Michigan Basketball: Seniors pitch in splendidly to help trounce Nebraska

With an unannounced appearance from John Beilein in attendance, Michigan basketball locked in after a troubling first half to suffocate the Cornhuskers once and for all.

Senior night 2020 was an utter success and put the Michigan basketball back in the winning column against an undermanned Nebraska squad.

The Wolverines throttled Fred Hoiberg‘s pack with a second-half explosion to send them to their 15th consecutive loss. Michigan’s defense took full advantage of the overmatched Nebraska bunch by forcing them into 22 turnovers, leading to a duo of double-doubles by Isaiah Livers and Zavier Simpson.

Simpson, along with Jon Teske finished their careers at Crisler as the winningest senior class in Michigan basketball history. That is quite an extraordinary feat that even the legendary Fab 5 could not accomplish. It proves how John Beilein left Michigan in better shape than when he arrived and set up the unlimited possibilities of future success for Juwan Howard and his crew.

The senior combo will seek to further their win total by surviving as long as possible from here on out. Getting 24 points off of turnovers and 40 coming from inside the paint is very unlikely to happen again with the competition only ramping up from this point on. As for Howard, he’ll attempt to build onto his own legacy by adding more coaching names to his already impressive resume that he has already beaten in his first year on the job.

Four of Michigan’s five starters notched double digits on the evening, including 10 from Brandon Johns fresh off the pine. Franz Wagner put in another 11 points to extend his streak of 11 plus points or more in six straight outings. Even more impressively, his defensive effort has been jumping off the screen. Defensive rebounds, steals, tipped passes and his basic man to man coverage have all lead to the freshman’s sudden stellar play that cannot be unseen.

The Wolverine defense also held the Cornhuskers to just four 3-pointers made. They gave up 22 in the last two losses combined. However, Michigan’s next opponent, Maryland, currently ranks tied for 298th and is shooting a mere 31 percent for the season. Throw in the recent history that the Wolverines have had in College Park lately by winning their last two meetings against the Terps should spell for a close encounter on Sunday afternoon.

Following Sunday’s finale marks the beginning of the sudden death postseason. Michigan basketball can be slated anywhere from the seven seed to the nine seed in the Big Ten tournament. It has done damage before as a middle of the pack seed and can feasibly do it again starting in one week in Indianapolis. After that is anyone’s guess depending upon how the brackets are properly ordered for the NCAA tournament.