[jwplayer TeY23E1p-XNcErKyb]
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Not only did Michigan finally take down a big team for the first time in awhile, as the Wolverines beat No. 16 Michigan State, 77-68 at Crisler Center on Saturday, for the first time in forever the maize and blue both started — and finished — the game with full health.
Junior forward Isaiah Livers returned to the lineup for the first time since the Illinois game in January, but it’s the first time he’s finished a game since mid-December, before he went down with injury against Presbyterian. He offered a big lift on all fronts, shooting 50% from the field, with 14, points, two 3-pointers, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks and a steal in 31 minutes of game play.
Livers didn’t know for sure if he’d be ready to go until tip-off, but he knew he was close. He noted after the game that he almost played against Ohio State on Tuesday, but wanted to give himself a little extra time to make sure he’s healthy.
“Honestly, against Ohio State, it was one of those ‘could go’ just not fully ready,” Livers said. “Michigan State was more of a reality for me, coming into that week. So I just did as much treatment as I could. But also, a hype game, too.”
That said, despite his impact on the floor and in the box score, it wasn’t a seamless transition from sitting idly on the bench as he has for months now to returning to the starting lineup.
He had some moments where he had to collect himself as he gets himself back into playing and basketball shape.
“I’d say I got a little sore,” Livers said. “Around the two-minute mark, I pulled my jersey and said, ‘Coach, I need one.’ I was tired and I was sore. I came out, threw some of the magic juice on there, get some water and then get back out there and help my team.”
Still, he wasn’t at all limited, he says.
There was no restriction on minutes, no tentative play once he was on the court. Even though he had set some parameters for himself, to some degree, to make sure he didn’t re-injure his hip, he found himself back to his old ways.
“No, not at all. I’m still gonna attack with a lot of force,” Livers said. “Go up and finish and do what I do. I know I said I wasn’t gonna try and dunk, but I definitely tried in the first half and got fouled. I let go of the rim, so there was no tragedy there!”
Given Michigan’s struggles as of late, it felt good for Livers to be back, helping his team win.
He’s languished watching the losses pile up, as the team amassed its first four-game losing streak in his career at Michigan, and lost to teams like OSU, MSU (in January), Minnesota and Illinois, among others.
So to get revenge, get the win against an MSU team that started the 2019-20 season as No. 1 overall, also considering that Michigan had lost four-straight to the rival Spartans, it was sweet for Livers to be a part of it.
“(We needed it) a lot. A lot of downers,” Livers said. “A lot of games came down to free throws. We had that Ohio State game and they had that one call on X. Little stuff that we did at the end of a close game was like, ‘Damn! We almost had it!’
“We put a lot of work in. It was good for us to see all the work we put in the gym actually works on the court during the game time. So I was very happy for that.”
It wasn’t just Livers that was happy to be back — nor the fans, who gave him a raucous welcome when announced as a starter.
His head coach Juwan Howard noted after the game how much his return to the court helped lift the team — offensively, defensively and on the effort front.
“Well it was good Isaiah was happy today,” Howard said. “He felt good, so we wanted to give him a go because we just felt that he told us health-wise, Alex told us he would be good to go today. I was proud of the fact that how he came out and competed. There was some possessions out there where it was tough for us to score and Zay came up big, made some clutch shots. Defensively, he was very active on the defensive end. His length, protecting the basket — it was good, there were opportunities to be had where we switched ball screens and he was able to keep a man in front of him.
“Isaiah’s a talent, it’s that simple. We missed him a lot. We missed having another guy like Zay who can not only make shots, but also a guy that has a high basketball IQ that knows how to make plays.”
Livers has a few days to rest up, as Michigan doesn’t take the court again until Wednesday, when it will travel to Evanston to take on Northwestern.