go in both halves, and the game was largely decided at the free throw line.
In the first half, Michigan was sent to the free throw line 12 times compared to the six for the Hawkeyes. With double the amount of free throw attempts, the Wolverines converted 10-of-12 free throws while Iowa was 4-for-6. The referees called nine fouls on Iowa and 10 on Michigan in the second half, and the Wolverines won the charity stripe battle yet again, making 7-of-10 free throws compared to 6-for-11 by the Hawkeyes.
Goldin went 8-for-11 on his own from the line, and Tre Donaldson was 4-for-5.
Tre Donaldson bounces back, while Goldin continues hot streak
After going scoreless against the Wisconsin Badgers on Tuesday night, Donaldson was on a heater against Iowa. The Auburn transfer went 4-of-6 in the first half with 12 points and two rebounds before scoring another six points in the second half.
Donaldson played with a lot of poise in Crisler Center on Saturday, keeping the basketball on a rope and making the Iowa defense look silly with the “shammgod.”
Donaldson was not the only Wolverine that dominated on offense. As previously mentioned, Goldin led all scorers with 20 points, showcasing his post-move and receiving numerous dump passes as Michigan players flew through the air.
Michigan runs a pindown to setup the Wolf/Goldin pick and roll. Iowa has Freeman at the level and Wolf immediately fires to Goldin on the roll knowing Iowa wouldn’t rotate in time
Not sure how you guard it other than hoping Wolf makes a bad pass pic.twitter.com/RGynu2JnZu
— Joe Jackson (@joejacksonCBB) December 7, 2024
It will be a nightmare for opposing defenses to prepare for five or six Michigan players who can take over at any time, and Goldin improving offensively each week only adds to the difficulty.
Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers
If you were checking the score periodically throughout the game, you may have noticed Michigan was leading by 10+ points for the majority of the contest. However, the Wolverines showed why they are ranked 334th out of 363 teams in KenPom’s turnover percentage (21.6) once again, giving up 17 turnovers to just four by Iowa.
In response, the Hawkeyes blew the Wolverines out in the points off turnovers category, scoring 19 points off Michigan’s mishaps to just two the other way.
May has preached all season he wants ball movement, quick offensive possessions and high-percentage shots, but it has led to Michigan taking many risks that end up in the opposing team’s hand. Five Wolverines had two or more turnovers in this game, as Wolf and Roddy Gayle Jr. each had four turnovers.
Michigan was leading by eight points with just over two minutes remaining, but turnovers helped the Hawkeyes tie the game with 20 seconds to go.
Michigan needed a lot of other factors to go its way to win the game, and it will be interesting to see how May responds to the turnover issue in the coming weeks.
Up Next:
The Wolverines will travel to Madison Square Garden on Tuesday to face the Arkansas Razorbacks and first-year head coach John Calipari in the yearly Jumpman Invitational. After getting 95 votes in the last AP Poll, Michigan should be ranked in the next AP Poll with wins over Wisconsin and Iowa this week.
