Bennett Stirtz led the way with 21 points in his final home game, while Cam Manyawu had one of his best games of the year - scoring 14 points.
Iowa basketball had five days off after its bad loss at Penn State on Saturday.
Whatever head coach Ben McCollum said to his team over that five-day stretch worked. The Hawkeyes faced a daunting task of playing one of the best teams in the country in No. 3 Michigan, but they were up to the challenge for all 40 minutes in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Iowa came back from down 10 in the second half to tie the game twice in the final three minutes of regulation, but the Wolverines were just too strong in the end, pulling away for a narrow 71-68 victory on Thursday.
Bennett Stirtz finished with a team-high 21 points in his final home game, while Cam Manyawu followed close behind with one of his best games of the season - 14 points and eight rebounds on 7/13 shooting.
The Hawkeyes drop to 20-10 overall and 10-9 in Big Ten play with the loss.
First Half
Carver-Hawkeye wasn't sold out on this night, but the folks that were in attendance tried to make it sound like a capacity crowd. Keeping the crowd engaged was one of the many things Iowa needed to do to knock off the No. 3 Wolverines, and Tavion Banks did that early on.
The senior threw down a ferocious transition dunk to ignite the crowd and Cam Manyawu followed it up with a block on Michigan's next possession to further excite the fans. In fact, the story of the early first half was Manyawu. The junior averages just 6.7 points per game, but already had six by the 11:59 mark, which helped Iowa jump out to a 13-9 lead.
The talent gap between these two teams was massive - especially the Wolverines' height advantage - but the underdog Hawkeyes held their own despite a sluggish start from star point guard Bennett Stirtz.
Stirtz sat on two points for most of the first half, but he made two triples in the final two minutes to push the Iowa back in front. Michigan closed the half out with an open layup, but Hawkeye fans felt very good about the 30-30 halftime tie.
Iowa finished with just a 35% clip from the floor, but 12 Wolverine turnovers helped the Hawkeyes stay in the game, setting the stage for a thrilling second half.
Second Half
Michigan opened the second half 5/8 from the field, while Iowa managed just 3/7. It felt like the Wolverines were on the verge of busting the door open in this stretch - going up 43-37 - but an Isaia Howard slam tied the game at 43 with 13:23 left.
Both teams played back-and-forth basketball over the next few minutes, but the flow of the game was halted due to frequent foul calls from the officiating crew. Iowa fans didn't agree with some of the calls, but putting Michigan in the bonus with 12:02 left was not a good strategy for the Hawkeyes.
The Wolverines took advantage, pulverizing Iowa in the paint en route to a 63-53 edge with six minutes to go. But the resurgent Hawkeyes just wouldn't go away, using a 7-0 run to slice the deficit back to three with 3:53 remaining.
The game was an epic see-saw battle for the rest of the way. A ridiculous shot by Michigan beat the shot clock and gave it a 66-64 lead, but Manyawu fired back with a tough bucket to tie it at 66 with under a minute left.
Trailing 71-68, Stirtz had one final look from three to send the game to overtime, but it clanked off the rim to send Carver-Hawkeye into a stunned silence.
Up Next
The Hawkeyes close out the regular season on Sunday, March 8, for a matchup against No. 9 Nebraska in Lincoln. The Cornhuskers are seeking revenge after Iowa upset them at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Feb. 17.
Tip-off from Pinnacle Bank Arena is set for 4 p.m. CST on FOX.