The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1194003
JANUARY 2020 THE WOLVERINE 43 MICHIGAN BASKETBALL How they earned their titles, how- ever, was a bit unconventional in that the head coach chose them himself. Howard said he was laying down one night when it hit him. "I thought about team captains and said, you know, a lot of players … you talk about who is best suited to be- come captain, who earned it," he said. "One night I was thinking and said, 'I know who the captains are.' Plain and simple. It was staring all of us in the face — Jon Teske and Zavier Simpson. Not just because they're seniors, just that 'X' is the ultimate leader there is. "I haven't seen a better leader than Zavier Simpson. He holds his team- mates accountable, a guy who doesn't just talk the talk, but that cliché that he walks the walk. That's what he does. It's that simple. He's one of the hard- est-working guys on the team, a smart player." Howard called him his "Tom Brady," not the first time he referenced the former U-M signal-caller and current New England standout in comparing Simpson's leadership ability. "He makes my job a lot easier as a coach," he said. "I can lay my head down at night knowing I've got a guy like 'X' in the trenches." Teske, meanwhile, is a different per- sonality, but he's also developed into a leader in his own right. "He's won a lot of games like 'X,' is proven …. both will, in my opinion, have a chance to play at the next level in the NBA if they want to," Howard said. "Jon is an elite-level center, strong defender … a quiet assassin, I would say, who leads by example. "All leaders are not vocal leaders. It doesn't mean he's not a leader … just leads in a different way." The two Ohioans play off each other extremely well, Howard added. "I think with Jon and 'X,' there's great balance with the two," he said. "I may be able to get a few words out of Jon. You talk to 'X' for a while, you get a lot of words out of him. "I told the guys [one day], that cap- tains are chosen. I'm choosing it, Jon and 'X.' That simple. Does anyone have any input? Feel free. Is anyone against it?" There were no objections, and How- ard moved on with his choice. It's the second straight year Simpson earned the honor — he joined Charles Mat- thews leading the 2018-19 Wolverines. — Chris Balas MICHIGAN AND KENTUCKY ANNOUNCE FUTURE SERIES, INCLUDING 2020 LONDON SHOWDOWN On Dec. 5, Michigan announced it had agreed to face Kentucky in Lon- don in December 2020, followed by a home-and-home series between the programs each of the ensuing two years. The first game of the home-and- home is scheduled to occur in Ann Ar- bor in December 2021, and will be fol- lowed by a showdown at Rupp Arena in Lexington in December 2022. The matchup next season, meanwhile, will be played at the O2 Arena in London, which seats 20,000 people. "When the idea of playing Kentucky came up, we knew it would be an ex- citing opportunity, not only for our- selves, but for our fans as well," head coach Juwan Howard said. "What a unique three-game series. First, we get to showcase collegiate basketball over- seas in London before playing that tra- ditional home-and-home series in front of two of the nation's best basketball environments. We cannot wait." The Wolverines' last matchup with Kentucky occurred in the 2014 Elite Eight, when Wildcat guard Aaron Har- rison hit a game-winning three-pointer with just 2.3 seconds remaining to give UK a 75-72 victory and send it to the Final Four. Kentucky leads the all-time series with the Maize and Blue 5-2 with one of the two U-M victories occurring in the 1993 Final Four in New Orleans, when Howard and the Wolverines took down the Wildcats 81-78. The matchup with Kentucky will be one of several challenging non-con- ference games for the Wolverines next season, with the club scheduled to face Oregon in Eugene, and two of Baylor, North Carolina State and Villanova in the Empire Classic in New York. Michigan is no stranger to challeng- ing home-and-home series, having scheduled such matchups with Power Five schools in recent years including Arizona, Arkansas, Iowa State, Texas and UCLA. The trip to Europe will mark the fifth time Michigan has played outside the U.S., with the four previous occur- rences being the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas this season and in 2015- 16, the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic in 1997-98, the Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands in 2002-03 and the Puerto Rico Tip-Off in 2013-14. — Austin Fox MICHIGAN'S 2019-20 BASKETBALL SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Result/Time (ET) Nov. 5 Appalachian State (BTN) W, 79-71 Nov. 12 Creighton# W, 79-69 Nov. 15 Elon^ W, 70-50 Nov. 22 Houston Baptist W, 111-68 Nov. 27 vs. Iowa State& W, 83-76 Nov. 28 vs. North Carolina& W, 73-64 Nov. 29 vs. Gonzaga& W, 82-64 Dec. 3 at Louisville! L, 58-43 Dec. 6 Iowa W, 103-91 Dec. 11 at Illinois L, 71-62 Dec. 14 Oregon L, 71-70 (OT) Dec. 21 Presbyterian (BTN) 12 p.m. Dec. 29 UMass Lowell (FS1) 2 p.m. Jan. 5 at Michigan State (CBS) 1:30/4:30 p.m. Jan. 9 Purdue (FS1) 7 p.m. Jan. 12 at Minnesota (BTN) 1 p.m. Jan. 17 at Iowa (FS1) 9 p.m. Jan. 22 Penn State (BTN) 7 p.m. Jan. 25 Illinois (FS1) 12 p.m. Jan. 28 at Nebraska (ESPN/2/U) 7 p.m. Feb. 1 vs. Rutgers@ (BTN) 4:30 p.m. Feb. 4 Ohio State (ESPN/2) 7 p.m. Feb. 8 Michigan State (FOX) 12 p.m. Feb. 12 at Northwestern (BTN) 9 p.m. Feb. 16 Indiana (CBS) 1 p.m. Feb. 19 at Rutgers (BTN) 7 p.m. Feb. 22 at Purdue (ESPN/2) 2 p.m. Feb. 27 Wisconsin (ESPN/2) 7 p.m. Mar. 1 at Ohio State (CBS) 4 p.m. Mar. 5 Nebraska (FS1) 6:30 p.m. Mar. 8 at Maryland (FOX) 12 p.m. Mar. 11-15 Big Ten Tournament$ (BTN/CBS) TBD # Gavitt Tipoff Games; ^ Battle 4 Atlantis/Mainland Bracket; & Battle 4 Atlantis/Championship Bracket in Paradise Island, Bahamas; ! ACC/Big Ten Challenge; @ at Madison Square Garden in New York City; $ at Indianapolis Senior point guard Zavier Simpson has been selected as a team captain each of the last two seasons. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL