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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The Wolverines came swinging out of the gates, but a defensive lull late in the first-half saw Nebraska get back within striking distance.
It didn’t last long, however, as Michigan went on a sizable run to start the second-half, which allowed seniors Zavier Simpson and Jon Teske to exit the court at Crisler Center for the final time to rousing ovations.
Ultimately, Michigan won, 82-58.
After the game, head coach Juwan Howard addressed the media to discuss Senior Day, the big win over Nebraska and where the maize and blue head moving forward.
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Watch the entire press conference video above or read the full transcript below.
Capitalizing off turnovers
“Well, I like how our defensive disposition started in the first part of the game. Unfortunately, we had some slippage I think in like the last five minutes of the first half. But the second half, I stressed at halftime we had to do a better job of getting stops. Not allow too many blow-bys, where they had been able to take us off the dribble, get in the paint to finish. Their confidence was very high because we wasn’t guarding. But in the second half, we did a better job of coming out with a lot more energy defensively, and also taking ownership of keeping our man in front, ball in front.”
What the seniors mean to the program
“Well, the year that I’ve been here working with Jon and Zavier has been awesome. They’ve been great student-athletes that did an awesome job of representing this Block M. It’s been a dream for me to be able to come into a program and have two guys that have been good examples, great leaders to each and every guy in the locker room. I’m just so proud of the career they’ve had thus far at Michigan and I just expect that there will be more exciting things ahead of them if they want to continue playing basketball.”
Offense in the second-half
“Well, we defended better. We did a really good job of, like I stated earlier, getting stops defensively. Taking ownership of guarding our man one-on-one. Not allowing blow-bys. Did a better job of contesting shots. But, on the offensive end, I felt like we also improved with ball movement. The ball kind of sticked in the first half when we settled for too many jumpers. We also were taking one pass and shot. The second half, we moved the ball and that’s how we were able to generate a lot more offense in the second-half.”
Isaiah Livers’ second-half
“Isaiah — like I told him in the first half — stop overthinking. Do not over-analyze. If the ball don’t go in, get your butt back and let’s go back and defend! I didn’t want him to have a carry-over, thinking, ‘Oh, wow,’ and pressing. ‘I missed three shots in a row.’ He’s a very skilled young man. The game is not all about making shots, it’s about how can you affect a game in a winning way on both ends of the floor. And to his credit, he came out with a better attitude, came out with a better level of focus in the second half, and that’s when good things happened.”
Emotions of Senior Day
“I was just happy for both players. It was very emotional to see our players be vulnerable and share their college experience with the crowd and let them know how much the Michigan fans meant to them and their families and their teammates and staff and managers. A lot of gratitude. We have two high class, high character guys, and I’m not surprised by how their college experience has been. It’s been a fun ride, but they know it’s not over. We’ve still got a lot more season to play.”
When he found out John Beilein would be at Crisler
“I think I found out maybe five days ahead of time and I thought that it would be great. A great idea to have Coach in the building. He’s meant a lot to the program and he’s meant a lot to the players. They’ve grown with Coach Beilein. He’s developed Zavier as well as Jon and he’s also recruited them. He’s been a part of their success — huge part of their success. So it was great to see Coach Beilein in the building, man. I didn’t get a chance to talk to him, but people that know me, my family and friends, they know that I’m an egoless kind of guy. It’s not about me. It’s about Zavier, it’s about Jon and we know Coach Beilein has been a huge part of their success.”
Comparing first season as a player to first season as a coach
“I’ve never given that any thought, so that’s a good question. My first year as a player, it was a great experience, being able to accomplish a lot that I dreamed of like playing some day in the Final Four, then making it to the championship game. Every kid that sits in their living room or their bedroom, they put a NERF rim on the door, and you imagine becoming someday like a Larry Johnson, cutting the net. Or imagine becoming like a Michael Jordan, hitting the game-winning shot to win it for your school. So that’s always been my dream. So I thought my first year here at Michigan was a successful year.
“Now, my first year as a coach, I’m growing. It’s been a good ride thus far. But we still have a lot more season to play. We’re going to continue to take it game-by-game and I’m gonna continue doing whatever I can to prepare this team to help put us in the best position to win.”
Message to the team before Maryland
“We’re gonna enjoy this game tonight, but then tomorrow morning, they understand that we’ve gotta come in and start preparing for Maryland.”
Ray Jackson being in attendance
“Oh wow — Ray surprised me today! Someone just knocked on my door really hard, I’m preparing to get game prep, and all of a sudden, Lisa barged in the door, and who’s walking in behind her? ‘What’s up, baby?!’ That’s how he said it! And to see Ray, man, I just jumped out of my chair and I was so happy and I’m still happy, man, because Ray and I, we’ve been through a lot. Our college experience was beautiful and he was one of my favorite teammates. I’ve enjoyed the brotherhood that we shared. I enjoy the relationship we’ve embarked on and the families that we’ve created. His family and my family, to come here the last regular season home game and surprise me like that, I told him, ‘I’m getting too old for that now! I don’t need a heart attack!'”
What it’s like to be at Senior Day
“Yeah, this Senior Night was my first time. I didn’t know what Senior Night was like until today. I’ve heard a lot from people as far as trying to prepare me for a night like this. Giving me some intel as far as how the night was gonna go and prepping me for this moment. I was like, ‘Wow, this is like Senior Night for me!’ I started getting a little nervous. But, it was beautiful just to see how Senior Night works for two guys who have done so much for the school. I wanted to make sure, not only for the players, but for myself — stick to my pregame routine. And I wanted them to stick to their pregame routine and stay focused on our opponent, Nebraska, because yes, a lot is happening, it can be a distraction. You can lose a little sleep. It does take you out of your comfort zone. But remember, we still have a game to play.”