 What started as an average loose ball 
became anything but. 
 Jon Teske might’ve just missed a 
point-blank layup attempt, but he 
wasn’t going to give up on the play. 
As the rebound evaded the grasp of 
the Hoosiers, the senior center dove 
on it and had the wherewithal to find 
Franz Wagner alone under the basket 
for two. 
 Teske’s effort, apart from send-
ing the Crisler Center crowd into 
an uproar, capped off an offensive 
onslaught that saw his team take a 
12-point lead on Indiana late in the 
first half. 
 From there, the Michigan men’s 
basketball team (16-9 overall, 7-7 Big 

Ten) held serve to beat the Hoosiers 
(16-9, 6-8), 89-65, Sunday afternoon.
 It didn’t take long for each offense 
to get going. Collective scoring from 
the Wolverines and a quick pair of 
triples from Indiana’s Al Durham led 
to a 12-11 scoreline by the under-16 
timeout, with Indiana holding the 
slim advantage.
 The floodgates were open and 
Michigan wasn’t too keen on closing 
them. Behind a barrage of 3-point-
ers, senior guard Zavier Simpson 
dropping dimes — he had six assists 
in the opening 20 minutes — and 
senior center Austin Davis cleaning 
up the offensive boards, Michigan 
took control.
 Despite being traditionally thought 
of as Teske’s backup, the big man’s 
recent performances have blurred 
those lines, with both players receiv-
ing similar minutes in the first half. 

 “Austin is wired the right way,” 
Michigan coach Juwan Howard said. 
“He’s a total team guy. He’s never 
tried to go for his numbers or do 
things that he’s not good at. He comes 
in with the right attitude in practice 
and working hard. He’s buying into 
the teaching and development, and 
he’s going out there and having a 
great carryover game after game.”
 Even more offensive production 
from the Wolverines gave Michigan 
a 41-34 cushion going into the break, 
with junior forward Isaiah Livers 
leading the way with nine points. 
 And that cushion only grew in the 
second half. Wagner chipped in five 
quick points out of the break, de-
lighting his brother, former Michigan 
standout and current Washington 
Wizard Moritz Wagner, sitting 
courtside.
 Simpson continued to spread the 

wealth offensively, ultimately finish-
ing with 11 assists. 
 “(Zavier) did a really good job 
controlling the tempo of the game,” 
Howard said. “He was hunting for 
singles. He wasn’t trying to make the 
home-run play — finding guys that 
were open and being patient with the 
basketball.”
 What was a refreshingly comfort-
able half for Michigan could only 
be tarnished by the sight of Livers 
hobbling to the bench after falling 
out of bounds. Sunday marked Livers’ 
third game back from a re-aggravated 
groin injury suffered against Illinois 
on Jan. 25.
 After missing just six minutes of 
game time, though, Livers checked 
back in at the 7:54 mark — not that 
the Wolverines particularly needed 
him at that point, up by 19 — and 
played through a limp. Howard 

described his status as day-to-day 
afterwards, and Livers is currently 
in a boot with what appears to be an 
ankle injury. 
 In the end, Michigan handled its 
business with relative ease. Six Wol-
verines scored in double digits, with 
Wagner leading the way with 16. The 
balance and confidence on display 
more resembled the Michigan squad 
that knocked off No. 2 Gonzaga in 
November than the one that lost five 
of six Big Ten games to begin January. 
 “I feel like we’re back in the 
beginning of the year a little bit,” 
sophomore forward Brandon Johns 
Jr. said. “We’re all just so connected, 
trusting each other and knocking 
down shots.”
 In similar fashion to recent versions 
of the Wolverines, Michigan seems to 
be gaining momentum when it mat-
ters most — heading into March.

CONNOR BRENNAN
Daily Sports Writer

MICHIGAN ADVANCES TO 7-7 IN BIG TEN PLAY WITH 89-65 WIN OVER INDIANA

SPORTSMONDAY

Allison Engkvist / Daily | Design by Jack Silberman

INSIDE:

SIMPSON NOTCHES 11 ASSISTS TO 
LEAD ‘M’ TO WIN - JACOB KOPNICK
HOCKEY CRUSHES MSU 5-1 - ROHAN 
KUMAR AND BAILEY JOHNSON

BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL IMPRESS 
ON ROAD TRIPS - LILY ISRAEL AND 
JARED GREENSPAN

February 17, 2020 | michigandaily.com

