Iowa has no answers, just questions, when it comes to guarding Michigan's DeShawn Sims

IOWA CITY - If the Big Ten basketball season became a real-life version of “Jeopardy” and the category was DeShawn Sims, every card would be blank for the contestant known as the Iowa men's basketball team.

The Hawkeyes have no answer for Sims, the Michigan senior who shredded Iowa's defense for a combined 47 points in the teams' last two meetings.

Sims scored 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds against Iowa two weeks ago in Ann Arbor, Mich. That performance was just an encore for last year's 27-point effort against Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament. Sims scored Michigan's first 14 points en route to a 28-point win.

“Two games in a row now we've not had an answer for him, so hopefully our guys will understand the challenge here,” Lickliter said. “You've got to try your best to beat him to spots because if he catches it where he likes it, and they run good actions to get it there, your hands are full. And if you help off, he's a good passer.”

If there's a common theme to Sims' success against Iowa, it's comfort in the paint. Last year at the Big Ten Tournament, he hit 12 of 16 shots, including all eight attempts in the first half. Former Iowa post Cyrus Tate said Sims “got real comfortable” after that game.

Lickliter echoed Tate's comments 10 months later. Sims scored his 20 points on 9-of-18 shooting two weeks ago. He also grabbed nine offensive rebounds.

“I'm sorry, but I don't know what it is about him,” Lickliter said after that game. “I think he's really comfortable against us.”

“He's a force to be reckoned with down there,” Iowa sophomore Matt Gatens said. “He's undersized, so he's a difficult matchup for some bigs.”

Sims, who stands 6-foot-8, ranks fifth among Big Ten players in scoring (17.5 points) and fourth in rebounding (7.5 per game). He's been a tough match-up for every team, but it seems he saves his best for Iowa.

“I'm sure when he sees Iowa on the schedule, he probably highlights that because it's exciting for him,” Lickliter said. “And I don't blame him.”

Lickliter said junior post Jarryd Cole will draw the first defensive assignment on Sims, although through Iowa's switches multiple players could guard him. Lickliter wants his defenders to provide “appropriate help” on Sims but not smother him. Over-helping on Sims could allow Michigan guard Manny Harris way too much freedom. Harris, the league's third-leading scorer at 18.4 points a game, also popped Iowa for 20 points at Ann Arbor.

“No one's stopped (Sims) so you're just going to hope that you can contain him a little bit and make it tougher,” Lickliter said. “And then we need to do a better job on our offensive end and we also need to do a better job in transition defense. So Sims really a difficult guy to contain.

“We've got to at least look and say, we expect Michigan to go to him. That just makes sense.”