The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SportsMonday
February 10, 2020 — 3B

‘M’ holds off 
Michigan 
State, 77-68, 
in win

When Michigan went to East Lansing in 
early January, it was ugly. The Wolverines 
didn’t seem to have answers for anything 
that Michigan State threw their way. 
They couldn’t contain the volatile 
Spartan offense, led by star senior point 
guard Cassius Winston and junior forward 
Xavier Tillman. Their own offense was 
lost without junior forward Isaiah Livers. 
Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo 
seemed to quite literally have their number 
at every turn. Michigan drowned in the 
chaos of the Breslin Center. 
Saturday in Ann Arbor was a different 
story. 
Michigan State was still Michigan State. 
Winston and Tillman were still Winston 
and Tillman; Tom Izzo was still Tom Izzo. 
But with Livers back and a home crowd 
decked out in maize behind them, the 
Wolverines finally had some answers.
Michigan (14-9 overall, 5-7 Big Ten) 
managed to grit out a win over the 
16th-ranked Spartans, 77-68, on Saturday 
as Livers and sophomore guard David 
DeJulius led a 3-point-heavy offense 
and the defense did enough to propel 
the Wolverines past an unusually quiet 
Michigan State (16-8, 8-5).
“Any time you can beat those guys, it 
feels amazing,” senior center Jon Teske 
said. “Especially being a senior, (point 
guard Zavier Simpson) and I, this may be 
our last time playing them. It’s special.
“We just had to come out from the 
start. And that’s what we did. Just start to 
finish, everyone played well; defensively, 
offensively.”
Livers made his return to the starting 
lineup, his re-aggravated groin injury 
healed, to the delight of the Crisler Center 
crowd. His offensive presence, tipping 
rebounds and firing off passes, was felt 
immediately. When he put up a three 
from in front of the Spartan bench to give 
Michigan an early 6-3 lead, the arena 
erupted.
“[Livers] makes this team better in many 
ways,” Simpson said. “His leadership, his 
voice. On the offensive end, he spreads the 
floor. He can attack. It’s just his presence. 
“Sometimes it’s not about the stat sheet, 
or anything else. Sometimes it’s just about 
someone’s presence, and I think Isaiah 
definitely gave us a confidence boost before 
the game.”
The Wolverines needed Livers to 
return some spark to the offense that 
had been inconsistent at best in his 
prolonged absence. With Livers back, but 
wearing a brace, the offense channeled 
the junior forward’s tenacity, and against 
one of Michigan’s toughest conference 
opponents, it worked. Behind a series of 
drained 3-pointers and a solid defensive 
effort, the Wolverines managed to take a 
29-23 lead into halftime.
The second half was even harder-
fought. Coming out of the break, the 
Spartans seemed to find the shots they 
weren’t making in the first half, and they 
brought it to a one-point margin by the 
under-16 timeout. 
But Michigan remained unshaken, 
getting junior guard Eli Brooks the look 
he wanted on a pass from Simpson. The 
resulting 3-pointer found nothing but 
the sweet swish of nylon. They allowed a 
layup to freshman guard Rocket Watts, 
but followed up with a Simpson layup and 
a massive one-handed dunk from Teske on 
a perfect alley-oop from Brooks.
“Eli and I locked eyes, and I saw him 
throw it up, and I went up and got it — 
I’m not really sure how,” Teske laughed. 
“I’m not really sure how I got it, but I saw 
enough.”
This time around, Michigan finally had 
the answers that had been missing. The 
factors that cost them the game in January 
were still present. But they weren’t game-
deciders. Instead of allowing Winston 
and Tillman to dictate the game, the 
Wolverines did that themselves.
“Every player is not always going to be 
perfect,” Michigan coach Juwan Howard 
said. “But I loved the way we were able to 
respond when we did make mistakes.”
After dropping their previous three 
conference home games to Penn State, 
Illinois and Ohio State, in a conference 
where defending home court has been 
essential this season, it was a statement win 
this Michigan team badly needed. Until 
this game, much of its tournament resume 
was based off wins in late November 
and early December, and the slump that 
encompassed most of January was far 
from a glowing endorsement.
Two-and-a-half 
months 
later, 
the 
Wolverines seem to have rediscovered the 
clutch genes that lifted them to those non-
conference wins, if only for an afternoon. 
With a demanding conference schedule 
yet ahead of them, if they can continue to 
deliver like they did on Saturday, there may 
yet be enough momentum to carry them 
through March.

As Zavier Simpson sat quietly 
watching 
film, 
one 
pervading 
thought kept tugging away at his 
psyche.
He diligently 
watched 
game 
after game of Michigan falling to 
Michigan State over the course of 
his career, and had one nagging 
idea staring him right in the face: 
If the senior and unequivocal 
leader of this team hits a few more 
3-pointers, the Wolverines flip the 
script.
Four straight losses over the last 
two seasons against a bitter rival 
become wins — or at least closer 
games — and Simpson is cemented 
as one of the greatest to ever throw 
on a maize and blue jersey, if only 
the ball falls through the hoop a 
few more times.
Simpson knew he had one more 
opportunity in his career to change 
the narrative around the rivalry, 
his 3-point shooting ability and 
his place in Michigan basketball 
history. And that chance sat behind 
the 3-point line.
So what did the senior do?
One of the worst statistical 
3-point shooters on the Wolverines 
temporarily squashed all doubt and 
went 4-for-7 from beyond the arc to 
put the Spartans away, 77-68, and 
finish with a team-high 16 points.
For Simpson, it all boiled down 
to confidence.
Whether it came from playing 
on his home court or a desire to put 
recent controversy surrounding 

his one-game suspension to rest, 
Simpson was a different player on 
the floor than from games of the 
rivalry’s recent past. The last time 
the senior faced Michigan State 
on Jan. 5, he limped his way to a 
1-for-6 performance from 3-point 
land. The confidence was clearly 
missing.
“I just wanted to come out 
and play confident,” Simpson 
said. “I watched a lot of film 
from last year’s games and the 
previous game where we played 
them earlier in the season, and 
I just wanted to come out and 
be confident in my shot. I’m 
confident in my shot, my coaches 
trust me, my teammates trust me. 
I wanted to just come in there 
and knock ‘em down. At the same 
time, don’t take it personal, try to 
make smart plays.”
Confidence 
aside, 
it 
is 
unimaginable 
the 
game 
plan 
revolved around Simpson rising 
up and drilling 3-pointers. Simply 
put, sets where Simpson shoots 
3-pointers are typically not smart 
plays.
His career mark from beyond 
the arc is a measly 31 percent, and 
the Wolverines were significantly 
helped in that regard with the 
return of junior forward Isaiah 
Livers. 
On paper, the plan can recently 
be derived as creating open looks 
for Livers and other more prolific 
shooters on the roster. On the 
floor, it played out as forcing the 
Spartans into making defensive 
errors and fighting for every 50-50 

ball in order to generate more 
offensive looks for Michigan.
Simpson 
was 
clearly 
the 
benefactor 
of 
this 
change 
in 
fortune.
Ironically, 
the 
plays 
that 
never originated in coach Juwan 
Howard’s 
playbook 
ended 
up 
all but sealing the game for the 
Wolverines.
“There was nothing I was doing, 
it was all about the players,” 
Howard said. “Zavier made some 
tough shots, but he was open, and 
those are shots that he’s practiced. 
Those are shots that he comes in on 
off days and shoots, and it’s good to 
see that during the game. He was 
confident. 
“I want him as well as his 
other teammates, when they’re 
open to don’t be afraid to take the 
open shot. If they miss a shot, my 
philosophy is if you get another 
open one, take the next one.”
What makes that philosophy 
work — whenever it actually does — 
is that it’s tough to defend. How are 
you going to game plan for a system 
that empowers all of its team’s 
shooters? All of them. Not just 
those who specialize in the craft.
Maybe that’s why when wrapping 
up his post game press conference, 
Spartans coach Tom Izzo queued 
the audience into his surprise over 
how the game played out:
“Some guys hit some shots that 
they weren’t supposed to.”
On Saturday, that was Simpson. 
And it all started in a Crisler Center 
film room, staring down the root of 
the problem.

ABBY SNYDER
Daily Sports Writer

JACOB KOPNICK
Daily Sports Editor

ALEXIS RANKIN/Daily
Senior guard Zavier Simpson scored 16 points including four 3-pointers in Michigan’s 77-68 win over Michigan State on Saturday.

Livers’ 
return gives 
Wolverines 
a boost

Isaiah Livers was giving out high-
fives courtside.
Moments earlier, the junior forward 
— in his first game back since re-injuring 
his groin against Illinois two weeks 
ago — had supplied the final nail in 
Michigan State’s coffin. Showing no 
signs of his former impediment, Livers 
rose up and swatted Aaron Henry’s 
layup attempt off the backboard and 
into Wolverine hands. 
Now, with just 1:42 remaining, his 
team up by nine and freshman forward 
Franz Wagner at the foul line, he could 
bask in the triumph — a 77-68 win over 
the Spartans. 
“It felt good,” Livers said. “It 
honestly didn’t matter who we were 
playing. Whether we were playing non-
conference, low-major, a non-D1 team, I 
was just excited about getting back out 
there. All the work you put in, the love 
you have your teammates and the game 
of basketball, I just wanted to get back.” 
While Michigan was able to weather 
Livers’ most-recent absence, going 2-1, 
his return was a welcomed sign for a 
team that lost by 18 in East Lansing last 
month.
He missed his first two shots — both 
from beyond the arc — but settled 
into the game on the defensive end 
rather quickly. A block and steal 
within the first three minutes was an 
early indication that he was up for the 
challenge. Gradually, that effort paid 
off on the other end of the floor too, 
knocking down two 3-pointers and a 
pair of free throws in the first half. 
“I was proud of the way he came 
out and competed,” Michigan coach 
Juwan Howard said. “There were some 
possessions out there where it was 
tough for us to score and (Isaiah) came 
up big and made some clutch shots. 
Defensively, he was very active with his 
length in protecting the basket. It was 
good that we had opportunities we had 
to switch ball screens and he was able to 
keep a man in front of him.”
Even though Livers tweaked his 
groin on a dunk attempt against the 
Illini, he showed no apprehension in 
attacking the rim against the Spartans. 
Just 12 minutes into the game, he went 
right at Michigan State’s Malik Hall for 
an attempted slam, landing harder than 
most Wolverines’ fans would’ve liked.
“I’m still going to attack with a lot 
of force, go up and finish, do what I 
do,” Livers said with a smirk. “I know I 
said I wasn’t going to try to dunk but I 
definitely tried in the first half and got 
fouled. But I let go of the rim so there 
was no tragedy there.”
Livers played 18 minutes in the first 
half and 31 in total, second to only 
Wagner. Over the past few weeks, it was 
clear Howard and his staff weren’t going 
to rush Livers back too soon, regardless 
of which direction the Wolverines were 
trending. But, when he was ready to go, 
they weren’t going to hold him back at 
all either. 
“Not with coach Howard,” Livers 
said. “He’s a winner man. And I don’t 
even believe in that because you go out 
there, you’re just giving half, you come 
out and you’re like a liability out there. 
I like to go out there, zero to 100. I can’t 
play 75 percent. I told coach Howard 
this, too, and he agreed with me. He 
said ‘Go out there and if you’re tired, tug 
that jersey.’ ”
Livers’ 
contribution 
went 
well 
beyond his 14 points and four boards 
though. With his return, Michigan 
got back another floor general. In the 
Wolverines’ last matchup against the 
Spartans, they gave up 21 points in 
transition. This time they gave up just 
six. Livers’ guidance on defense was a 
big reason why. 
“The best thing I can do is direct 
traffic,” Livers said. “We have young 
guys that as they sprint back they don’t 
know what to do. I’m already back, 
talking, just pointing and directing 
them. ‘Go to that area, I’ll go to this 
area, go up there and guard the ball.’ 
Just little things like that can help. I 
think we need more of that.”
Beating the Spartans now gives 
Michigan yet another opportunity to 
gain some momentum as it heads into 
the final weeks of the regular season. 
Getting Livers back healthy almost felt 
like a win in and of itself. 
While they’ve scraped by just enough 
without him, it goes without saying that 
the Wolverines are at their best when 
he’s available. Saturday proved that 
once again. 
“(Isaiah) is a talent, it’s that simple,” 
Howard said. “We missed him a lot. We 
missed having another guy who can 
make shots and has a high basketball-IQ 
that knows how to make plays.”

CONNOR BRENNAN
Daily Sports Writer

lord and zavier

Simpson’s shooting ignites rivalry win

For better or worse, Juwan Howard 
had a feeling Saturday would dictate 
the direction of the Wolverines’ 
season.
Before 
the 
Michigan 
men’s 
basketball team left its locker room 
to face No. 16 Michigan State, the 
first-year coach called it a “tone-
setter.” Following a sub-.500 month 
defined by Isaiah Livers’ absence, 
the junior forward returned to the 
Wolverines’ lineup for the much-
anticipated in-state rivalry.
His presence, Michigan hoped, 
would be a tone-setter of its own. 
The first few minutes of the game, 
however, 
looked 
anything 
but 
promising.
The Wolverines missed 10 of 
their first 11 shots. Three minutes 
elapsed before they scored. In the 
midst of a three-game losing streak 
in which Michigan hadn’t shot 
above 40 percent from the field, it 
appeared Saturday would set a tone 
in the worst possible way.
But after a slow start, a 3-pointer 
from senior point guard Zavier 
Simpson — who entered the game 
as a 29-percent 3-point shooter 
in conference play — gave the 
Wolverines their first lead. He 
followed it up by burying his next 
two attempts, giving Michigan a 
lead it wouldn’t relinquish in an 
eventual 77-68 win.
In the process, he set the tone 
Howard sought.

“This game was going to be a 
tone-setter,” Livers said. “I think 
we all did a good job coming out 
focused and staying disciplined to 
what the coaches believe we can do 
and the stuff that we do in practice. 
There’s no reason to get away from 
it. We weren’t rattled at all, we were 
just excited to come out with the 
‘W.’ It was meaningful for us.”
Following a three-week span that 
included two losses at the buzzer 
and a narrow double-overtime win, 
Saturday proved to be exactly what 
the Wolverines needed. They played 
with the lead for nearly 35 minutes, 
trailing only at a score of 1-0.
“A lot of downers (lately),” Livers 
said. “A lot of games that came down 
to free throws. … Just little stuff 
that we did at the end of the close 
game was just like, ‘Dang, man, we 
could’ve had it.’ We put a lot of work 
in and I think it was good for us to 
actually see that all the work we put 
in in the gym actually works during 
the game time, so I was very happy 
with that.”
Just over a month ago, Michigan 
was run out of East Lansing in an 
18-point blowout. Twenty-one of 
Michigan State’s points came in 
transition. Whether it was a product 
of the team’s lack of communication, 
mental lapses or the Spartans’ 
sheer will, it ultimately defined the 
Wolverines’ most lopsided loss of 
the season.
“It was very disappointing how 
our transition defense failed us the 
last time we played Michigan State,” 

Howard said. “As I recall, we gave 
up 21 points in transition because we 
were not good at communicating. … 
It was a big emphasis on me as well 
as my staff (today) on taking away 
some of those transition buckets 
because Michigan State does a 
really good job.”
On 
Saturday, 
they 
held 
Michigan 
State 
to 
just 
six 
fastbreak 
points. 
Michigan 
suffocated 
Spartans’ 
guard 
Cassius Winston, who poured in a 
career-high 32 points in their last 
meeting, to the tune of a dismal 
5-of-18 shooting performance.
Howard’s 
responsibilities 
aren’t limited to just X’s and O’s, 
though. On Saturday, he took it 
upon himself to set a tone of his 
own.
“(Howard) is loud coming out 
of that coaching room,” Livers 
said. “You can hear him, already 
pumped up, like he’s about to play. 
… This dude is all up in your face 
like, ‘Let’s go, let’s go!” As a player, 
when you see that you got a coach 
that’s in your face — I don’t know 
about for other people, but my 
opinion is that I love it. When he’s 
got energy, we’ve got to match it.”
Howard wanted Saturday to 
be a tone-setter. The Wolverines 
delivered. Now, it becomes a matter 
of 
whether 
the 
tone 
becomes 
permanent.
“(Saturday) was huge,” Livers 
said. “Like I said, I think it’s a tone-
setter. It’s letting the Big Ten know, 
don’t overlook Michigan.”

Michigan turns tone-setter into statement

DANIEL DASH
Daily Sports Writer

