ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan Wolverines basketball handled Iowa Thursday night at Crisler, 79-57, and improved to 17-1 overall and 12-1 in Big Ten play.
Here are five takeaways from the game.
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Player Of The Game: Franz Wagner
Michigan sophomore wing Franz Wagner put on a show, saying afterwards that some of the talking the Hawkeyes did in a win in Iowa City gave he and his teammates just a little extra motivation.
Wagner took over the game in the second half, scoring nine quick points in the first four minutes. He finished with 13 in the half and a game-high 21 on the night, while shooting 9-for-12 from the field and 2-for-3 from long range.
Part of what makes Michigan's offense, which ranks sixth nationally in Kenpom's offensive efficiency ratings, special is the balance. There's a plethora of options, and any number of them can go off at any moment. But when it's Wagner's night in particular, that makes the Wolverines' scoring attack all the more potent. He's averaging 14.5 points and 3.3 assists per game over his last six, and is heating up at the right time of the year.
"When Franz is aggressive and locked in, we’re the best team in the country," senior forward Isaiah Livers said.
Wagner not only found his own shot, but was distributing for others once he became the focal point of the defense, slicing and dicing his way through whatever look the Hawkeyes threw at him and getting into the lane at will. His three second-half assists four for the game) were key, and made Michigan's offense virtually unstoppable.
Another Big Second Half Run
Michigan outscored Iowa by 19 points, 47-28, in the second half to run away with the victory.
Putting together impressive second-half performances has become a trend for this club, with the Wolverines outpacing their opponents by 8.5 points after halftime in wins and 7.4 for the year. A team has scored more points than Michigan in the second half just three times (Penn State, Minnesota and Rutgers).
Michigan was shooting over 50 percent from the field and coming into the game, but made just 40 percent of its first-half shots, missing bunnies at the rim and a few open jumpers against the Hawkeyes' suspect defense that ranked 75th in the country entering the night. But the Wolverines progressed towards the mean in the second half, making 54.2 percent of its shots, including 5-of-9 from three-point range. The defense held the Hawkeyes to 9-of-30 (30 percent) shooting and 2-of-9 (22.2 percent) from deep.
