Michigan Basketball: 3 things we learned from win over Texas A&M
Zavier Simpson guards the “unguardable”
Texas A&M point guard TJ Starks had a great game in the Aggies’ upset of North Carolina in the second round of the tournament. He led his team with 21 points on 7-for-15 shooting, with 3 rebounds and 5 assists on top of that. Going into the Sweet 16 matchup with Michigan, he declared himself as “unguardable, unstoppable.”
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He had yet to meet Zavier Simpson.
Simpson, who has proven himself as an elite defensive player as the season has gone on, knew Starks’ weaknesses. Starks was an incredibly high-usage player, but the North Carolina was an anomaly. Despite having such high usage, he was not a very efficient scorer and was turnover prone. Early on in the game, Simpson kept attacking him, and Texas A&M’s offense collapsed with Starks. He ended the game with only five points on 2-for-11 shooting, with only one assist to his five turnovers.
Meanwhile, Simpson had a great game. In his 33 minutes, he racked up 11 points on 5-for-8 shooting, four rebounds, five assists and six steals, with only two turnovers. He might not have had the flashiest game, but it was one of the most important performances.
This is yet another great game in Simpson’s career, and he only seems to be getting better. The leap he’s made in his sophomore season on both sides of the ball has been incredible to behold. He’s only begun shutting down opposing point guards.