Freshman Evan Smotrycz and junior Stu Douglass’s 3-point shots from the waning moments of the Michigan men’s basketball team’s loss to Illinois only stayed fresh in their minds for a little bit.

The team watched the replay once, and, since then, it’s been full steam ahead as the Wolverines (6-8 Big Ten, 16-11 overall) prepare for Iowa on Saturday.

In the game against the Hawkeyes (3-10, 10-16) in late January, Michigan controlled the game tempo and with the exception of a few Iowa players, the Wolverines ruled nearly every aspect of the game.

And with Iowa coming off a disappointing 3-point loss to Northwestern Friday night, the Wolverines face a team that’s had just one day of rest and recovery.

“Those are all challenging situations,” Michigan coach John Beilein said of Iowa's short turnaround. “It doesn’t happen very much in the Big Ten and it’s happened to them. It’s like the Big Ten Tournament, you’ve got to be ready to play right away and sometimes it’s not so bad.”

Junior guards Matt Gatens and Bryce Cartwright presented a problem for the Wolverines the last time out. Both scored 11 points, but it was Cartwright’s nine assists that really hurt Michigan.

And in the post, freshman Melsahn Basabe scored a game-high 25 points, which was well over his average of 11 points per game. He was also a presence in the paint, grabbing eight boards and blocking two of Michigan’s shots.

“He’s very quick with his delivery to the basket, very athletic in his length,” Beilein said. “He’s a ball player. He just feels the game very well, and he can score the ball … His quickness and his length allow him to score.”

Even with the Hawkeyes’ strong contingent, Iowa has struggled in conference play. With just three Big Ten victories, it sits at the bottom of the Big Ten standings.

But with the Wolverines on the NCAA Tournament bubble, Beilein emphasized the importance of picking up these final games of the conference slate, especially those on the road.

“There’s two issues when you try to get into a tournament: beating top fifty teams and then road wins — those are huge,” Beilein said. “This would give us four road wins, legitimate road wins, and that’s always good.”

The Wolverines will continue to start Douglass, who had been used as the sixth man through most of the season until Beilein decided to start him against Northwestern on Feb. 9.

With the long-range game that Douglass and fellow guards, junior Zack Novak and freshman Tim Hardaway Jr. provide, Michigan has gotten off to three strong starts in three-consecutive games.

Sophomore point guard Darius Morris continues to lead the team in points and assists, tallying 15 and seven per game, respectively. And after facing the size of an Illinois team that didn’t allow him anywhere close to the basket, Morris may find it easier to penetrate against a team whose tallest starter stands at 6-foot-7.

“The pick-and-roll has been good to us,” Novak said. “(Redshirt freshman) Jordan (Morgan)’s been getting a lot of points in side … We’ve got some guys penetrating now and becoming more multidimensional.”