Iowa City or Upset City?
Entering Friday night, Michigan’s men’s basketball team held an all-time record of 94-63 against Iowa. The Wolverines hadn't lost to the Hawkeyes since Jan. 1, 2017.
But after a poor shooting performance from the Wolverines, the Hawkeyes put a tally back in their win column and improved to 17-5 overall and 6-5 in the Big Ten.
Party on, @IowaHoops 🎉 pic.twitter.com/YOlXo37ST6
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) February 2, 2019
Led by stout defense and a highlight-filled night on offense, Iowa undid No. 5 Michigan on Friday night, topping the Wolverines in Iowa City, 74-59, in front of a sold-out crowd at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. It marks just the second loss of the season for Michigan (20-2, 9-2).
It's the first time since Jan. 14, 2016, that Iowa beat a team ranked inside the AP Top 5. Back then, it beat No. 4 Michigan State in East Lansing by 17 points.
Three Iowa players scored in double-digits, and sophomore forward Luka Garza did things like this on his way to 19 points.
Luka Garza throwin' it DOWNNN for @IowaHoops 😤 pic.twitter.com/hS3DCay0mY
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) February 2, 2019
THE BRACKET: Print the official 2019 March Madness bracket
And freshman guard Joe Wieskamp did things like this, en route to a performance that featured 16 points, seven rebounds and five steals.
It's still early, but we might be watching the "@JWieskamp21 Game." 😮
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) February 2, 2019
The freshman has been 🔥 in the first half for @IowaHoops. pic.twitter.com/Z7w0QgP0GN
IOWA-MICHIGAN: Stats and highlights from the Big Ten upset
In an off-the-bench effort, junior forward Ryan Kriener notched 15 points and 10 rebounds for his first career double-double.
The turning point in the game came at the 10 minute mark in the first half. Tied up 17-17, something got into the Hawkeyes and they went on a 23-10 run. During that stretch, the Wolverines misfired on a trio of three-point shots, missed two lay-ups and turned the ball over twice.
For the game, Michigan shot 32.3 percent from the floor and 24.2 percent from three-point range on 33 attempts. That shooting percentage is the worst Michigan has posted this season. The Wolverines also coughed up possession eight times and lost the rebounding battle, 48-36.
Michigan cut the deficit to 5 with 9:48 to play in second half, but never caught all the way up with Iowa.
For the Hawkeyes, the result snaps a two-game losing skid. The win was their fourth of the season against a team ranked in the AP Top 25. They had previously beaten No. 13 Oregon, No. 24 Nebraska and No. 16 Ohio State.
Iowa and Michigan don't meet again in the regular season, but could certainly see each other when the Big Ten tournament gets underway in Chicago in March.
Mitchell Northam is a graduate of Salisbury University. His work has been featured at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Orlando Sentinel, SB Nation, FanSided, USA Today and the Delmarva Daily Times. He grew up on Maryland's Eastern Shore and is now based in Durham, N.C.
