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