Michigan Basketball: 3 takeaways, highlights from Wolverines win

Michigan basketball hosted Creighton Tuesday night and despite falling behind in the first half, the Wolverines got a big win. Here are the key takeaways.

With a new head coach, there can be an adjustment period and that looks no different for Michigan basketball, which struggled at times with Creighton Tuesday.

But what can help any first-year head coach, is having a point guard like Zavier Simpson, who turned in a stellar performance in the Wolverines 79-69 win over Creighton at Crisler Center.

It was the first big win of the Juwan Howard era, as the Blue Jays are a perennial NCAA tournament contender and a solid program out of the Big East.

Simpson finished with 17 points, nine assists and three rebounds, while Isaiah Livers scored 22 points of his own and Jon Teske added 17 too, just like Simpson, his fellow senior.

While those performances were the highlights, there was a lot to learn about the performance of Michigan basketball. We will have a more in-depth look, but for now, here are the initial takeaways.

Simpson still has it

Simpson struggled a little bit in the season opener and you never know how guys are going to translate to a new system. Well against Creighton, Simpson was just fine. He scored nine points in the second half, dished out a bunch of assists and even hit 2-of-3 from 3-point range.

Tonight, he looked like one of the best point guards in America, let alone the Big Ten and as long as he plays that way, Michigan basketball will be very difficult to beat.

Livers and Teske hold up their end

Of course, one player isn’t enough and on Tuesday, Michigan relied heavily on its big three, at least the one it has right now. Isaiah Livers was huge, scoring 22 points and connecting on four triples. He appears to have taken that step that so many expected him to.

And when it comes to Jon Teske, he just did what he does. The big man scored 17 points, grabbed seven points, blocked three shots and nabbed two steals. He also helped Michigan hold the Blue Jays to 28 in the second half after they scored 41 in the first 20 minutes. Big night for big Jon.

Depth is an issue

Some guys such as David DeJulius played better. The sophomore guard scored nine points and made two triples. Eli Brooks scored seven but Adrien Nunez, Brandon Johns and Colin Castleton left a lot to be desired.

When Franz Wagner comes back, it’s clear he will be a starter and looking at the lineup right now, it looks like Brooks, Simpson, Teske and Livers will join him. Those five will be the core group, but if Michigan wants to be a contender in the Big Ten, the other young guys have to step up.