Rush The Court

Iowa ended a three-game losing streak on Thursday night when it efficiently took care of an undermanned Michigan team, 72-54. The Hawkeyes shot 62.7 percent from the field and managed a commanding 42-14 advantage on points in the paint. All five starters scored in double-figures, and they held the Wolverines to 40.4 percent from the floor. Here are some quick observations from the lopsided road win for Iowa:

1. Iowa’s Front Line Can be Dominant: Even with its full roster intact, Michigan’s strength does not come from its inside play. Injuries have limited the Wolverines’ depth, but give Iowa credit for taking full advantage of its better inside players. The Hawkeyes put on an offensive clinic last night, and it was spearheaded by junior center Adam Woodbury. The seven-footer is known primarily for offensive rebounding and for drawing the ire of Dan Dakich, but in this game, he displayed an excellent passing touch by dishing six assists to go along with 11 points and seven rebounds. Jarrod Uthoff and Aaron White also stepped up, combining to shoot 13-of-18 from the floor, proving that when Iowa plays inside-out, the Hawkeyes can be pretty good. Outside shooting is not a strength on this team, but Peter Jok and Mike Gesell can knock down open looks well enough to keep defenses honest. In several games this season, Iowa has looked like it has the worst offense in the league — this performance (1.38 points per possession), however, proves that they can do a lot better.
2. Michigan Has a Bright Future: While it’s hasty to completely discount Michigan’s NCAA Tournament hopes at this point, it doesn’t appear likely that the Wolverines will be back in the field of 68 this season. They are 6-5 in conference play but the back half of their schedule is brutal. But there are some positive signs as well. It looks like Aubrey Dawkins and Muhammad Ali Abdur-Rahkman are better than expected, and John Beilein only has one senior in the rotation. Even if he loses Caris LeVert to the NBA during the offseason, don’t expect Michigan to be down for long with the way the young guards and some of the others have developed this year.
3. Aaron White Technical Fouls? One subplot from last night’s game that was a tad unusual was that White picked up two technical fouls. He nabbed his first violation after taunting Ricky Doyle following a blocked shot. No less than a couple of minutes later, he received another technical foul for hanging on the rim after a dunk. In an odd technicality with the rules (apparently there are Class A and Class B technical fouls!), he wasn’t ejected from the game, but Michigan managed a 12-4 run with White sitting on the bench. Luckily it didn’t cost the Hawkeyes in this game, but the senior needs to be smarter even if both of the technical fouls called on him were somewhat weak.