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Michigan entered Saturday’s game against Illinois in a slump after losing three consecutive games. Meanwhile, the Illini came in one of the hottest teams in the Big Ten, having won five straight.
Michigan needed a boost in morale, and it got one with the return of junior Isaiah Livers to the starting lineup.
The first half saw the Wolverines start strong before suffering through a difficult first 20 minutes on offense, hitting just 1-of-11 attempts from the three-point line and shooting 35 percent overall. Michigan cut what was once and 8-point deficit to four to enter the locker trailing 34-30.
The Wolverines used that momentum to retake the lead early in the second half, but a gut-punch quickly followed when Livers appeared to re-aggravate his groin injury on a dunk attempt.
The injury could have derailed Michigan, but the Wolverines showed grit to battle the Fighting Illini to a tie into the closing seconds. On Illinois’ final possession, sophomore Ayo Dosunmu hit a mid-range jumper with half a second left to lift the Illini to a 64-62 victory.
1. Isaiah Livers returns, briefly
After missing the six previous games, Isaiah Livers returned to the starting lineup and brought energy to the Crisler Center crowd and his teammates. The junior had a hop in his step and made an impact with 7 points and 5 rebounds in 19 minutes of action. He hit a big three-pointer early in the second half to give the Wolverines a 38-37 lead, their first since leading 10-9 early in the contest. However, moments later, Livers was fouled while going up for a fast break dunk and he landed awkwardly. Livers immediately grabbed his groin area, where his initial injury was sustained. The junior knocked down both of his free throws before exiting the game.
2. Zavier Simpson Steps up
Even with Livers on the floor, it was too much to expect him to come back and lead the Wolverines after missing six games. This is still Zavier Simpson’s team, and he started well and was a calming presence once Livers left the game. Simpson finished with 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting and added 3 rebounds and 3 assists. When the senior plays within his strengths and doesn’t try to play above his capabilities, good things follow. That was the case today.
3. heart-breaking result
Michigan didn’t flinch when Livers went down. Illinois went on a mini-run to take the lead in the immediate aftermath of the injury, but the Wolverines went toe-to-toe for the remainder of the contest. Even on that final possession, when Dosunmu hit the dagger jumpshot, Simpson was in perfect defensive position and contested the shot well. But, the shot went down, and Michigan’s valiant effort ended with the same result as their previous three outtings. This is the type of result, especially in the midst of a four-game losing streak, that can derail a team’s confidence for good.
4. Better defensive performance
Following the loss to Penn State, head coach Juwan Howard was clearly frustrated with his team’s lack of communication on defense. In today’s game, Michigan showed a concerted effort to correct those defensive breakdowns. The Wolverines played well defensively on Saturday, limiting Illinois to 44 percent from the floor and 36 percent from the three-point line. There were a couple possessions here and there were defensive miscommunication was noticeable, but that’s going to happen on occasion in a 40-minute contest. This was a step in the right direction for the Wolverines on that end of the floor.
5. Wolverines limited by their shooting
Isaiah Livers has the talent to impact a game in a variety of ways, but the biggest thing Michigan was looking forward to with his return was an added weapon on offense. The Wolverines’ struggles on that end of the floor have been discussed ad nausea in recent weeks, and they continued today. Michigan finished the game shooting just 39 percent from the floor and 24 percent from deep. It’s pretty simple at this point: If the Wolverines can’t knock down open shots and find efficient ways to score, this is a team that’s going to be on the outside looking in on Selection Sunday in March. Michigan is limited in how far they can take their season by their poor shooting. Any turnaround going forward starts and ends with that fact.