Michigan basketball returns to consistent inconsistency with 82-71 loss to Iowa
As its season teetered, the question haunted Michigan basketball for the better part of three months. Media members repeatedly lobbed the inquiry at head coach Juwan Howard, at his assistant coaches, at his players before and after nearly every game.
They wondered how this group of Wolverines — once ranked in the top 10 and selected as preseason favorites to win the Big Ten — could find consistency so hard to achieve. How was it possible that a team with an All-American candidate in Hunter Dickinson, a coveted graduate transfer in DeVante’ Jones, an established leader in Eli Brooks and the No. 3 recruiting class in the country could string together consecutive wins just twice in league play?
It's a mystery Michigan was unable to solve in an 82-71 loss to No. 25 Iowa on Senior Night at Crisler Center. The Wolverines have alternated wins and losses for seven consecutive games to put their postseason hopes in serious jeopardy with only the regular season finale remaining. At 16-13, and 10-9 in the Big Ten, their résumé is far from impressive.
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Keegan Murray and Jordan Bohannon combined to score 44 points and make nine 3-pointers for an Iowa team that ambushed Michigan from the start. The Hawkeyes built a 17-point halftime lead and were little more than lightly threatened in the final minutes of a wire-to-wire victory.
Hunter Dickinson scored 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Eli Brooks scored 17 points in what could be his last game in Ann Arbor.
The evening felt somewhat off-kilter from the start as Michigan celebrated its seniors without its head coach, who has one game left on a five-game suspension. One by one, the six honorees made their way from the tunnel across the baseline and toward the U-M bench, where teammates greeted them for individual embraces. At the end of the line were the program’s remaining coaches, and a hug with associate head coach Phil Martelli marked the end of the procession.
It's hard to imagine what Brooks was feeling with his storied career nearing a conclusion. He has won more games than any player in program history and returned to Ann Arbor for a fifth season to pursue another Big Ten title — and more. That Michigan might not achieve any of those goals is no fault of his.
Even Thursday night, as the Wolverines limped through another dreadful defensive performance, Brooks did everything he could to will U-M toward a better result. He made seven of his first 11 shots by blending his classic floaters with gutsy perimeter shooting whenever the Hawkeyes began to make a run. Imagining how this season would have unfolded if Brooks declined to use his final year of eligibility is a gruesome exercise.
But Brooks alone was powerless in fixing the defensive issues that plagued U-M for much of the season, especially in the last few games. Improved offensive displays against Illinois and Michigan State shrouded unsightly second halves in which the Illini shot 70.8% from the field and the Spartans managed 51.2%, even in defeat.
The Hawkeyes entered the game ranked sixth nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency and opened with a sizzling display. They made eight of their first 12 shots as Murray buried three consecutive 3-pointers to the chagrin of a sparse crowd. When Murray moved to the interior, he scored over any defender Michigan threw his way: Moussa Diabate, Terrance Williams II and Brandon Johns Jr.
By halftime, Murray had scored 15 points as the Hawkeyes built a 17-point lead. They shot 7-for-10 from beyond the arc and 60% from the field.
Their lead never dipped below seven for the remainder of the game.
Contact Michael Cohen at mcohen@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @Michael_Cohen13.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan basketball returns to inconsistency with 82-71 loss to Iowa
