Michigan Basketball: Instant impressions from win over Michigan State

Michigan basketball battled Michigan State Saturday and here are some instant impressions from the Wolverines win over the Spartans.

Michigan State had won four straight games over Michigan basketball prior to Saturday’s game. But the Wolverines were determined to end that streak and two veterans, in particular, Isaiah Livers and Zavier Simpson made it happen.

Livers returned from injury and was heroic. His defense was outstanding and his two, first-half 3-pointers were huge for momentum. He wound up with 14 points, four rebounds and two blocks, including one near the end of the game to help wrap up the 77-68 win.

But Simpson, a senior, was absolutely enormous. The point guard who has gone through so much turmoil lately delivered one of his best performances in a Michigan basketball uniform, connecting on four 3-pointers and scoring 16 points, while dishing out eight assists. He also drilled a dagger-3 late that helped put it away.

He was also part of a defense that held Cassius Winston in check. Simpson got the best of Winston in 2018. Last season, the Michigan State guard was on top, yet, this season, they split at 1-1 and that’s fitting.

At any rate, here are some instant impressions from the Wolverines massive win over Michigan State.

• Isaiah Livers looked healthy from the start and he won’t miss a beat. His ability to pull up and shoot from any spot on the floor was evident in the first half and as the game wore on. His 3-point makes made you feel like Michigan basketball could win. His hoops in the second half were even more important. He’s the closer Michigan basketball has been missing.
• The offense started slow but the defense was legit. Livers injury was an underrated factor in the poor defense at times during Big Ten play. Juwan Howard made a genius move of covering Cassius Winston with Eli Brooks more and was the end of his great run, as he made just 3-of-12 shots to start the game.
• Zavier Simpson (AKA Jeff Jackson) learned how to shoot and that was huge for how the Spartans had to defend him. Opened some things up for others. The three treys in the first half broke Michigan out of a slump. The fourth in the second half was the dagger.
• Gotta love the effort Austin Davis brings. Great down low, needs more minutes and maybe, needs to be brought back for his redshirt senior season.
• Don’t understand why Jon Teske keeps struggling so much inside. Seriously, how can a 7-foot-1 dude not make more two-foot shots? Of course, then he comes through with the sickest dunk of the game. Still, he has to play better inside if this team is going to have a shot to do big things in March.
• Love what Franz Wagner brings. Even when he doesn’t score well, like in the first half, he brings it still, diving on loose balls, knocking out the ball for a steal. Then, in the second half, he finds a way to score inside. Tough as nails, just like his brother.
• Can’t say about enough about Brooks. His defense is always there but his offense is inconsistent. Yet, he hits a lot of big shots and he was of the core guys Howard can rely on, both offensively and defensively.
• David DeJulius, a guy from the state of Michigan, was huge. Love his potential as an offensive playmaker. It will be interesting to see him continue to expand his game.

• From a team perspective, 5-7 in the Big Ten is much better than 4-8. This team notches another big win and proved what it can do with Livers in the lineup. Now, it’s time to put a run together and improved that NCAA tournament seed.