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Fran McCaffery's Hawkeyes Host a Tough Michigan Wolverines Team in Iowa Thursday

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Basketball

After playing four games in eight days, the University of Michigan men's basketball team got a break before heading on the road to Iowa City for a Thursday (Feb. 17) matchup with Iowa at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Tipoff is scheduled for a 6 p.m. CST on ESPN with Brian Custer (play-by-play) and Jon Crispin (analyst) on the call.

The Scene Setter
• After a stretch of playing four games in eight days, U-M did not have an early-week contest prior to its upcoming matchup at Iowa. It is the first of two road games before a four-game homestand. U-M closes the week Sunday (Feb. 20) at No. 14 Wisconsin.
• Four of U-M's final six Big Ten opponents (seven games; Iowa twice) are ranked in the nation's top 25. Five of those six are ranked in Quad 1 in the NCAA NET rankings.
• Hunter Dickinson continues to lead U-M in scoring (18.1) and rebounding (8.2). With 19 double-figure games, he has had four of 20+ points in his last six games.
• Eli Brooks became the 56th Wolverine to reach 1,000 career points after his 17 against No. 16 Ohio State. Already U-M's career wins leader (118), he recently became U-M's all-time leader for career games (148). Over his last five games, he has averaged 16.0 points per game, with four double-digit games -- including a season-best 20 against Nebraska (Feb. 1). On the season, Brooks is second with 12.3 per game.
• After tying a career best with 10 assists in the upset of No. 3 Purdue (Feb. 10), which led to his second double-double of the season (11 points), DeVante' Jones followed with a near triple-double against No. 16 Ohio State (eight points, 10 rebounds, eight assists). He leads Michigan with 4.3 assists per game. Since the start of January, Jones has missed just three free throws, going 24-for-27 (88.9 percent).
• Seven of Moussa Diabate's last 11 baskets have been dunks.

The Big Ten's Elders
• When Michigan heads to Iowa, it will feature two of the longest-tenured Big Ten players -- U-M's Eli Brooks (148 career games, U-M record) and Iowa's Jordan Bohannon (166 career games, NCAA record).
• Both returned for the extra year following the COVID-19 pandemic as Brooks is in his fifth season, while Bohannon is in his sixth after a medical redshirt (2019-20).
• Brooks has played in 148 games with the Wolverines, compiling 1,006 points, 356 rebounds, 282 assists and 153 three-pointers.
• Bohannon has played in 166 games with the Hawkeyes, compiling 1,894 points, 377 rebounds, 680 assists and 423 three-pointers -- both Iowa records.
• Brooks leads all Big Ten players with 118 career victories, while Bohannon has 115.

The Iowa Hawkeyes
• After a stretch of losing three of four, Iowa has rebounded, winning its last three games by a near 20-point margin (19.3) -- reaching 100+ at Maryland (110-87; Feb. 10) and nearly against Nebraska (98-75; Feb. 13).
• Iowa's 84.0 points per game tops the Big Ten and ranks fourth nationally. The Hawkeyes have surpassed 85 points (12x), 90 (8x) and 100 (3x).
• Iowa is 13-2 at home, losing to Big Ten leaders Illinois (87-83; Dec. 6) and Purdue (83-73; Jan. 27).
• Iowa leads the Big Ten with 194 steals (8.1 spg) and has forced the most opponent turnovers (14.62). The Hawkeyes also are second nationally (and in the Big Ten) with 8.8 turnovers per game -- behind Wisconsin's 8.4 (U-M's next opponent).
• Iowa is led by Keegan Murray, who ranks third nationally with 23.3 points per game. He has 22 double-figure games with 16 of 20 or more and four of 30 or more, including a season-high 37 against Nebraska (Feb. 13) in his last game. He had back-to-back 30+ point games with 30 at Maryland (Feb. 10) and 37 against the Cornhuskers.
• In addition to his scoring, Murray leads the team in rebounding (8.4), blocks (47; 2.0 bpg), steals (32; 1.4 spg), free throw attempts (123) and field-goal percentage (.570). He is second with 39 three-pointers. His 203 field goals are tops in the nation.
• Iowa has three additional double-figure scorers, with Patrick McCaffery's 11.1 ppg, Jordan Bohannon's 10.7 and Kris Murray's 10.1.
• Bohannon leads Iowa with 59 three-pointers as 80 percent of his offensive attempts come from long range. Recently at Maryland, he set an Iowa and Xfinity Center (Maryland) record with 10 triples.

Up Next
Sunday, Feb. 20 -- at No. 15 Wisconsin (Madison, Wis.), Noon CST (TV: ESPN)