Michigan coach's comments motivate Iowa's Devyn Marble

IOWA CITY - Michigan Coach John Beilein heaped praise - and motivation - upon Iowa guard Devyn Marble in a conference call with reporters this week.

“We were in a choice between Devyn Marble and Tim Hardaway and we made a choice with Tim, and obviously we wouldn't have gone wrong with Devyn,” Beilein said Monday.

“Iowa and Michigan both won in that selection.”

While Beilein's comments were intended to flatter, they instead serve as motivation for Marble, a Detroit-area native.

"Yeah, it has to," Marble said. "He obviously feels Hardaway is better than me, so of course it's motivation."

Both Hardaway Jr. and Marble were considered athletic off-guards in the 2010 recruiting class. Both stand 6-foot-6 and have fathers who played in the NBA. Both also are making an impact in their second season in the Big Ten.

Marble has started at the point the last 10 games for Iowa. He averages 10.7 points and 3.4 rebounds a game and boasts 60 assists to 21 turnovers. Hardaway leads the Wolverines in scoring with 16.1 points a game.

The reality is, the two won't match up that often. Marble likely will draw Michigan freshman Trey Burke on both ends of the floor. Hardaway will see Iowa senior Matt Gatens more often than not.

"I'm not about to make this a one-on-one battle. At the end of the day, I still want to win the game," Marble said. "I probably won't defend Hardaway too much. I'll probably be defending Burke. I still want to have a good performance and lead this team to a victory."

Hardaway Jr. is a player Iowa players know they need to mark on every possession. He scored a career-best 30 points last year at Iowa and twice hit five 3-pointers against the Hawkeyes. This week Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery called Hardaway Jr. "one of the best players in the college basketball."

"He kind of does have a bright green light at times it seems like," Gatens said. "You have to stay with him everywhere and don't give him many open looks, and it's a team effort at the same time."

While Iowa must account for Hardaway, it also must prepare for Burke. He's scoring 14.1 points a game and has 87 assists. He replaced last year's starter, Darius Morris, who left early for the NBA and now plays for the Los Angeles Lakers.

"With all due respect to the guy in the NBA, I think (Michigan is) better," McCaffery said. "I'm a big Trey Burke fan, always have been. As good as Morris was getting to the rim, Trey's a better shooter. With that team and all the other shooters they have and with the improvement of (center Jordan) Morgan, you know, it really gives you cause for concern."

"Hardaway is a really good shooter and he fits that system well," Marble said. "Burke is just a good point guard that has come in and really has found his own way and has a lot of swagger to him. He can drive on you, he can shoot. He's a real versatile player."