Iowa might have been hoping for a cliffhanger, at the very least.
Instead, it got shoved off a cliff.
John Beilein’s crew showed as much mercy as a hawk does a field mouse, crushing the Hawkeyes in the Wolverines’ Big Ten Tournament opener, 74-53.
It was just what Dr. Beilein ordered, following a couple of unnerving losses down the stretch of the regular season. This is tournament time. Michigan’s time.
The Hawkeyes just happened to be in the way.
“It’s tournament time,” assured junior point guard Zavier Simpson. “We owe anybody. Everything’s out the window, everyone’s 0-0, it’s a new beginning. We have an opportunity to present ourselves.”
They presented themselves as the hammer to Iowa’s nail, a stunning turnaround from a 15-point loss at Iowa earlier in the year. They entered the United Center with an interesting perspective, gained during a week of practice leading up to the Chicago sojourn.
“We know the season is going to be over in a few weeks, regardless of the outcome,” sophomore guard Jordan Poole said. “It’s in our minds just to have fun. Have fun playing basketball and being around these guys. When we put that into our minds this past week, it just shows the potential we have.
“There’s so much on the line. You lose and you’re done. We’re out there playing harder than ever, and having fun.”
There aren’t any guarantees here, especially on a neutral — and unfamiliar — court. The No. 2 seed (Purdue) and the No. 5 seed (Maryland) had already packed their bags by the time the Wolverines tipped off against Iowa.
At the start, the Hawkeyes made it clear they weren’t approaching this one in awe of the Big Ten runners-up. And why should they? They handled Michigan more convincingly (74-59) than anyone had all season long.
At the same time, this wasn’t Feb. 1, and this wasn’t Iowa City.
“I couldn’t wait to see Iowa again,” sophomore forward Isaiah Livers insisted. “That feeling as we were leaving Iowa City … they stormed the court on us, and we deserved it. We played very bad. It was a good test for us to get back out there and show the world we’re still here.”
In that one, junior center Jon Teske played 13 minutes before fouling out. In this one, he scored eight, grabbed four rebounds and blocked a pair of shots in the first half alone, on his way to 12 points and 10 boards.
He surrendered some early buckets via borderline excessive carefulness. But he planned to be around at the end — like Michigan this weekend.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Teske confirmed. “It’s a special time of year, and when you’re winning, it’s a lot of fun. Me, Charles [Matthews], X [Simpson] — we haven’t lost the last two years [in the Big Ten Tournament]. We want to keep it going with the younger guys. We wanted to show them the ropes tonight, and that’s what we did.”
They’ve got some record-breaking rope burns now, with a ninth consecutive win in the Big Ten Tournament — unmatched in the 22 years of this conference soiree.
Livers came out on fire, hitting four of his first five shots. Simpson nailed his two first-half three-point attempts, and Beilein’s crew turned it over one time in the opening 20 minutes.
They raced off with a 40-27 halftime edge, ready to bury the Hawkeyes like an Iowa blizzard buries corn stubble.
They did so, despite getting whistled for five fouls in the opening 2:09 of the second half.
Poole (11 points) scorched the net on a three, getting knocked to the floor in the process and turning it into a four-point play. Freshman forward Iggy Brazdeikis [15 points] joined the fun, bulling in for a three-point play and flexing — for emphasis.
“I was excited,” the Jalen Rose of Lithuania said. “I got three and-ones in the second half, so I was like, screw it, I’m going to let them know about it. I love doing that. That motivates me, and gets the fans going a little bit. It’s a blast.”
It was a blast for everyone — the back-from-injury Matthews, “Zone Buster” Livers (13 points, five rebounds) Simpson (10 points, 11 assists). Everyone, that is, except the Hawkeyes, who went 1-for-16 from three-point range and didn’t crack the 50-point barrier until the final minute.
The Wolverines just kept pouring it on, running out to a 59-35 lead at the 13:44 mark. Iowa City is 221 miles away from Chicago, but it might as well have been 221,000.
“We’ve got to be the hunters,” Brazdeikis stressed. “We can’t be the ones being hunted. We’ve got to be the hungry team, every time we step out there, and we’ve got to kill. We’ve got to put our foot on their throat and not let go.”
The Hawkeyes will still be wiping off the footprints in the morning. Meanwhile, the Wolverines are turning the page to their favorite time of year.
“That’s just Coach B,” Livers said. “His teams always blossom in late March, early April. That’s just how Coach B. teams are. Everybody is playing great right now. It’s March.”
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