The 12th-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes travel to the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, to face the 3rd-ranked Michigan Wolverines at 7 pm EST. The Wolverines are favored by 4-points for this matchup, up from 3.5-points at the opening.
The Hawkeyes won their 4th-straight after taking out the Penn State Nittany Lions at home last Sunday as they were able to pull away in the 2nd half thanks to another monster game from Luca Garza, who posted his 5th double-double in 10 outings. The Nittany Lions shot only 35% from the floor while missing 22 of 33 attempts from long-range as Iowa picked up their 17th win of the season. Despite the win, the Hawkeyes failed to cover as 10-point favorites and are 3-6 ATS in last 9 outings.
The Wolverines continue to rack up the wins as they took out the Ohio State Buckeyes on the road last Sunday as center Hunter Dickinson came a rebound shy of a double-double as the team boasted 4 starters in double-figures. Defensively, Michigan uncharacteristically gave up over 50% shooting both from the field as well as from long-range to Ohio State; However, were also able to shine from the perimeter sinking 53% of their shots along with 48% of their treys. Michigan was able to cover as 1.5-point favorites and are 8-2 in their last 10.
Michigan has won 5 of their last 7 versus Iowa, including 4-straight at the Crisler Center. The Hawkeyes, on the other hand, possesses a slight advantage ATS covering in 6 of the last 10 meetings, including in their last outing January of last year as the Hawkeyes picked up a 7-point home win while covering as 5.5-favorites.
Hawkeyes face a tough, 2-game stretch
Iowa has racked up a ton of confidence since falling in 2-straight games to begin the month of February. They now find themselves with a record of 17-6 with huge matchups versus Michigan followed by Ohio State Buckeyes soon after, both on the road. However, before they get their crack at the Buckeyes, they must take care of business versus a Michigan team that endured a brief hiatus to begin February due to pandemic reasons, but, has hit the ground running winning 3-straight games.📖 Gameday programs are digital this year. #Hawkeyes
— Iowa Basketball (@IowaHoops) February 23, 2021
Check out this week's program: https://t.co/GWUPcv4LXB pic.twitter.com/JYZUkg8OH0
Garza (25 ppg, 9 rebs) has continued to assert his dominance both in the paint as well as on the perimeter for Iowa shooting 56% from the field along with 44% from long-range on the year. In fact, the center had another big night versus the Wolverines last January posting 33 points and 7 boards while making 11 of 13 free-throws. Joe Wieskamp (15 ppg, 7 rebs), who is coming off a double-double versus Penn State (11 points, 11 boards), also scored 20 points while going 3-5 from deep as the Hawkeyes shot over 50% from the field as well as from 3-point range in the 7-point home win.
Important to note that in his last visit to the Crisler Center, Garza finished with 44 points and 8 boards on 17-32 shooting while hitting 10 of 13 free-throws in a 12-point road loss. And while Iowa shot 47% as a team, Wieskamp struggled with just 7 points on 2-6 shooting.
Big matchup for Dickinson
The center posted 16 of his 22 points in the 2nd-half versus the Buckeyes while also being a force on the defensive end of the floor with 2 blocks along with a steal. Important to note that Dickinson (15 ppg, 7 rebs) has been a consistent threat on both ends of the floor for the Wolverines as he is shooting 64% from the field while also racking up a total of 11 blocks in his last 5 outings. This will be the freshman's 1st ever meetings versus the Hawkeyes, however, and it will certainly be interesting to see how he performs against Garza.Down by 2 points in the 4th quarter, @JonTeske's and-1 dunk through contact helped the Magic take the lead late in the game and hold on for the overtime win. @MountainDew Dunk of the Game pic.twitter.com/qVaWH4ZSyG
— Lakeland Magic (@LakelandMagic) February 22, 2021
Michigan will need solid performances from Isaiah Livers (14 ppg, 6 rebs) along with Eli Brooks (9 ppg), who are coming off 12 and 17 points, respectively versus Ohio State while accounting for 5 of the team's 11 treys. Important to add that both are shooting at least 38% from long-range on the season. In fact, Brooks nailed 5 3-pointers in his last matchup versus Iowa to lead the team with 25 points while Franz Wagner, despite going just 2-8 in this area, posted 18 points on 8-14 shooting.
Stats & Trends
- Hawkeyes are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games overall.
- Hawkeyes are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record.
- Hawkeyes are 3-6 ATS in last 9 games.
- Home team is 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings.
- Favorite is 10-4 ATS in the last 14 meetings.
- Wolverines are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games following a straight up win.
The Pick
The Wolverines have not only covered the number in 3 of their last 4 home meetings versus the Hawkeyes, but, in 4 of their last 5 games at the Crisler Center. And while Garza has been a beast for Iowa all season, the Wolverines are a perfect 11-0 at home while covering in all but 3 of those contests. Expect this contest to be an interesting one, however, the home team will rise in the end and cover the points.