Iowa attacked Michigan on the interior from the get-go , scoring inside on its first two possessions. U-M was up to the task offensively, however, getting off to a great start in making six of its first eight shots on the way to a 74-53 win.
The defense also caught up after a slow start, limiting the Hawkeyes to 36.2 percent shooting for the game.
It was a 17-12 Wolverine advantage at the first TV timeout, which didn’t come until 13:32 of the half due to the pace. Junior center Jon Teske scored six early points for U-M, four on passes from junior point guard Zavier Simpson. Simpson, frosh Ignas Brazdeikis and sophomore shooting guard Jordan Poole all hit their first triples, a sign that Michigan’s offense might be in for a good day.
The Hawkeyes also hit six of their first eight shots, but no triples against U-M’s swarming perimeter defense. They countered with a zone on the other end, and Michigan missed six straight shots, many in and out, to allow the Hawkeyes to stay close. U-M also missed three of four free throws, two from Brazdeikis and one from Matthews.
The Wolverines finally busted the zone when sophomore Eli Brooks nailed a triple, a sign of things to come. U-M expanded the lead to 25-21 on a finish by sophomore Isaiah Livers and a driving hook by Simpson, but the Hawkeyes continued to hang around. Tyler Cook continued to drive and finish against Teske … he’d finish the half with eight points.
Livers continued to get it done for the Wolverines. He hit a pair of midrange jumpers, and when Matthews hit his first triple from the wing, Iowa was forced to call timeout at 3:22 down 34-23.
Michigan was shooting 52 percent from the floor at that point, and 41.7 percent (five of 12) from three-point range.
Iowa was then forced to come out of its zone. It didn’t matter for Livers, who hit his fourth shot — a triple. Simpson made it 40-27 at the half with another three from the top of the key.
Livers led the Wolverines with nine first half points, while Simpson and Teske added eight each. U-M had only one turnover to Iowa’s seven and notched 13 assists on 15 made buckets.
SECOND HALF
Iowa scored the first three points of the second half on free throws, but Poole countered with a four-point play.
The Wolverines picked up five ticky-tack fouls in the first two and a half minutes of the stanza, two by Matthews that sent him to the bench. U-M still led by 14, however, when Brazdeikis tripled from the corner.
Brooks’ second three-pointer made it a 17-point game, 50-33, and the Wolverines were rolling. It was 53-35 when Brazdeikis completed a three-point play on a great pass from Simpson.
They didn’t let up. Simpson found Teske inside for a dunk and finished a one-handed hook shot of his own in transition to make it 59-35, forcing a Hawkeyes timeout. It was 61-37 at 11:51. The Wolverines were shooting 61.5 percent in the second half to that point, and they had an astonishing 21 assists on 23 made buckets.
The Hawkeyes, meanwhile, were 0-for-10 from three-point range. They'd finish 1-of-14, and that was a banked-in three at garbage time.
Iowa was in the double bonus with eight minutes to play, but the Wolverines were still in command, up 65-44 at 7:23. They continued to pour it on, Brazdeikis finishing another three-point play at 4:25 to give U-M its biggest lead, 72-46. They coasted from there into Saturday's semifinal against Minnesota, a 75-73 upset winner over Purdue.
Brazdeikis notched 15 points, Livers 13 and Teske 12. Simpson registered 10 points and 11 assists in Michigan's record ninth straight Big Ten Tournament win.
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