Iowa @ Michigan preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 15, 2019 ) Iowa 53, Michigan 74

No. 5 Michigan looks to bounce back from its first loss when it opens Big Ten play at home to Iowa on Friday. The Wolverines went from being unranked to the Top 5 following wins over seventh-ranked North Carolina and No. 9 Gonzaga en route to winning the Battle 4 Atlantis, but were held to their lowest point total in the 58-43 setback to the Cardinals.

"I trust that we will get better and this is a great development and transition leading into conference play," Michigan coach Juwan Howard told reporters. "The beauty of the game is that you get a chance to play again on Friday and we're chomping at the bit." Iowa rebounded from an 83-73 loss to San Diego State in the championship game of the Las Vegas Invitation by cruising past Syracuse 68-54 as part of the Big Ten/Atlantic Coast Conference Challenge on Tuesday. The Hawkeyes outscored the Orange 38-25 in the second half to earn their first-ever win at the Carrier Dome, and hope to knock off their second ranked opponent in three games by taking down Michigan in Ann Arbor for the first time since 2016. "You go on the road to win a game and now you go back on the road because that's what this level is," Iowa coach Fran McCaffery told reporters. "I was pleased with our ability to stay the course regardless of what happened."

TV: 6:30 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1

ABOUT IOWA (6-2): Luka Garza continued where he left off in the month of November as the junior center had a team-high 23 points and nine rebounds against Syracuse to record his fourth 20-point game of the season. Jordan Bohannon drained a season-high five 3-pointers en route to 17 points while Joe Wieskamp flirted with a double-double by registering 13 points and nine rebounds against the Orange. Iowa dressed only eight scholarship players as CJ Frederick (quad) and Cordell Pemsl (back) sat out with injuries and are questionable for Friday's clash.

ABOUT MICHIGAN (7-1): Jon Teske led the way with 18 points and 10 rebounds in the loss to Louisville to record his third double-double of the season and the 13th of his career. Zavier Simpson scored nine points and dished out three assists to become the fourth player in program history to surpass 500 assists for his career with 502. Isaiah Livers, who is averaging 15.3 points per game this season, was limited to a season-low three on 1-of-9 shooting from the floor while Eli Brooks missed all six of his attempts from the floor following a breakout performance at the Battle 4 Atlantis, as the Wolverines were held to 25.9 percent shooting as a team.

TIP-INS

1. Michigan has won its first four home games by an average margin of 20 points.

2. Simpson is second nationally in assists per game (8.9).

3. Garza leads all Big Ten players in scoring at 20 points per game.

PREDICTION: Michigan 76, Iowa 69