Simpson — assuredly not known for his shooting prowess — has been trapped between the decision to take the open 3-point shot or carry on with one of many other options that he is more comfortable with, including driving to the hoop or finding another open man. But in an unexpected development, the veteran guard has added an effective 3-point shot to his arsenal, elevating the Wolverines’ offense. The senior made this addition even more apparent on Wednesday, when he hit two threes in the opening four minutes to ignite Michigan’s offense in its eventual 60-52 win over Rutgers.
Sunday, February 16, 2020 - 4:07pm
Zavier Simpson took the ball up the court to kick things off against Indiana on Sunday. But, fairly uncharacteristically, Simpson attempted to find his man on the right side only to see the ball land squarely in the hands of a Hoosier. Rather than follow up Indiana’s opening bucket with a couple points of his own, Simpson was staring down a turnover and a less-than-ideal start. But that would be one of his only mistakes all afternoon.
Friday, February 14, 2020 - 4:19pm
On Wednesday, following a blowout win over Northwestern, junior forward Isaiah Livers was asked to describe junior guard Eli Brooks — the game’s leading scorer. Instead of diving into the minutiae of the guard’s performance, Livers kicked things off by giving the third-year player a new nickname:
“The silent assassin.”
Wednesday, February 12, 2020 - 11:05pm
And after a rough start, the Wolverines (15-9 overall, 6-7 Big Ten) thoroughly dismantled the Wildcats (6-17, 1-12) to the tune of 79-54.
Michigan started the game badly, going 0-for-11 from the floor with seven of those shots registering as either layups or dunks. Most of the offensive stagnancy fell directly on the shoulders of senior center Jon Teske who struggled around the rim, missing easy looks against a drastically undersized Northwestern team.
Sunday, February 9, 2020 - 8:04pm
As Zavier Simpson sat quietly watching film, one pervading thought kept tugging away at his psyche.
He diligently watched game after game of Michigan falling to Michigan State over the course of his career, and had one nagging idea staring him right in the face: If the senior and unequivocal leader of this team hits a few more 3-pointers, the Wolverines flip the script.
Thursday, February 6, 2020 - 8:46pm
With Howard quickly amassing one of the Wolverines’ most highly-ranked recruiting classes in the last two decades, things are going to look a lot different when Michigan and Michigan State suit up in the future.
Tuesday, February 4, 2020 - 10:06pm
For all the romanticized and clichéd reasons to love sports, seeing a buzzer-beating 3-pointer hit nothing but net has to be near the top of the list. It’s pure anticipation as the shooter pulls up and attempts to carve themselves in the history books of their program.
That’s the exact opportunity junior guard Eli Brooks had in the waning moments on Tuesday against Ohio State.
Monday, February 3, 2020 - 4:31pm
Rarely though, does the season-long trajectory of two teams nearly mirror itself. Let alone rivals in the same conference.
But, that just so happens to be the case with the Michigan men’s basketball team and its opponent Tuesday: Ohio State.
Tuesday, January 28, 2020 - 10:30pm
LINCOLN — What do you do when your most comfortable state is upended? When all sense of familiarity is thrown out the window?
For many, the answer may be to lose all sense of composure. Fold under the pressure that is the massive concept of perpetual and unexpected change and let the winds of chance sweep you away.
Monday, January 27, 2020 - 5:40pm
While the details of the suspension are still unclear and coach Juwan Howard is keeping the details in-house, Simpson will be sitting out Tuesday’s game at Nebraska. The Wolverines’ identity is crumbling before their very eyes, they’re seemingly losing their composure. But their season isn’t over yet.