Michigan Basketball: David DeJulius must shine without Zavier Simpson

As if things weren’t bad enough for Michigan basketball, the Wolverines will now be without Zavier Simpson Tuesday night against Nebraska.

The season has taken a strange turn for the Michigan basketball program and Monday, the Wolverines received another blow as head coach Juwan Howard announced the suspension of Zavier Simpson for the game Tuesday at Nebraska.

Obviously, the timing really couldn’t be worse for Michigan basketball, as it gets set to travel to Nebraska in the midst of a four-game losing streak. The Wolverines lost on a buzzer-beater to Illinois, which followed losses to Penn State, Minnesota and Iowa.

Nebraska like Michigan is in the cellar of the Big Ten conference, but the Huskers have been able to win some games at home under first-year coach Fred Hoiberg and winning Tuesday, even with Simpson in the lineup was far from a guarantee.

Now, it looks even tougher.

Howard didn’t disclose why Simpson was suspended, but here is what he said in a statement:

"“While we are disappointed with what has transpired with Zavier, we know there are always lessons to learn and grow from. We take these matters and consequences very seriously. Moving forward, we will continue to handle this matter appropriately within our program and basketball family.”"

It’s hard to know exactly what happened, but at the very least, the timing isn’t good for the senior point guard. The Wolverines have already been reeling from the injury to Isaiah Livers, which caused him to miss five Big Ten games.

Yet, Livers returned against Illinois, before leaving with an injury in the second half. His status right now is being listed as day-to-day and while the injury doesn’t seem as serious as the groin injury that first forced him out of the lineup, his status for Nebraska is unclear.

What it all means is that others will need to step up, mainly David DeJulius, who will start for Simpson. DeJulius has been a streaky scorer this season, yet has been stellar at times. He scored two key buckets late Saturday, a 3-pointer and a floater that gave Michigan the lead.

Unfortunately, the Wolverines couldn’t make free throws and put the game away late. Ironically, some Michigan basketball fans have been frustrated with Simpson. He has shot the ball a lot recently out of necessitity and it hasn’t always been pretty.

Simpson is also one of the best distributing point guards in the country. His game will be missed, along with his leadership.

Hopefully, the Wolverines will be able to rally around DeJulius. But he and others like Franz Wagner, Jon Teske, Eli Brooks and Brandon Johns will also need to step up if the Wolverines are going get their season back on track.