The Wolverine

March 2020 Issue

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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MARCH 2020 THE WOLVERINE 83   MICHIGAN BASKETBALL kept him involved in the nine games he missed, including him on road trips and keeping him on the bench near him as a team leader, but it wasn't the same. "You put all that work in in the offseason, those two-, three-a-days, and then you've got to sit out, it's like, 'Damn,'" Livers said. "And then you start second-guessing — did I overwork it in the summer? Did this lead to my groin injury? Is there something that happened along the way? … "[But] Howard was there with me for those nine games. He made sure I was a part of the team. That was the most important thing — I felt included." His presence on the floor, though, makes the difference. While soph- omore wing Brandon Johns has stepped up in his absence and con- tinues to improve, Livers' experience on both ends is difference making. "Obviously, with him in there, they're a different team," Northwest- ern head coach Chris Collins said after his team's home beatdown. "There's no question. It gives them another guy who can put points on the board. He can put it on the floor; he can shoot. It gives them another top-flight guy with Jon Teske, Za- vier Simpson, Eli Brooks, what Franz Wagner's giving them as a freshman. "He's a tough matchup — his abil- ity to pick and pop. He showed some really nice athleticism in transition with some dunks, gets on the glass. He's a very good Big Ten player." Livers suffered another scare when he went down with an ankle injury against the Hoosiers, but he had it taped in the locker room and re- turned to the floor to a rousing ova- tion. He returned to the lineup late in the game, and Howard said they'd get him treatment in the days leading up to a game at Rutgers Feb. 19. "He's done a really good job with our medical team," Howard said. "The sports rehab, as well as prac- tice, making sure that I manage his practice load … on off days he comes in, he does an excellent job of taking care of his body when it comes to treatment." — Chris Balas JON TESKE AND ZAVIER SIMPSON SET U-M RECORD FOR CAREER WINS Glen Rice, Rudy Tomjanovich, Bill Buntin, Cazzie Russell … Michigan has seen its share of elite basketball players come through Crisler Arena over the last several decades. None, however, have won more games in a Michigan uniform than senior cen- ter Jon Teske and senior point guard Zavier Simpson. The Ohio duo each picked up their 105th wins in a Michigan uniform in an 89-65 win over Indiana Feb. 16, passing Rice, J.P. Oosterbaan and Mark Hughes (1986-89) and Jordan Morgan (2011-14) for first on the all- time list. Simpson and Teske tied the mark in a win at Northwestern Feb. 12. 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 W, 86-44 Dec. 29 UMass Lowell W, 86-60 Jan. 5 at Michigan State L, 87-69 Jan. 9 Purdue W, 84-78 (2OT) Jan. 12 at Minnesota L, 75-67 Jan. 17 at Iowa L, 90-83 Jan. 22 Penn State L, 72-63 Jan. 25 Illinois L, 64-62 Jan. 28 at Nebraska W, 79-68 Feb. 1 Rutgers W, 69-63 Feb. 4 Ohio State L, 61-58 Feb. 8 Michigan State W, 77-68 Feb. 12 at Northwestern W, 79-54 Feb. 16 Indiana W, 89-65 Feb. 19 at Rutgers (BTN) 7 p.m. Feb. 22 at Purdue (ESPN) 2 p.m. Feb. 27 Wisconsin (ESPN2) 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 center Jon Teske (above) and senior point guard Zavier Simpson have now been a part of more victories than any other players in the storied history of Michigan basketball. The duo notched their 105th win in a Michigan uniform against Indiana Feb. 16. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN

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