At the Buzzer: Michigan 71, Iowa 68

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Rapid reaction to Michigan’s 71-68 win at Iowa.

THE MOMENT

Back-to-back stops for senior guard Roddy Gayle Jr. — a block and a steal — as No. 3 Michigan clung to life up two points in the final 30 seconds of the game. 

Gayle elevated to stuff Iowa forward Cam Manyawu on a putback attempt. And after the Hawkeyes got the ball right back thanks to sophomore forward Morez Johnson Jr. travelling on the inbound, Gayle poked the ball free from guard Tavion Banks on his dribble drive. Maybe, just maybe, Gayle can emulate his last March success.

The next couple of times, the Wolverines inbounded it and made their shots from the line to seal it as a Bennett Stirtz potential three to tie hit the rim at the horn.

THE TAKEAWAY

This wasn’t Michigan’s best game by any stretch of the imagination. But it’s also the least important game the Wolverines will play in the month of March. Beating Iowa, Michigan became the first team in 50 years to go undefeated on the road in the Big Ten — a cool record but nothing that changes the Wolverines’ seeding in the conference or NCAA Tournament. 

Hawkeyes guard Bennett Stirtz had a few moments of brilliance, and turnovers certainly hurt Michigan early, but the Wolverines were ultimately able to outlast an Iowa team that’s been hyper volatile over the last month.

The most important aspect of this game for Michigan’s near future was undoubtedly seeing how different lineups performed with junior guard Elliot Cadeau on the bench and in the wake of sophomore L.J. Cason’s ACL tear at Illinois. The Wolverines’ lack of a backup point guard wasn’t the reason Iowa was able to keep it close — turnovers were mostly why — but there was still a clear drop off without Cadeau on the court.

Cadeau appeared to pick up his second foul with over eight minutes to go in the first half, but the Wolverines were spared from a long stretch without him when the foul was changed to be on sophomore forward Morez Johnson Jr. Over 30 minutes, Cadeau was +12 on the night.

Graduate forward Yaxel Lendeborg notably played a heavier on-ball role, especially when Cadeau sat. Lendeborg also played 36 minutes, but that’s been a common theme in all of Michigan’s dogfights this year. Guards graduate Nimari Burnett, senior Roddy Gayle Jr., and freshman Trey McKenney all played mostly off-ball, as it’s probably too much for them to change roles drastically at this point in the season.

The turnovers the Hawkeyes forced on the Wolverines’ dribble drives were arguably more concerning than how they tried to replace Cason’s minutes. From many angles, this wasn’t pretty for Michigan. Luckily for them, judgment day isn’t March 5 in Carver Hawkeye Arena.

THE PLAYER

In a likely preview of what Dusty May will do in tight postseason games, Michigan rode Lendeborg for nearly the entire 40 minutes. Lendeborg played more on-ball in the Cadeau-less minutes, and facilitated it well — not committing any of the turnovers, which were the Wolverines’ biggest disappointment Thursday.

Lendeborg had an oddly low shot volume, but still scored 16 points on a 4-for-6 clip and had some great drives to the paint. Lendeborg was great defensively with one steal and one block — not including his first-half chasedown that didn’t get recorded.

There’s going to be a postseason game soon, or multiple, in which Michigan lives or dies by Lendeborg’s hand. Thursday’s game felt like some foreshadowing.

THE STAT

Seventeen turnovers at a 28% rate is ugly even when considering how proficient the Hawkeyes are at forcing them. Several were unforced, including a travel by junior center Aday Mara in a four-point game with under three minutes to go.

Most of those turnovers were in the first 10 minutes of the game, so the Wolverines definitely cleaned it up as the game went on — and the Hawkeyes were able to keep the second half close for many other reasons. Still, those turnovers are quite the blemish on the stat sheet.

FOUR FACTORS