Tip Time Preview
Conner McCaffery and the Hawkeyes look to knock off Zavier Simpson and the Wolverines.
Tom Kakert • HawkeyeReport
Publisher
@hawkeyereport
IOWA (6-2) vs. MICHIGAN (7-1)
TIME: 5:30 p.m.
TV: FS1 – Tim Brando and Jimmy Jackson on the call.
SERIES:
THE LINE: Michigan is an 8 point favorite.
THE NUMBERS
OFFENSE: – MICHIGAN – 77.5 PPG, 49.6% FG, 39.7% 3 PT FG, IOWA – 79.1 PPG, 44.7% FG, 34.9% 3 PT FG.
DEFENSE: – MICHIGAN – 65.0 PPG, 40.2% FG, 29.1% 3 PT FG. IOWA – 69.0 PPG, 42.7% FG, 32.6% 3 PT FG.
THE LINEUPS
MICHIGAN
6-0 guard Zavier Simpson – 11.9 points and 8.9 assists per game
6-1 guard Eli Brooks – 11.5 points and 3.1 rebounds per game
6-7 forward Isaiah Livers – 15.3 points and 3.3 rebounds per game
6-9 forward Franz Wagner – 6.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game
7-1 center Jon Teske – 13.9 points and 9.8 rebounds per game
IOWA
6-5 guard Connor McCaffery – 7.1 points and 4.8 assists per game
6-3 guard C.J. Fredrick – 11.1 points and 1.9 rebounds per game
6-6 guard Joe Wieskamp – 11.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per game
6-1 guard Jordan Bohannon – 9.7 points and 1.0 rebounds per game
6-11 center Luka Garza – 20.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game
PLAYER TO WATCH – Zavier Simpson – On a national level, Simpson probably doesn’t get the recognition that he deserves. The veteran point guard is an assist machine for the Wolverines, averaging nearly 9 per game so far this season. And he has a deadly hook shot floater that he uses when he goes to the basket. Last year against Iowa he dished out 18 assists, including 11 in the Big Ten Tournament, and had only 4 turnovers total. He’s the guy that really drives this Michigan team and will be the key for Iowa to try and figure out a way to stop.
KEY MATCHUP – Luka Garza vs. Jon Teske – This will be the first time this season where Luka Garza will have to actually look up at an opposing post player when he faces Teske from Michigan. Last year, Teske was one of the most improved players in the Big Ten and he’s continued that trajectory this season. Garza played well against Teske last year, scoring 19 and 14 points. Meanwhile, Teske played well in the second meeting the Big Ten Tournament where he scored 12 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
STATS AND NOTES
This is the season opener for both Iowa and Michigan in Big Ten play.
Michigan jumped from unranked to #4 in the country this week after winning the Battle for Atlantis. The Wolverines suffered their first loss of the season on Tuesday at Louisville.
Starting forward Jack Nunge tore his ACL at the end of the first half in the win over Cal Poly. He will be sidelined for the remainder of the 2019-20 season. Nunge was averaging 6.0 points and 4.6 rebounds coming off a redshirt season last year.
Iowa has won 20 or more games in five of the last seven seasons and finished in the upper half of the Big Ten in six of the last seven seasons.
KemPom.com rates Iowa as the 39th best team in college basketball. Michigan is rated by KenPom.com as the 13th best team in college basketball. KenPom.com projects Michigan to win this game 76-69.
Jordan Bohannon is the Hawkeyes all-time leader in three point field goals made with 279. He is also 6th on the all-time assist list with 488, passing Ronnie Lester with his six assists on Thursday against Texas Tech. Bohannon has led the Big Ten in free throw percentage made the last two years.
Luka Garza joined Aaron White, Jess Settles, and Tyler Cook as the only Iowa players to total 800 points and 350 rebounds in their first two years with the Hawkeyes. Garza has scored 973 points and pulled down 434 rebounds in his career. Garza is on the preseason Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award Watch list, which recognizes the top center in college basketball.
Joe Wieskamp was one of ten players selected to the All Big Ten preseason team. Last season he was named to the All Freshman team in the league, averaging 11.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. Wieskamp is on the preseason Jerry West Award Watch List, which recognizes the top shooting guard in college basketball.
Coming off a redshirt season, C.J. Fredrick has moved into the starting lineup. He had a career best 21 points last Sunday in Iowa’s win over Cal Poly. He also made the All Tournament team at the Las Vegas event this past weekend. Fredrick missed Iowa’s last game with a quad injury, but is expected to play on Friday night.
Cordell Pemsl is questionable for Friday’s game with a back issue. He did not play on Tuesday at Syracuse.
Iowa is 2-1 this season in games played on Friday. They are 23-12 in the McCaffery era on Friday night games. Iowa is 1-2 this season in games played on FS1. Iowa is 7-7 in games on FS1 during the McCaffery era.
THE PICK
We are into year three of the Big Ten playing games in early December and it still feels kind of strange. Growing up watching Big Ten hoops, you never really thought about conference games until January. Those days are gone now that the league is playing 20 conference games.
Last year Iowa drew Wisconsin and Michigan State and started out 0-2 and had to dig out of that hole. This year it’s Michigan and Minnesota and we will see how that turns out on Friday and then on Monday.
Michigan has kind of been one of the surprises this season in the country. They lost three starters to the NBA and then their head coach departed to coach the Cleveland Cavs. In steps new coach Juwan Howard to lead the program and he had zero head coaching experience. Howard made a smart hire in former St. Joeseph’s head coach Phil Martelli, who brings decades of experience to the bench.
So far, that has worked very well for the Wolverines. They swept through a loaded field in the Battle for Atlantis, beating Iowa State, North Carolina, and Gonzaga and jumped to 4th in the national rankings. However, on Tuesday night they suffered their first loss of the season on the road at #1 Louisville.
Iowa had a very nice win on Tuesday night over Syracuse. While the Orange aren’t very good this year, the Hawkeyes were playing short-handed without starting guard C.J. Fredrick and one of their top reserves, Cordell Pemsl. Fredrick will be back in the starting lineup, while Pemsl’s status remains up in the air.
The Hawkeyes will have to play their best game of the year on Friday night if they are going to get out of Ann Arbor with a victory. What are some of the keys for Iowa if they want to get the win?
First, the top three players all need to play well. That means the Hawkeyes need big games from Garza, Wieskamp, and Bohannon. If Iowa can get two of those three going they have a shot. If all three play well, then they have a great shot at pulling the surprise. It’s going to be very important for Garza to stay on the floor as much as possible. With Pemsl’s status still up in the air, Iowa is extremely thin up front, so both he and Ryan Kriener have to limit their fouls. By the way, in Iowa’s win last year at home over Michigan, Kriener scored 15 points and Iowa will need offense from him in this game.
Second, Iowa really have to focus on the defensive end of the floor. In the win last year, Iowa held the Wolverines to just 32% shooting for the game. When Michigan won on a neutral floor, they shot 45% and made 10 three point field goals. The Hawkeyes need to keep their field goal percentage in the 30’s to have a shot.
Lastly, Iowa is going to have to manage their minutes and the flow of the game. Four Iowa players ended up playing 36 minutes on Tuesday night at Syracuse, so after playing two games in Las Vegas and the game against the Orange, you have to worry about fatigue and runs. Fran McCaffery is going to have to manage the bench and probably burn some time outs if Michigan gets on a run.
I like the fight that this Iowa team has shown in the last week or so. Since playing poorly against DePaul, this team has played some really good basketball. But, this also feels like a really tough spot with Iowa traveling again and Michigan probably stinging a bit from their first loss of the season. MICHIGAN 77 IOWA 68
Conner McCaffery and the Hawkeyes look to knock off Zavier Simpson and the Wolverines.
Tom Kakert • HawkeyeReport
Publisher
@hawkeyereport
IOWA (6-2) vs. MICHIGAN (7-1)
TIME: 5:30 p.m.
TV: FS1 – Tim Brando and Jimmy Jackson on the call.
SERIES:
THE LINE: Michigan is an 8 point favorite.
THE NUMBERS
OFFENSE: – MICHIGAN – 77.5 PPG, 49.6% FG, 39.7% 3 PT FG, IOWA – 79.1 PPG, 44.7% FG, 34.9% 3 PT FG.
DEFENSE: – MICHIGAN – 65.0 PPG, 40.2% FG, 29.1% 3 PT FG. IOWA – 69.0 PPG, 42.7% FG, 32.6% 3 PT FG.
THE LINEUPS
MICHIGAN
6-0 guard Zavier Simpson – 11.9 points and 8.9 assists per game
6-1 guard Eli Brooks – 11.5 points and 3.1 rebounds per game
6-7 forward Isaiah Livers – 15.3 points and 3.3 rebounds per game
6-9 forward Franz Wagner – 6.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game
7-1 center Jon Teske – 13.9 points and 9.8 rebounds per game
IOWA
6-5 guard Connor McCaffery – 7.1 points and 4.8 assists per game
6-3 guard C.J. Fredrick – 11.1 points and 1.9 rebounds per game
6-6 guard Joe Wieskamp – 11.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per game
6-1 guard Jordan Bohannon – 9.7 points and 1.0 rebounds per game
6-11 center Luka Garza – 20.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game
PLAYER TO WATCH – Zavier Simpson – On a national level, Simpson probably doesn’t get the recognition that he deserves. The veteran point guard is an assist machine for the Wolverines, averaging nearly 9 per game so far this season. And he has a deadly hook shot floater that he uses when he goes to the basket. Last year against Iowa he dished out 18 assists, including 11 in the Big Ten Tournament, and had only 4 turnovers total. He’s the guy that really drives this Michigan team and will be the key for Iowa to try and figure out a way to stop.
KEY MATCHUP – Luka Garza vs. Jon Teske – This will be the first time this season where Luka Garza will have to actually look up at an opposing post player when he faces Teske from Michigan. Last year, Teske was one of the most improved players in the Big Ten and he’s continued that trajectory this season. Garza played well against Teske last year, scoring 19 and 14 points. Meanwhile, Teske played well in the second meeting the Big Ten Tournament where he scored 12 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
STATS AND NOTES
This is the season opener for both Iowa and Michigan in Big Ten play.
Michigan jumped from unranked to #4 in the country this week after winning the Battle for Atlantis. The Wolverines suffered their first loss of the season on Tuesday at Louisville.
Starting forward Jack Nunge tore his ACL at the end of the first half in the win over Cal Poly. He will be sidelined for the remainder of the 2019-20 season. Nunge was averaging 6.0 points and 4.6 rebounds coming off a redshirt season last year.
Iowa has won 20 or more games in five of the last seven seasons and finished in the upper half of the Big Ten in six of the last seven seasons.
KemPom.com rates Iowa as the 39th best team in college basketball. Michigan is rated by KenPom.com as the 13th best team in college basketball. KenPom.com projects Michigan to win this game 76-69.
Jordan Bohannon is the Hawkeyes all-time leader in three point field goals made with 279. He is also 6th on the all-time assist list with 488, passing Ronnie Lester with his six assists on Thursday against Texas Tech. Bohannon has led the Big Ten in free throw percentage made the last two years.
Luka Garza joined Aaron White, Jess Settles, and Tyler Cook as the only Iowa players to total 800 points and 350 rebounds in their first two years with the Hawkeyes. Garza has scored 973 points and pulled down 434 rebounds in his career. Garza is on the preseason Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award Watch list, which recognizes the top center in college basketball.
Joe Wieskamp was one of ten players selected to the All Big Ten preseason team. Last season he was named to the All Freshman team in the league, averaging 11.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. Wieskamp is on the preseason Jerry West Award Watch List, which recognizes the top shooting guard in college basketball.
Coming off a redshirt season, C.J. Fredrick has moved into the starting lineup. He had a career best 21 points last Sunday in Iowa’s win over Cal Poly. He also made the All Tournament team at the Las Vegas event this past weekend. Fredrick missed Iowa’s last game with a quad injury, but is expected to play on Friday night.
Cordell Pemsl is questionable for Friday’s game with a back issue. He did not play on Tuesday at Syracuse.
Iowa is 2-1 this season in games played on Friday. They are 23-12 in the McCaffery era on Friday night games. Iowa is 1-2 this season in games played on FS1. Iowa is 7-7 in games on FS1 during the McCaffery era.
THE PICK
We are into year three of the Big Ten playing games in early December and it still feels kind of strange. Growing up watching Big Ten hoops, you never really thought about conference games until January. Those days are gone now that the league is playing 20 conference games.
Last year Iowa drew Wisconsin and Michigan State and started out 0-2 and had to dig out of that hole. This year it’s Michigan and Minnesota and we will see how that turns out on Friday and then on Monday.
Michigan has kind of been one of the surprises this season in the country. They lost three starters to the NBA and then their head coach departed to coach the Cleveland Cavs. In steps new coach Juwan Howard to lead the program and he had zero head coaching experience. Howard made a smart hire in former St. Joeseph’s head coach Phil Martelli, who brings decades of experience to the bench.
So far, that has worked very well for the Wolverines. They swept through a loaded field in the Battle for Atlantis, beating Iowa State, North Carolina, and Gonzaga and jumped to 4th in the national rankings. However, on Tuesday night they suffered their first loss of the season on the road at #1 Louisville.
Iowa had a very nice win on Tuesday night over Syracuse. While the Orange aren’t very good this year, the Hawkeyes were playing short-handed without starting guard C.J. Fredrick and one of their top reserves, Cordell Pemsl. Fredrick will be back in the starting lineup, while Pemsl’s status remains up in the air.
The Hawkeyes will have to play their best game of the year on Friday night if they are going to get out of Ann Arbor with a victory. What are some of the keys for Iowa if they want to get the win?
First, the top three players all need to play well. That means the Hawkeyes need big games from Garza, Wieskamp, and Bohannon. If Iowa can get two of those three going they have a shot. If all three play well, then they have a great shot at pulling the surprise. It’s going to be very important for Garza to stay on the floor as much as possible. With Pemsl’s status still up in the air, Iowa is extremely thin up front, so both he and Ryan Kriener have to limit their fouls. By the way, in Iowa’s win last year at home over Michigan, Kriener scored 15 points and Iowa will need offense from him in this game.
Second, Iowa really have to focus on the defensive end of the floor. In the win last year, Iowa held the Wolverines to just 32% shooting for the game. When Michigan won on a neutral floor, they shot 45% and made 10 three point field goals. The Hawkeyes need to keep their field goal percentage in the 30’s to have a shot.
Lastly, Iowa is going to have to manage their minutes and the flow of the game. Four Iowa players ended up playing 36 minutes on Tuesday night at Syracuse, so after playing two games in Las Vegas and the game against the Orange, you have to worry about fatigue and runs. Fran McCaffery is going to have to manage the bench and probably burn some time outs if Michigan gets on a run.
I like the fight that this Iowa team has shown in the last week or so. Since playing poorly against DePaul, this team has played some really good basketball. But, this also feels like a really tough spot with Iowa traveling again and Michigan probably stinging a bit from their first loss of the season. MICHIGAN 77 IOWA 68
