Michigan basketball lights up Iowa, 103-91, in Big Ten opener behind balanced attack

Michigan basketball's offense needed to get back on track.

It had the perfect opportunity to do so against a porous Iowa defense Friday at Crisler Center. 

The Wolverines won their conference opener, 103-91, after scoring 50 points (more than they scored in all of Tuesday's 58-43 loss at No. 1 Louisville) and opening up 12-point halftime lead.

Michigan received a wide range of contributions; six players scored in double digits, led by Franz Wagner's 18 points.

The Hawkeyes kept it interesting early thanks to center Luka Garza, who had 27 first-half points and finished with a career-high 44 points, 24 above his season average.

But Michigan's offense outpaced Garza's post scoring, and the Wolverines didn't allow Iowa to get any closer than seven in the second half to earn Juwan Howard's first Big Ten win as a coach.

Here are three takeaways from Ann Arbor: 

[ U-M targeted by Penny Hardaway for showcase featuring ex-NBA All-Star coaches ]

Offense successfully reboots

The Wolverines struggled to score against the Cardinals in Tuesday's top-5 showdown, averaging well under a point per possession and shooting poorly from the field. Friday's game offered a chance to correct course against an Iowa team that ranked No. 105 in the nation in adjusted defensive efficiency, according to KenPom.com, placing them second-to-last in the Big Ten. It became clear early the Hawkeyes had no answer for Michigan's offense. The Wolverines tore up Iowa when it played man-to-man; eventually, the Hawkeyes switched to zone and played that for much of the game. It didn't help much: Michigan shot 55.2% from the field and 41.7% from 3 (10-for-24), averaging a gaudy 1.52 points per possession. 

Michigan withstands Garza's crazy first half

Garza entered as Iowa's leading scorer averaging 20 points per game through eight games. He exceeded that in the first half, scoring 27 points on 11-of-19 shooting. The Hawkeyes' plan was clear: Give the ball to Garza down low and attack Michigan's big men. It worked ... to an extent. Garza had the first-half flurry of points, while U-M center Jon Teske was in foul trouble for much of the game. Yet the Wolverines still led, 50-38, at halftime.

Garza had the most productive game of his career, but Michigan outpaced Iowa because of two reasons: The Hawkeyes aren't very good at defense, and 3s are worth more than 2s. In the first half, Michigan shot 6-of-13 from outside while Iowa shot 1-of-4 (the two teams finished with 10 and three made 3s, respectively). The Wolverines didn't double the post when Garza got the ball, and the Hawkeyes weren't able to generate many outside looks. Garza's post scoring could only take his team so far. 

Johns' breakout half

Through the first eight games, Brandon Johns Jr. had a clearly established role as a backup '4.' The sophomore has come off the bench and provided Michigan with high-energy minutes, averaging 2.9 pounds, 3.6 rebounds, 0.9 blocks and 0.4 steals. Friday night, he did all that — and had the best game of his young career. Johns scored a career-high 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting to go with eight rebounds (five offensive). 10 of those 12 points came in nine crucial first-half minutes.

He hit two 3s against Iowa's zone defense, cut along the baseline for a couple easy dunks and gave his team a huge boost whenever he was in the game. Johns has been a steady source of energy off the bench, but hadn't made much of an impact scoring-wise; Friday night, he hit a few key shots and helped Michigan take a commanding early lead.

In the second half, Johns created numerous extra possessions for Michigan with his offensive rebounding and hustle. It was a promising performance from Johns, who played sparingly as a true freshman under former coach John Beilein, but has carved out a bigger role this season. 

See you in Europe:Michigan basketball to play Kentucky in London in 2020

Contact Orion Sang at osang@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @orion_sang. Read more on the Michigan Wolverines and sign up for our Wolverines newsletter.