Michigan Basketball: Takeaways from much-needed road win over Iowa

Thursday evening, Michigan basketball took on the Iowa Hawkeyes at Carver-Hawkeye arena in what turned out to be a thrilling Big Ten match-up. After a hard-fought 40 minutes, the Wolverines emerged victoriously.

Though the 2021-22 basketball season has not gone the way the Wolverines had planned, Michigan is still in tournament contention, but not by much. From now until the end of the season, every game will be essential for the Wolverines’ NCAA tournament hopes.

Thursday night’s game against Iowa was no different for Michigan basketball. A road game against a quad one opponent is never a “gimme,” but the Wolverines handled their business.

Here are three takeaways from Michigan’s win over Iowa:

1. Moussa Diabate is the heartbeat of Michigan basketball

One thing that has become increasingly apparent throughout this season has been Moussa Diabate’s impact on the Wolverines. Thursday night, that trend remained consistent.

On the year, Diabate averages 8.7 points per game, 5.7 rebounds per game, and is shooting 55.5 percent from the floor. Against the Hawkeyes, Diabate blew these numbers out of the water.

Diabate would finish with 28 points against Iowa, four of which coming from the free-throw line. Diabate’s other 24 points would all come from within the arc as he went 0-1 from three-point range but was seemingly unstoppable inside the paint.

Diabate would also rack up eight rebounds, one block, and one steal, yet had no assists. These totals were almost solely responsible for Michigan’s ability to stay in the game and eventually pick up a huge road win.