Halftime Report

Only one more half stands between Michigan and the win they were favored to collect coming into this afternoon. A victory is still up for grabs for either team after one quarter, but Michigan is up 40-37 over Iowa.

Michigan entered the game having won six straight and they're just one half away from another. Will they make it seven, or will Iowa step up and spoil it? We'll know soon.

Who's Playing

Iowa Hawkeyes @ Michigan Wolverines

Current Records: Iowa 7-1, Michigan 7-1

How To Watch

What to Know

Iowa and Michigan are an even 5-5 against one another since February of 2019, but not for long. Both will face off in a Big Ten battle at 2:00 p.m. ET on Saturday at Crisler Center. The Hawkeyes are strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 86.5 points per game this season.

Last Tuesday, Iowa skirted by Northwestern 80-79 thanks to a clutch jump shot from Josh Dix with but a second left in the second quarter. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Hawkeyes.

Iowa got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Dix out in front who went 9 for 16 en route to 22 points plus six rebounds. Dix is trending in the right direction considering he's improved his point production for three straight games. The team also got some help courtesy of Payton Sandfort, who had 20 points plus seven rebounds.

Meanwhile, Michigan had already won five in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 19.8 points) and they went ahead and made it six on Tuesday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against the Badgers , sneaking past 67-64. The 67-point effort marked the Wolverines' lowest-scoring match of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.

Michigan can attribute much of their success to Danny Wolf, who went 7 for 11 en route to 20 points plus seven rebounds and five assists, and Vladislav Goldin, who went 9 for 16 en route to 24 points plus five rebounds and three blocks. Goldin has been hot recently, having posted two or more blocks the last four times he's played.

Iowa pushed their record up to 7-1 with the win, which was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season. As for Michigan, their victory ended a nine-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 7-1.

Saturday's matchup is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Iowa has been dynamite from deep this season, having drained 37.4% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Michigan struggles in that department as they've drained 36.7% of their threes this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.

Iowa is hoping to beat the odds on Saturday, as the experts think they're headed for a loss. This will be their first time playing as the underdogs on the road this season.

Odds

Michigan is a big 9-point favorite against Iowa, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The line has drifted a bit towards the Wolverines, as the game opened with the Wolverines as a 7.5-point favorite.


The over/under is 158.5 points.

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Series History

Michigan and Iowa both have 5 wins in their last 10 games.

  • Jan 27, 2024 - Iowa 88 vs. Michigan 78
  • Dec 10, 2023 - Michigan 90 vs. Iowa 80
  • Jan 12, 2023 - Iowa 93 vs. Michigan 84
  • Mar 03, 2022 - Iowa 82 vs. Michigan 71
  • Feb 17, 2022 - Michigan 84 vs. Iowa 79
  • Feb 25, 2021 - Michigan 79 vs. Iowa 57
  • Jan 17, 2020 - Iowa 90 vs. Michigan 83
  • Dec 06, 2019 - Michigan 103 vs. Iowa 91
  • Mar 15, 2019 - Michigan 74 vs. Iowa 53
  • Feb 01, 2019 - Iowa 74 vs. Michigan 59