Gophers men's basketball looks to rebound vs. Iowa after Michigan loss

Both teams look to rebound off a loss

Preview: Both teams are coming off difficult losses against very good teams. The Gophers lost a two-point game at the buzzer at No. 5 Michigan on Tuesday. The Hawkeyes, meanwhile, had their five-game winning streak ended at home Thursday by No. 6 Michigan State. At 5-4 in Big Ten play, the Hawkeyes are in sixth place in the conference, a half-game ahead of the Gophers. The Gophers are 9-1 at home this season, 3-1 at home in conference play.

Players to watch: Gophers G Amir Coffey (15.4 points per game overall) is third in conference play in scoring (18.5). F Jordan Murphy's 10.6 rebounds in conference play is second. Iowa is led by F Tyler Cook (16.6 points, 8.1 rebounds), F Luke Garza (14.2, 4.8) and freshman G Joe Wieskamp (11.6, 5.0). G Isaiah Moss has averaged 22.3 points in three games vs. the Gophers. Garza has scored 20 or more points in three consecutive games.

Numbers: The teams have alternated wins in the past eight games between them.

Kent Youngblood