So if we don’t remember the 2018-19 Wolverines in the same way we remember other great Wolverine teams of recent years, we’ll still remember them. Not as a moment, necessarily, but as a group of the greatest era of Michigan basketball history.
Even without the titles. Even without the single enduring image. Even without NCAA Tournament glory.
This was a damn good Michigan basketball team. It deserves to be remembered that way.
The Daily looked at tape from three of Texas Tech’s most recent games, including its 78-58 win over Buffalo in the Round of 32, to help break down the matchup between two defensive titans.
When the Wolverines left the locker room, Matthews made sure they were, indeed, on it.
“First time in the huddle, he came and said, ‘No more threes. No more threes. Let’s limit their threes,” assistant coach DeAndre Haynes told The Daily. “He held it down for us out there.”
If the Wolverines wish to beat Florida on Saturday and advance to the Sweet 16 for a third straight year, that can’t be the case.
“We’re pretty sure we’re gonna see some switches tomorrow, which we’ve been scouting,” said assistant coach DeAndre Haynes. “We’ll be ready for it because we’ve been seeing it in our league. Lot of teams switch against us, and it made us a better team.”
Thursday, the Wolverines were happy for the opportunity to overwhelm an opponent by simply walking onto the court.
If everything had gone as planned, Matthews would be in the NBA right now. His expectation was to follow in the footsteps of John Wall, Anthony Davis and Karl-Anthony Towns.
He didn’t.
More than five years after he committed to Kentucky with intentions of becoming the next great one-and-done lighting college basketball on fire, Matthews is the captain of a Michigan basketball team with national championship aspirations, finally ready for one last go-around.
The Daily men’s basketball beat writers offer their predictions of Michigan’s postseason fate:
CHICAGO — Cassius Winston accelerated into the lane and laid in Michigan State’s 47th and 48th points of the day. After being down by 13 points just 10 minutes ago, the Spartans had come back to tie the game with 7:15 to play.
CHICAGO — Kenny Goins sits back in his chair in the corner of the Michigan State locker room, fresh off his team’s methodical win over Wisconsin. The victory clinched the Spartans’ passage to the Big Ten Tournament final Sunday, and already, the focus has shifted to that game.
Except their opponent has yet to be determined.
CHICAGO — On the road in the Big Ten, Ignas Brazdeikis has already become a villain.
Take what happened in College Park two weeks ago. Maryland fans taunted his appearance, quite vocally so. The freshman forward responded with 21 points in a 69-62 Michigan win, then blew kisses into the crowd.