Tag: Jon Teske

Everything to know about NBA G League pre-draft evaluation process

Rookie Wire obtained every detail possible about the NBA G League pre-draft evaluation process, including all of the known invitations sent.

Rookie Wire obtained every detail possible about the NBA G League pre-draft evaluation process, including all of the known invitations sent.

Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, many draft-eligible prospects not invited to the NBA combine have had trouble getting all of their information to team-decision makers in advance of the 2020 NBA Draft. To combat this, the NBA G League is offering a greater opportunity to be evaluated by team decision-makers.

This information included below was shared with USA TODAY Sports Media Group’s Rookie Wire on the condition of anonymity because the person who shared the details was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

While the G League Elite Camp was canceled this year, a “select number” of participants were given the chance to share virtual evaluations through both shooting drills and an NBA pro day.

Prospects who agreed to participate will use HomeCourt, a mobile basketball training application, to record on-court workouts. The results will be shared with NBA team staffers through the app.

Players were encouraged to have two staffers with them in the gym to assist with the process. The coaches and trainers were required to wear a face mask and gloves during the workout.

NBA Evaluation: 8 Shooting Drills (based on previous editions of the Draft Combine)

  • Warm-Up/free-throws (50 shots)
  • Spot-Up shooting (50 shots)
  • Shooting off dribble/pull-up jumpers (30 shots)
  • Mid-Range/off the catch (20 shots)
  • 3-point drill /3-pointers off the catch (20 shots)
  • Side-mid-side/3-point jumpers on the move (2 minutes)
  • 3-point endurance/catch-and-shoot at game speed (5 minutes)
  • Cool down/free-throws (50 shots)

Each shooting drill can be completed a max of three times. Only the best score is uploaded into the NBA Player Evaluation platform for all NBA teams to access the data and video.

This is how the results look, as obtained by Babcock Hoops’ Derek Murray:

NBA Pro Day: 45-Minute Open Workout

  • This workout allows the draft prospect to share the unique
    aspects of his game through a 45-minute open workout.
  • Players are prohibited from partaking in live competition against any other draft-eligible and/or other players, including: informal scrimmages, pick-up games (e.g., 2-on-2), defensive drills (e.g., pick-and-roll coverage, post defense, etc.), offensive drills (e.g., Pick-and-Roll / Pop situations)
  • Pro Day must be a half-court workout.
  • Pro Day is an open workout for up to 45 minutes. If a player does NOT use the full 45 minutes, that is OK.
  • Must be completed on the same date as shooting drills. The player is allowed a 10-minute break in between.

KNOWN INVITATIONS

USA TODAY Sports Media Group’s Rookie Wire was able to obtain a list of prospects invited to participate in this process. Note that others may have been included as well, though these were the names we can confirm at this time. 

Tres Tinkle, Oregon State

Malik Fitts, Saint Mary’s

Trevelin Queen, New Mexico State

Freddie Gillespie, Baylor

Jordan Ford, Saint Mary’s

Rayshaun Hammonds, Georgia

Jon Teske, Michigan

Emmitt Williams, LSU

Anthony Lamb, Vermont

Austin Wiley, Auburn

Isiaha Mike, SMU

Nate Darling, Delaware

Kamar Baldwin, Butler

Caleb Homesley, Liberty

Anthony Cowan, Maryland

Dwayne Sutton, Louisville

Steven Enoch, Louisville

Osasumwen Osaghae, Florida International

Kylor Kelley, Oregon State

John Mooney, Notre Dame

Xavier Sneed, Kansas State

EJ Montgomery, Kentucky

Quinton Rose, Temple

Jordan Bowden, Tennessee

Jake Toolson, BYU

Samir Doughty, Auburn

Terry Armstrong, South East Melbourne

Eli Pemberton, Hofstra

Kouat Noi, Cairns

Sacar Anim, Marquette

Jeff Dowtin, Rhode Island

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Michigan basketball releases emotional video celebrating seniors

The official Michigan basketball Twitter account released a must-see short video of the two departing seniors.

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We were supposed to have at least one more game at this point with Zavier Simpson running the show and Jon Teske down low. And, we should have had at least another last week.

But, the novel coronavirus outbreak has eliminated that, as both Simpson and Teske unknowingly suited up in maize and blue for the last time in the regular season finale at Maryland.

On Sunday, Simpson thanked the fans for his four years in Ann Arbor in a post on Instagram, but the official Michigan basketball Twitter account is taking things a step further.

Monday morning, Michigan basketball released a short video highlighting Teske and Simpson, in a must watch moment that will give Wolverines fans all the feels.

Watch below:

Five takeaways: Wolverines roll Nebraska on ‘Senior Night’

Five takeaways from Michigan’s 82-58 blowout win over Nebraska. The Wolverines celebrated ‘Senior Night’ with Zavier Simpson and Jon Teske.

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Michigan was riding high at this time two weeks ago, in the midst of a surge in the Big Ten standings and looking like a dangerous team posed for March.

Then, after back-to-back losses to Wisconsin and Ohio State, the Wolverines’ momentum was suddenly and abruptly halted.

Thursday night provided a chance for Michigan to celebrate their program leaders, Zavier Simpson and Jon Teske, for Senior Night. It also provided an opportunity to work out the kinks from last week against a Nebraska club that entered the night having lost 14 consecutive games.

The Wolverines took advantage of both those opportunities with an 82-58 victory over the Cornhuskers.

Michigan got off to a fast start, opening the game with an 11-2 run and appearing poised to cruise to an easy victory. However, the Cornhuskers took advantage of the Wolverines poor shooting to close the gap to 32-28 by halftime.

It was all Wolverines in the second half, however. Michigan shot the ball much better after halftime, and got contributions up and down the roster to roll past Nebraska.

1. a night to celebrate simpson, teske

Zavier Simpson and Jon Teske have experienced many highs and lows throughout their college careers, on their way to the most career wins by any individuals in a Michigan uniform. In their final home game, the seniors came to play. Simpson, who played his 145th career game to surpass Muhammed Ali-Abdur Rahkman for the most by a Wolverine, finished with 11 points, 10 assists and 3 steals. Teske, meanwhile, played one of his best games of the past couple months with 12 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 steals. These are guys who helped Michigan win back-to-back Big Ten tournament titles, and were part of the national runner-up team in 2017. Their senior season has been inconsistent, but Simpson and Teske’s careers will live on in Michigan lore.

2. Livers struggles early, comes alive in 2nd

Isaiah Livers had a tough week against Wisconsin and Ohio State, shooting just 5-of-21 combined in those two outings. On Thursday, the junior’s struggles bled into the first half as he shot just 2-of-10 in the opening 20 minutes. Yet, despite the early struggles, Livers ended up leading Michigan to victory with 18 points, 10 rebounds, a block and a steal. It wasn’t his most efficient performance — Livers ended the night 7-of-18 from the floor — but it was good to see him break out a bit in the second half. If the Wolverines have any sort of run in them in tournament play, it will be on Livers’ shoulders.

3. Wolverines much better defensively

Any improvement that comes at the expense of the Cornhuskers needs to be looked at with a reasonable level of scrutiny. With that in mind, Michigan looked much better on the defensive end on Thursday night. The Wolverines limited Nebraska to 36 percent shooting from the floor, including 21-of-58 from the three-point line. In addition, Michigan forced Nebraska into 22 turnovers. Admittedly, many of those could be classified as giveaways by the Cornhuskers. Again, this performance should be taken with a grain of salt, but after the struggles from a week ago, maybe this was a step in the right direction.

4. balanced scoring up and down the roster

The Wolverines had five players reach double-figure scoring in Livers (18), Teske (12), Simpson (11), Franz Wagner (11) and Brandon Johns Jr. (10). Wagner and Johns Jr. were efficient, combining to shoot 8-of-15 from the floor. In addition, Michigan got solid contributions from Eli Brooks and Austin Davis. Brooks looked much better than he did against Ohio State, scoring 8 points and hitting two triples in his second game in the protective mask. Davis, meanwhile, added 7 points on 3-of-5 shooting and added 4 rebounds. The Wolverines need multiple guys to contribute, like they did tonight, when tournament play arrives next week.

5. a massive road test on the horizon

Michigan will play one of its toughest games of the year on Sunday to close out the regular season. The Wolverines travel to Big Ten co-leader Maryland, who have lost just one time at home this season — last week against Michigan State. Let’s be honest, it’d be a surprise to see Michigan pull off the upset in College Park, but this is the last preparation game for the Wolverines before tournament play begins. The mindset for Michigan should be to go in and fight toe-to-toe, on the road, against one of the best teams in their conference. If the Wolverines play well on Sunday, it’ll give them the confidence that they can compete with anyone in the upcoming NCAA tournament.

 

Halftime Analysis: No. 25 Michigan vs. Nebraska

Halftime analysis of Michigan basketball’s matchup with Nebraska on ‘Senior Night’ for Zavier Simpson and Jon Teske at the Crisler Center.

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After back-to-back losses to Wisconsin and Ohio State last week, Michigan entered ‘Senior Night’ in need of a pick-me-up game, and you couldn’t have selected a much better opponent for such a game than Nebraska.

The Cornhuskers entered this contest losers of each of their last 14 games, including a 79-68 defeat at the hands of the Wolverines back on Jan. 28.

The Wolverines wasted little time asserting themselves in this one, quickly jumping to an 11-2 lead. Michigan cooled off after that hot start however, and watched their lead slip all the way down to 23-22 with about six minutes to play in the half.

At the break, the Wolverines lead by a score of 32-28.

POSITIVES:

  • Jon Teske came to play on ‘Senior Night’. Against the Cornhuskers’ undersized frontcourt, the 7-footer had his way down 8 points, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 steals in the first half. It was about as active we’ve seen Teske in the last month or so, and while it was expected the senior center should have his way against Nebraska, it’s still nice to see him go out and take advantage.
  • The Wolverines were active in the passing lanes on defense in the first half, forcing 12 Nebraska turnovers and converting them into 12 points on the other end. Michigan’s ability to score off of their defensive takeaways was big given the way the Wolverines shot the ball in the opening 20 minutes.

NEGATIVES:

  • In the midst of the two losses last week, we saw the return of Michigan’s shooting struggles that haunted the team in January. Those same woes have appeared in this game as well. The Wolverines shot just 34 percent (13-of-38) in that opening half, including 5-of-15 from three-point range. The shooting struggles were highlighted by Isaiah Livers, who missed 8 consectutive shot attempts after knocking down back-to-back triples to open the game. Michigan, and Livers, need to break out of this shooting slump quickly, as tournament play is right around the corner.
  • This was a game, even coming off the struggles last week, that the Wolverines were expected to dominant. They simply haven’t done that through 20 minutes. After the fast start to the game, Michigan went ice cold from the floor, and some of the defensive breakdowns we saw last week bled into this game as well. A loss tonight would be a real morale killer for the Wolverines, who have a trip to Big Ten co-leader Maryland this weekend. Michigan is still in danger of slipping all the way down to an 11-seed in the Big Ten tournament, and a loss tonight would make that scenario all the more likely.

Juwan Howard offers Austin Davis back for 5th-year, and more in Nebraska preview

With the final home game of the 2019-20 season on the horizon, the Wolverines coach shared some big news while looking back at his seniors.

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Two big things are on the horizon for Michigan basketball: Thursday night’s matchup against Nebraska is Senior Day, the final home game for Zavier Simpson and Jon Teske in their Wolverines career. And would the maize and blue bring Austin Davis back for a fifth-year after a recent string of excellent performances off the bench.

With the final home game for the 2019-20 season coming up, head coach Juwan Howard spent the entirety of his Nebraska preview discussing both topics, as the Wolverines look to end the Crisler Center contingent of the regular season on a high note.

Watch the entire press conference above or read the full transcript below.

Opening statement

“Before you begin with your questions, I wanted to make an announcement: as you guys know that tomorrow we’ll be celebrating our Senior Day for Zavier and Jon. But there’s a bigger announcement to make regarding Austin. Austin Davis will be returning for this fifth-year. I gave him the news yesterday. He was super excited. Just to see the smile on his face. He gave me three hugs. And he held me tight, too, so that made me just know from that hug, those hugs, it’s the feeling of a guy who’s really excited about coming back and being a student-athlete here at the University of Michigan.

“We’re excited to have him back because Austin being a great teammate he is, but he’s also a joy to coach. He’s shown great leadership throughout this year. He’s also shown a lot of growth on the court as well as in the classroom. As far as his excitement that’s in his feelings, in his voice, we’re excited to make that announcement and to see one of our guys who is a Michigan man returning next year to help lead this program next season with the future that we’re building here at the school.

“I wanted to let you guys know that. If you have any questions now, feel free.”

How they came to the decision to bring Austin Davis back

“Well we had a great meeting two weeks ago just talking about his future. He shared with me, as far as, I’m aware of anatomy as something he’s strong about and physical therapy is another one of the areas he’s considering in the future. So we talked about that alone as far as his future with the program. On the court, I really admire his work ethic. I really appreciated how he’s came out each day, approached every day of practice, working to get better as a player, inserting to help his teammates. You’ve seen the growth this season. We’ve all witnessed it. It was an easy decision for me just knowing we have a guy who’s all in, loves being here at Michigan and loves playing for the team. And I enjoy coaching him.”

Did Austin Davis express wanting to come back?

“Well he was basically just thinking about what was the best situation for his future. I just felt yesterday was the perfect time to let him know we want him back next year.”

Senior Day

“We still have a game to play. Nebraska is a team that, yeah, it doesn’t show up on their record how good they are. But they’ve proven they can beat some teams in the Big Ten. They’ve also proven that they’re a very competitive team. So we do not want to get distracted by the fact that we do have a game to play, but we will celebrate two of our seniors. Two guys who have been great student-athletes here at the University of Michigan. Has been a joy to coach for the ten months that I’ve been here. And I’m just happy to be a part of their success.”

Austin Davis’ growth

“Well, his production on the court, accepting his role to be a reserve. In the beginning of the season, he was our third center coming off the bench. Originally, I had Colin as that backup center. Austin just came in and practiced. Very supportive, respectful and has did whatever we asked him to do without — let me put it like this — without showing any resistance. So he’s been patient with his role and when his name got called on, whenever he got that time to go out there and compete, he’s always giving us great production off the bench. I’ve never wavered at any point of not playing him, because he’s proven that he deserves to play.

“So overall I’ve seen a lot of growth offensively. When we’ve been able to throw the ball into him, he’s been patient in the low block, and also been effective. I’ve seen how he’s been effective in pick-and-roll situations and guarding a lot of ball screens, buying into the details of the scouting report. Spending a lot of off-time coming into the gym working on his game. Spending time in the film room with myself and assistant coaches. He’s shown that he wants to play basketball and that he enjoys it here at the University of Michigan.”

Before which game did he meet with Austin Davis?

“Yes, we had breakfast. No, I don’t remember which game because all these days are running so close together. Sometimes I forget what day it is, to be honest with you.”

How did he tell him he was offered a fifth-year?

“I told him just one-on-one. I don’t think it was no need to make a big, huge announcement. I just felt like it was the right thing to do and the right way to do it.”

Concerned about being over on scholarships with Davis returning?

“All I can say is I don’t like to look forward to next year because we still have a season to play. I just know that Austin Davis will be a part of it. That’s all I can tell you right here. That’s all I’m comfortable saying at this moment.”

If and when Howard knew Davis would contribute as he is?

“Yes, I did. When we first started our development workouts in July, I recall having a coaches retreat with our staff. This was back in September. And I asked each staff member to give me a list of eight guys that they’d feel fits that 8-man rotation. And Austin was a part of my eight after what I observed from July until September.”

How the team doesn’t look ahead to the tournaments with two games left

“Our players always know from the leadership that we take game-by-game and control the controllable. Let’s take care of us first. We’ll see at the end of the season where the chips fall.”

What was the key to Davis getting into the rotation

“I just stated it earlier. What he’s done in a practice as well as ways to prove it on the floor with his play out there. He’s just a joy to coach. I’m just enjoying how he’s just blossoming in all our eyes.”

Zavier Simpson and Jon Teske’s overall impact

“What I’ve witnessed from afar, they’ve been great. I’m a big fan of Jon and Zavier as far as how they’ve represented their school and also how they’ve represented their families. The work ethic shows throughout their career how hard they’ve worked, practiced in the offseason and then during the season, each player has gotten better and better. I’m just fortunate that out of almost one season, we’ve developed a great relationship and they’ve been a joy to coach. They’ve been also great leaders for their teammates and great examples of how they’ve gone about their work in practice, in off-days as well as during the season. It’s beautiful. Coach Beilein did a great job of bringing in two Ohio guys that — and I said Ohio, right? Two Ohio guys that did a great job of representing Michigan.

How senior night has evolved since Juwan’s senior night

“I’m sorry, I didn’t have a senior night. I missed out on that opportunity because I left a year early, so I only had three years here at the University of Michigan as a student-athlete. This will be my first senior night.

Is this like his senior night?

“Well, I’m trying to understand what you mean by that. Yeah, that’s true. I’m looking forward to it, then. It’s gonna be a great way to celebrate our seniors. But, like I stated earlier, I’m also thinking about Nebraska. That’s a big priority. I don’t want us to forget we still have a game to play. And it’s an important game for us and it’s our regular season game here in Crisler. I want it to be a good outing and all of us can leave with a smile on our face.”

The dynamic between Jon Teske and Austin Davis

“Man, they have a great relationship. They both are their No. 1 cheerleaders. And I’ve seen how on the bench, when Jon is out there, Austin is very vocal and doing whatever he can to not only help Jon but the other four players that are out there. Giving pointers, being a great leader, saying all the right things in the huddles. I’ve also seen where Austin is out there playing well on the floor, giving us a spark that we need when Jon is resting, that Jon has been his biggest cheerleader. Enjoying someone else’s success. It’s great that you have players that cheer for one another and care for one another. So it’s been fun for me, just seeing how our team has bought into being a family.”

How much Simpson and Teske helped his transition

“That’s a great question. The seniors have — not just our seniors, but all players — all the players on the roster have helped me with my adjustment here. I’m not gonna always get it right, I’m gonna make mistakes. But they’ve been in my corner. They’ve been super supportive. I have learned from my players and I have learned from Zavier, I have learned from Jon. They both are high IQ ball players. They see things out there on the floor that sometimes, we as coaches may miss. There have been times where Zavier, he’s drawing up an ATO and I’ve given him the board to draw it up. There are times when Jon has been the vocal person in our huddles in time outs. Things he may see when it comes to guarding a ball screen. He’d say, ‘No, coach: let’s try it this way.’ ‘Sure, no problem. Let’s go!’ They’ve been great, man. I’m just fortunate to have two players that I have walked into a team and they have embraced me and they have embraced the new culture.”

Halftime Analysis: No. 19 Michigan vs. Wisconsin

Halftime analysis of Michigan basketball’s home game against the Wisconsin Badgers as Big Ten Conference play winds to a close.

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Two of the hottest teams in the Big Ten collide at the Crisler Center as Michigan hosts Wisconsin tonight.

The Badgers enter Thursday’s matchup having won four consecutive games and five of their past six. The Wolverines, meanwhile, boast the best streak in the league with five straight wins, and have won seven of their past eight contests.

Michigan is without starting shooting guard Eli Brooks, who took a hard shot to the nose in the Wolverines’ win over Purdue this past weekend.

Wisconsin got off to a hot start offensively against a sluggish Michigan squad and leaped to a 19-9 in the opening five minutes of play. The Wolverines responded to cut their deficit to 24-22, but the Badgers punched right back with a 12-0 run to take their largest lead of the game.

By the time the halftime buzzer sounded, Wisconsin led 43-33 as the teams entered the locker rooms.

POSITIVES:

  • Zavier Simpson got off to an unbelievable start in this one, and was overall outstanding in the first half. The senior point guard scored 9 points in less than six minutes of play to open the contest. Simpson finished the half with 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting, and added 3 rebounds. It was an eye-opening performance in the first 20 minutes from the senior captain, but he’ll need more support from his teammates in the second half if Michigan is to make a comeback.

NEGATIVES:

  • Where’s the defense? The Wolverines have made great strides on the defensive end of the floor in the month of February, but you wouldn’t have guess that with the way this game started. Wisconsin got whatever they wanted in the early-goings tonight, scoring 19 points in the opening five minutes and change. The Badgers stayed hot for the remainder of the half as well, converting on 17 of 27 attempts to shoot a blazing 63 percent from the floor. The Wolverines need to lock in defensively in the second half, and hope that Wisconsin cools off.
  • Michigan’s offense was humming in the first half, especially early, as the Wolverines knocked down nine of their first 14 shot attempts. However, the train ran off the tracks following that hot start, as Michigan missed its next eight shot attempts. Michigan closed the half shooting 45 percent (14-of-31) from the floor, but was just 1-of-3 from the three-point line.
  • Who’s going to help out Simpson? The point guard’s teammates were just 6-of-18 from the floor in the first half. Jon Teske (5 points), Isaiah Livers (4) and Franz Wagner (2) need to get going in a big way in the upcoming 20 minutes.

Five takeaways: Wolverines beat Purdue for fifth straight win

Five takeaways from Michigan’s 71-63 win over Purdue at Mackey Arena, the fourth straight road win for the Wolverines.

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Michigan traveled to Mackey Arena, home of the Purdue Boilermakers, on Saturday fresh off a road win at Rutgers and in the midst of a four-game winning streak.

After spending the majority of the season firmly on the bubble, the Boilermakers entered the contest desperate for a win after three straight losses and in danger of missing the NCAA Tournament.

Both teams started slow offensively, but Michigan ended the first half with a flurry of three-pointers during a 15-4 run to take a 36-21 lead into halftime.

That run proved to be the difference in the game, as the Wolverines kept Purdue at arms length for the entirety of the second half on their way to a 71-63 victory.

1. wolverines becoming road warriors?

Michigan has flipped the script on the road in the back-half of this season. After starting the year 0-5 in true road games, the Wolverines have now won four consecutive games in an opponent’s building. Michigan didn’t shoot the ball well today — they hit just 25-of-65 attempts from the floor — which has been a consistent trend on the road, but the Wolverines overcame its poor shooting on the defensive end.

2. defense flexes on williams, boilers

Trevion Williams had his way with the Wolverines in their first meeting, scoring 36 points on 16-of-28 shooting. Today, Michigan’s defense on Williams was outstanding, limiting him to 16 points on just 7-of-20 shooting. Austin Davis, in particular, defended Williams extraordinarily well. The defensive effort on Williams was the catalyst of a strong defensive performance overall for the Wolverines. Purdue shot 39 percent from the floor, and just 4-of-16 from three-point range. Michigan’s turnaround on defense this season has been something to behold, and it’s allowed them to win games like these when offense has been difficult to come by.

3. Franz Wagner massive for michigan

Franz Wagner was huge on Saturday. The Wolverines struggled to score throughout the game, but the freshman’s offense carried them through a rough shooting day. Wagner knocked down 3 three-pointers on his way to a career-high 22 points. He added 5 rebounds, 3 assists and a pair of steals in a real nice floor game for the Michigan freshman.

4. Jon Teske shows signs of life

I’ve been critical of Jon Teske for the past several weeks, as the senior center has struggled through a significant slump in Big Ten play this season. Against Purdue, however, the senior played better than he has in quite some time. His numbers weren’t eye-popping — 11 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists — but he made an impact on this game defensively in the post, and was the third-leading scorer for the Wolverines. If Michigan can get their senior center playing at this level moving forward, they become even more dangerous come tournament time.

5. Wolverines are hot heading into home stretch

Five consecutive wins, and seven victories in their last eight outings. Who could have seen this coming as the Wolverines struggled through a four-game losing streak to finish January? Michigan has been incredible in February, and closes the month out with a home date with Wisconsin this coming Thursday. The Wolverines are playing their best basketball right now, and will enter March with a lot of momentum. Road trips to Ohio State and Maryland loom in the opening weeks of the new month, but with the way Michigan has looked on the road lately, those games look far more winnable now then they did just a couple weeks ago.

Simpson, Teske become winningest Wolverines of all time

With 105 career wins, Michigan’s Zavier Simpson and Jon Teske are now the winningest Wolverines in program history.

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — After leading their team to a 89-65 drubbing of Indiana at the Crisler Center, Michigan captains Zavier Simpson and Jon Teske stand alone as the winningest men’s basketball players in program history.

Sunday’s victory marked the duos 105th win of their careers.

“Looking at Zavier as well as Jon, I’m seeing the two players who broke the record for most wins in Michigan history,” said head coach Juwan Howard after the win. “That’s says a lot about their body of work and what they’ve done as far as representing that Block M.”

Teske had somewhat of a quiet afternoon offensively, scoring just 6 points on 2-of-5 shooting. However, the senior center made an impact elsewhere with 7 rebounds and an impressive 4 blocked shots.

Simpson, meanwhile, put on a masterful performance while orchestrating Michigan’s offense. He had 12 points of 4-of-7 shooting, and handed out 11 assists while turning the ball over just once.

“He made some great decisions with the basketball,” Howard said of Simpson. “He did a really good job of controlling the tempo of the game. One thing was critical — his decision-making — you saw him hunt for singles. He wasn’t trying to make the home run play. Finding guys that were open, being patient with the basketball, reading what the defense gives him. And guys were able to catch, either for a shot, or getting some opportunities [to] catch and go. So, it was a very solid game for him.”

Entering Sunday’s contest, Simpson was third in the country in total assists, and second in assists per game. After his performance against the Hoosiers, the senior is now just on off the lead in total assists (196), trailing Pepperdine University’s Colbey Ross. Simpson edges Ross in assists per game by a mere tenth of an assist (.116).

As freshman, Teske and Simpson had to wait their turn behind players such as Moe Wagner and Derrick Walton Jr., and as seniors they’ve had their highs and lows this season. But it’s inarguable that the two captains will finish their careers amongst the best this program has put on the floor, and their names are now in the record books to back the claim.

Five takeaways: Wolverines overpower Northwestern

Five takeaways from Michigan’s 79-54 victory over Northwestern on Wednesday evening.

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Michigan got a resume-building win over the weekend against Michigan State, and followed that up by taking care of business on Wednesday against Big Ten bottom-feeder Northwestern.

The Wolverines improve to 15-9 overall and 6-7 in conference play. Michigan has won four of it’s past five games after dropping four straight earlier this season.

The Wolverines got off to an ugly start, missing their first 11 shots, 8 of which came within the paint. Michigan settled in and controlled the game from that point forward however, overpowering the Wildcats on its way to a 79-54 victory.

1. taking care of business

Let’s be clear: This win was absolutely an expectation. Northwestern is one of the worst teams in the country, and a Michigan loss would have been unfathomable. Still, there was a time this season when winning on the road was like solving a Rubik’s cube for the Wolverines. So, while nobody is doing backflips over this Michigan win, give them credit for going into an opposing team’s building and leaving no doubt.

2. more minutes for austin davis?

After a strong junior campaign a season ago, Jon Teske has struggled more and more as his senior season has progressed. He opened this game 0-for-5 from the floor, with every shot coming deep in the paint, before finishing the night 3-of-14 with 6 points. Meanwhile, backup center Austin Davis came in and converted his first three scoring chances in the first half, and showed good footwork and finishing ability around the rim. Davis finished with 9 points on 4-of-4 shooting. Teske is the better defender of the two, and probably a better rebounder, but Davis has been a more efficient scorer in recent outings. It may be time for head coach Juwan Howard to give a Davis more of Teske’s minutes moving forward.

3. Isaiah Livers brings the thunder

Isaiah Livers may have had a poor shooting night, finishing 0-for-5 from three-point range, but the junior had two thunderous dunks against the Wildcats, much to the delight of his teammates. Highlight dunks are fun and exciting, but more importantly, Livers showed no signs of his previous injuries upon his landings. That’s a good sign for his health moving forward. The junior finished with 17 points on 5-of-11 shooting and added 5 rebounds.

4. strong showing from wolverine bench

Austin Davis’ impact was noted above, but the Wolverine bench as a whole had a good showing, scoring a total of 29 points on a blistering 12-of-16 shooting. Sure, it’s fair to point at Michigan’s opponent as a reason why the bench was so effective, but you can’t help but be impressed with the added boost the bench gave the Wolverines on Wednesday night. Colin Castleton and Brandon Johns Jr. were both 2-for-2 from the field, and Cole Bajema made use of a couple minutes of game time to knock down a corner triple.

5. Wolverines building momentum

Michigan’s season hit a low with a four-game losing streak towards the end of January. However, the Wolverines have responded to that skid by winning four of it’s next five games, with the only loss coming by three points against rival Ohio State. Michigan still resides near the bottom of the Big Ten standings, and will need to finish the season strong to set itself up with a better seed for the conference tournament, but the Wolverines have shown noticable improvement in February, and the return of Livers is definitely a big part of that. Michigan is now 11-4 this season in games in which the junior appears.

Halftime Analysis: Michigan at Northwestern

Halftime analysis of Michigan basketball’s road trip to Big Ten bottom-feeder Northwestern. The Wolverines seek back-to-back league wins.

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Coming off their big win over rival Michigan State, Michigan (14-9 overall, 5-7 Big Ten) hit the road for a trip to Big Ten bottom-feeder Northwestern on Wednesday.

The Wildcats (6-16, 1-11) are not only the worst team in the conference, they’re amongst the worst teams in the nation. Northwestern entered this contest having lost 12 of their last 13 games.

The Wolverines had an ice cold start to the contest, missing their first 11 shots with several coming right around the basket.

Michigan settled in shortly after however, finding it’s rhythm offensively to knock down 13 of its next 20 shot attempts to take a 38-23 lead into the locker room.

NEGATIVES:

  • Jon Teske’s ineptitude on offense is reaching mind-boggling status. The senior center has struggled mightily to finish around the rim as the season has progressed, and he started tonight’s game 0-for-5 with every shot coming around the rim. His shot attempts were contested, but a 7’1 center needs to be able to finish over defenders. That’s not happening nearly enough for Teske lately. He finished the half just 1-of-8 from the floor.

POSITIVES:

  • With Teske ineffectiveness, backup center Austin Davis got an early opportunity to make an impact on the game and he took advantage. Davis made his first three attempts from the floor, showing off some impressive footwork, and finished with 7 points in the half.
  • Davis wasn’t the only guy off the bench who made an impact. Brandon Johns Jr. and David DeJulius combined to score 7 points on 3-of-4 shooting, with the only miss coming on DeJulius’ three-point prayer as time expired. Michigan’s starters started the game slugglish, but the bench provided a nice bump for the Wolverines.
  • Eli Brooks looked good in the first half. He’s up to 9 points after hitting 3-of-4 attempts from three-point range.