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Michigan basketball’s 2019-20 season has been something of an uphill battle, especially since star forward Isaiah Livers has been out for what feels like the majority of the season.
Though Livers returned against Illinois, he seemingly tweaked his already existing injury, and has since missed the last few games. While his previous road to recovery saw him warm up for multiple games before returning to the court in earnest, could his return this time around not feature those seeming building blocks towards his progress?
It looks that way, as Livers was in a suit for the Rutgers game at Madison Square Garden, and didn’t even attempt to warm up against Ohio State on Tuesday. But, with rival Michigan State coming up on Saturday, the Wolverines looked like they got at least some kind of boost, as Livers returned to practice, according to The Athletic’s Brendan Quinn.
Am told that Michigan's Isaiah Livers went through a full practice yesterday and looked pretty good. A positive step for his status Saturday vs Michigan State.
— Brendan Quinn (@BFQuinn) February 7, 2020
That would be huge news for Michigan, as the team looked completely different in November and December when Livers was in the lineup. Since, it’s struggled, though sophomore Brandon Johns has performed admirably in his absence.
The last time the Wolverines faced the Spartans, it didn’t have Livers. Now, with a chance to have its junior forward back in the lineup, should that happen, it’ll give Michigan that much better of an opportunity to end its four-game losing streak to its in-state rival.