Returning home after a humiliating road loss to Purdue, the Michigan Wolverines were unable to reverse the momentum of their season during today's meeting with Iowa. Michigan failed to slow down the dominant Iowa offense at any point during the game, while a once-equally-effective Wolverine attack went cold over the game's final quarter. The Hawkeyes hung 88 at Crisler on 53% shooting, firing at a sizzling 1.27 PPP clip, the fourth time this season Michigan has allowed an opponent to hit 1.15+ PPP on their home floor. Michigan is now 2-7 in conference play, last in the B1G. 

The first half was completely defense optional for both teams, as you'd expect for the worst defensive Michigan team in decades against an Iowa team that is perennially poor on defense. The teams combined for 86 points in the first half, both scoring at >1.20 PPP and maintaining a 55%+ eFG% clip. Both Michigan and Iowa ran their offenses, generated lots of open looks and penetration, and both hit those shots, unlike the first meeting between the teams in Iowa City, when the Hawkeyes bricked a number of those makable looks.  

It was a back-and-forth half for the first twelve or so minutes, trading makes while the score hovered around even before Michigan began to pull ahead. A 10-0 Wolverine run pushed the score from 27-26 Iowa to 36-27 Michigan, getting a fast-break layup and a corner three from Nimari Burnett before a flagrant foul by Ladji Dembele for bearhugging Tarris Reed Jr. created another three point Michigan possession. Iowa finally snapped out of their offensive funk but the two teams were alternating scores to maintain a solid Michigan advantage until a late Hawkeye surge narrowed the gap before halftime. After Michigan led 42-34 with 2:38 remaining, Iowa closed on an 8-2 run. Tony Perkins hit a jumper, Josh Dix got an easy layup after driving to the lane himself, and Dix eventually made a pair of free throws to make it a one possession game.  Michigan led 44-42 to the break. 

[Click the JUMP for more and the box score]

[Marc-Gregor Campredon]

Halftime seemed to have little effect on slowing the Hawkeye hot streak that had marked the final minutes of the first half. Iowa came out of intermission with purpose, Dix completing an and-one on the first possession of the half to give the visitors the lead back. Only a few possessions later, Reed was double teamed and turned the ball over, springing a transition attack for Iowa (which haunted the Wolverines all night), ending in a Perkins 3. Back up the floor, Olivier Nkamhoua missed an open bucket, Iowa attacked in transition again, and got Perkins to the line. Two made free throws later and Iowa suddenly had a 52-44 lead. Dating back to the final minutes of the first half, Iowa embarked on an 18-2 run over a ~7 minute span. 

Now firmly behind the eight-ball, Michigan began to hit back. Nimari Burnett made a wide open three to end the drought and a fancy dribble and scoop went down for Dug McDaniel, trimming the lead to 52-49 Hawkeyes. For the next four or so minutes after that, it was a replay of the first half- everything going down for both teams. Jace Howard and Will Tschetter canned threes, but the brilliance of Payton Sandfort kept Iowa a nose ahead. Terrance Williams II knocked down a three to make it 67-66 Hawkeyes with ten minutes left, but Sandfort answered with a difficult, unbalanced three of his own. 

That shot represented the widening between the two teams that would consume the concluding ten minutes of the game, as Michigan would score only 12 points over the game's last 10:06 while Iowa's offense saw no hiccups or slowdown. Michigan went over nine minutes without a field goal, occasionally banking points through free throws, but those were few and far between. That offensive slowdown wasn't necessarily an absence of good offense, as the Maize & Blue continued to generate decent looks, but they simply could not convert on those shots. In between, turnovers continued to be a problem on offense, giving Iowa the opportunity to attack in transition. In the half-court, Michigan still struggled to deny penetration, creating very easy makes for the Hawkeyes, who grew their lead to double digits with just under five minutes remaining. 

[Marc-Gregor Campredon]

No offensive help arrived for the Wolverines in this dire situation, as relying on free throws did very little to make up the gap in a hurry. Iowa kept pace and the double digit lead stayed firm as the time ticked away. Nimari Burnett hit a meaningless three with 19 seconds remaining, finally snapping the FG drought, but that was only putting lipstick on a pig. The margin was trimmed to 10 and that's where it stood when the final horn sounded, 88-78 Iowa. 

Iowa's offensive attack was fueled by the twin heroes of Tony Perkins and Payton Sanfordt, who combined for 50 points on 19/26 shooting(!!). Sanfordt was an assassin from distance, knocking down 6/8 as Iowa's hot shooting seemed to  compensate for their ice cold shooting in the first meeting between the teams. Sanfordt was killer from distance, while Perkins was excellent in transition and getting to the rim, adding four free throws himself. Iowa rebounded over a quarter of its misses while still shooting 53% from the floor and 50% from three. Oh and they were a perfect 18/18 from the free throw line(!!!). The Iowa 1.27 PPP clip matches Illinois' performance for the worst Michigan has allowed at home this season. Iowa killed the Wolverines on the fast-break, got to the rack with ease in the half-court, and shot the lights out from distance. That's the formula to get annihilated defensively. 

For Michigan, the offense was pretty good, but failed to rise to the moment late in the game when it was needed to bail out their abhorrent defense. Of course, playing any defense at all would go a long way to not putting the offense in that position. Michigan still scored 1.12 PPP, but that wasn't anywhere near enough to win this game. Dug McDaniel had a few razzle dazzle moments in this return to the court (he remains suspended for road games), but was cold from distance and an inefficient 4/13 from the floor overall. Burnett, Nkamhoua, and Williams all scored in double figures as well, but the team was only 9/26 from three, weighing down the team's shooting clip as a whole. 

Michigan is now 7-13 on the season and has lost 13 of 17 games since opening the season 3-0. They are last in the B1G and are favored in just two games the rest of the season, per BartTorvik.com. Torvik projects their eventual record in conference play to be 5-15. This team continues to look lost at sea and now has to head to the Breslin Center without Dug McDaniel for their next attempt to right the ship. That game at Michigan State is scheduled for Tuesday at 9:00 PM and will be broadcast on Peacock.