Or: Tim’s foray into tempo-free statistics.
Michigan takes on conference foe Iowa tomorrow morning at 11:30 in Crisler Arena (10:30AM in Iowa City – how’s that for an advantage?). The game can be seen on Big Ten Network.
Tempo-Free and efficiency comparison (if you need an explanation of what any of these things mean, head to KenPom’s website):
| Michigan v. Iowa: National Ranks | Category | Michigan | Iowa | Advantage |
| Mich eFG% v. Iowa eFG% D | 80 | 84 | – |
| Mich eFG% D v. Iowa eFG% | 98 | 4(!) | I |
| Mich TO% v. Iowa Def TO% | 3(!) | 197 | MM |
| Mich Def TO% v. Iowa TO% | 181 | 132 | I |
| Mich OReb% v. Iowa DReb% | 261 | 128 | II |
| Mich DReb% v. Iowa OReb% | 199 | 282 | M |
| Mich FTR v. Iowa Opp FTR | 179 | 185 | – |
| Mich Opp FTR v. Iowa FTR | 10 | 96 | M |
| Mich AdjO v. Iowa AdjD | 33 | 88 | M |
| Mich AdjD v. Iowa AdjO | 177 | 40 | II |
Differences of more than 100 places in the rankings garner two-letter advantages, differences of more than 200 get a third.
On paper, this looks to be a very tough game for Michigan. Each team shoots a lot of threes, though Iowa makes many more of them. After a horrific outing at Indiana, most of the Wolverines’ offensive stats have gotten slightly worse. Surprisingly given the first half against the Hoosiers, the defensive rankings have actually gotten better. Looking at the gameplans, Michigan’s offensive performance will be reliant on their ability to make shots. Given their struggles against Indiana, this may be no easy feat. However, the Hawkeyes, like the Wolverines, field a very short team – and that was before Cyrus Tate hurt himself playing against Minnesota on Thursday. Perhaps the Manny Harris method of getting to the basket will be a little more effective, and he’ll be able to draw a foul or two (and actually get them called, for once). Iowa’s lack of size (and 3-point-heavy style) is evidenced by the fact that Michigan actually has a fairly sizeable advantage in rebounding the Hawkeyes’ misses. Iowa will make plenty of those shots though, and Michigan will have to take care of the ball (something they’ve certainly shown they can do) in order to get a win. The right column of the ledger above doesn’t tell the whole story: Michigan was close to getting a third “M” in the turnover column, a second in defensive rebounding(!!), while the Hawkeyes just missed getting a second in their advantage shooting the ball. Ken Pomeroy predicts a 63-60 win in a slow (56 possession) game.
Iowa’s key players are guard Jeff Peterson, who leads the team in assists and getting to the free throw line, freshman forward Matt Gatens, who leads the team in offensive rating and three-point shooting, and forward Cyrus Tate, the team’s lone senior. The 6-8 Tate is by far the team’s best rebounder on both ends of the floor, and he suffered an ankle injury in the first half against the Golden Gophers Thursday. He didn’t return to that game, and even if he does play tomorrow, it’s unclear exactly how effective he’ll be. If he’s limited, Michigan actually has a shot to outrebound their opponent for one of the few times this year – which would go a long way towards helping win.
Posted under Analysis, Basketball
Tags: iowa, preview