After spending an unreasonable chunk of the early season on the road, Iowa basketball can finally unpack its bags. The Hawkeyes kick off the first of a three-game homestand on Friday when they play host to the 19th ranked Michigan Wolverines. This is the second matchup between the two squads, as Michigan defeated Iowa in a 103-91 shootout in Ann Arbor on December 6th.
Iowa and Michigan are both very different teams than they were during their first meeting despite the recency of that contest. Both teams have suffered serious injuries to important contributors, with Iowa being forced to play without Jordan Bohannon for the remainder of the season while Michigan has been without star forward Isaiah Livers for the past four games (Livers has not been officially ruled out against Iowa, but with head coach Juwan Howard saying he’s, “praying day to day” for his recovery, the prognosis doesn’t sound great).