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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan came from behind in regulation to tie things up against Purdue before going to not just one overtime period, but two, when the Wolverines finally pulled away.
Led by senior point guard Zavier Simpson, who finished with 22 points, 9 assists and 3 rebounds, the maize and blue held strong in a game that looked like it was slipping away at one moment. But Simpson started quiet, and really came on as the game progressed, particularly in overtime.
Afterwards, Michigan head coach Juwan Howard spoke for 17 minutes about the effort across the board. WolverinesWire was there, and you can either watch the video above or read the full transcript below.
What he learned from his team in 2OT
“Well, I knew it from the beginning, and it’s no surprise to me, but I knew about their mental stability. Just dealing with a tough team like Purdue that plays hard, very physical team on the defensive end. They’re gonna keep coming at you on the offensive end. Obviously, with Williams and his inside presence and Sasha with his outside shooting, they were never gonna quit, because they have a great coach over there. But I knew our team was gonna stay with it. They understand that the game’s about runs. That’s what this game is all about. At times, they’re gonna make a run, but you’ve gotta be able to respond with a run yourself. Our guys just stayed with it.
“As you know, in the first half, we had 8 turnovers. We were pretty much, sometimes, just giving them the ball back. And I thought that we were being very undisciplined-like with some of the decision making on some of our reads. But our guys were able to figure it out in the second-half. First overtime — second overtime, we were taking care of the basketball. We only had one turnover. So that was huge for us. I respect the adjustment that our guys made, and more importantly, what they did a really good job of was being patient with the basketball. The ball was in the right hands of the right people and they were making really good decisions with it.
“I know that’s a long answer, but hopefully, you get where I’m coming from!”
On Zavier Simpson’s night
“I’m not surprised! I have one of the best point guards in college basketball. We have one of the best leaders in college basketball. One of the toughest competitors in college basketball. A kid that’s been counted out so many times, but he always figures it out, rises to the occasion when needed. Trusts in himself. We trust him. His teammates follow his lead with his energy. He’s always active with his effort. I’m not surprised by his performance.
“I love the fact that he took that three-point shot when he was open because I never want him to pass up shots. It’s that simple.”
On Zavier Simpson’s mental toughness
“Well, he knows he cannot be the quietest guy on the court. He also knows that each and every possession, he has a coach that’s gonna be counting on him to provide leadership. He embraces that. It’s not like he’s running away from that challenge. Yes, it’s big shoulders he has to carry with all of the accountability that I’ve given him, all of the trust I’ve given him. But he’s earned all of it. We’re just happy that we have our Tom Brady playing for us.”
On Simpson’s ability to pick out subtle things on the defense
“It always boils down to his experience. He’s a gamer. It’s his fourth year as a senior. He used to play for a coach that had a phenomenal sense — a lot of it was a lot of read and react. And it’s somewhat similar to what we run offensively, too, but instead, yes, we use a lot of ball screens and he’s practiced it. He knows where the reads are. There are times, like they all do, they all make mistakes. They try to make the right play. Sometimes it’s a home run play, but he makes singles, too. We’re gonna continue to keep practicing it. He watches film, he knows it. But the thing I’m impressed with the most is that he’s always ready to work. He’s always ready to practice. He don’t miss any practices. That right there, you’re just gonna cheer for a guy like that, because the matter of fact that he’s wired the right way. Give credit to his dad and to his mom for instilling those types of values in a guy that’s gonna bring his work ethic each and every day to practice and to games.”
The small lineup
“With me, I look at the game and I read the game as to how the situations is being thrown at us. I mix and match with different type of lineups. It’s not the first time we’ve used Franz in the four spot. We also practiced it. Franz was prepared to play that position. I noticed they didn’t have both bigs in, so I needed another ball-handler as well as a shooter. I knew at times on the defensive boards we may get beat on the glass, but Franz was in there scrapping. They all were. X, David, Eli, Jon.”
Was that a turning point in the game, when he went to that lineup?
“It helped a lot for sure. But it was all hands on deck. Every guy on our team that played contributed. But also the guys that did not play contributed, with the fact that they were being leaders in timeouts, on the bench cheering. Giving positive energy throughout the game. It was a total team effort.
“The guys that really mattered the most, that helped us and willed us to victory was guys that didn’t show up on the box score. Isaiah Livers was super active out there being a leader, in huddles.”
On inheriting a leader in Zavier Simpson, and their personalities
“I never forget when I called Zavier’s mom and we had a nice conversation. She was excited about me getting the job and having a chance to coach her son and teach him about growing as a player but also growing as a man. And I welcome that challenge. I embrace that. Then she said one other thing that was very important. She was like, ‘You know what? The two of you’s birthday was close to one another.’ And my grandmother was always big on astrology, so we both are Aquarius. We both can be bull-headed, I will also add stubborn. I know I’m stubborn — my wife will tell you that. And we also are both tough-nosed competitors. But the beauty of it is that we both trust one another. I’ve earned his trust. I’ve watched him, I’ve been a big fan of his game. Coming in, like you said, I inherited a special player that I know is gonna fight every night, is gonna compete from start to finish and is gonna lead like no other.”
Concern about playing against Big Ten bigs
“Yeah, you look at the stats and it’s gonna point at that, okay, Jon, the guy that he guarded had a great game. And it’s true. The kid had a really good game. Garza, who played for Iowa, had a big, strong game, too. Coffey, from Illinois, had a big strong game. But that’s just because of the coach, being stubborn and not bringing the double team.
“Yes, you saw that when Jon got the ball in the post, they brought two men to Jon. And I’m (sure) Jon was like, ‘Can I get some help, too?’ But I know that Jon is a competitor. Yes, he did not want to allow or give up any buckets. And he did not give him buckets. Williams can tell you, and I don’t know if he told you guys yet, but he had to earn each and every one of those baskets. But there was like two heavyweights going at it. And that’s what the Big Ten is about. It’s about competitors, very talented guys. Very skillful bigs. But I really trust and embraced our game plan.”
7-of-29 from three, but was he happy with the looks, offense?
“I’m happy with the fact that the ball was moving. We made some really good extra passes. The ball was moving from side to side. Unfortunately, we missed some shots that we normally make. But I want those guys taking those same shots again. When you’re open, let it fly. That’s my motto.”
What the smaller lineup gives him offensively
“That group is a very dynamic group. It gives you five skilled guys. Franz is a very skillful guy that can put the ball on the floor and shoot with good length. And he also defends really well, which he’s not getting enough credit for. Eli will shoot the ball, create off the ball screen. X, David — we all know they’re really good off ball screens, too.
“It’s a hybrid lineup. I’m not saying I’m gonna go to it every time. Just gotta read the time and the situation.”
On defense getting stops when they needed it
“That’s one thing I’ll never forget when you talked about it yesterday, right? You mentioned about our defense.
“I’ll never forget that question and not only that, but he pointed out an important stat about field goal percentage. And it’s true. Last three losses teams have shot the ball very well against us. Tonight, our defense stepped up. That was the Michigan defense that I know how we can play and we’ve shown in some games throughout the year. But we’ve gotta be active like that defensively. We gotta be disruptive. We also have got to be one of the most physical teams without fouling. But tonight, I think we did a really good job defensively.
“We held a team to 40% from the field. That’s not gonna go unnoticed with me.”
Concerned about 2OT and the quick turnaround
“Yes, there’s concern. I’m not gonna sit here like I’m not concerned at all. I’ll always do my best with managing — the load management! Load management! Yes, I gotta be smart about it. I can’t just grind ’em, grind ’em, grind ’em. Tomorrow I’ve gotta be smart with our practice prep. Tomorrow morning when I walk in the door, gonna be locked in on Minnesota, for sure. Tomorrow — we have Saturday, another day to prep and then we also have Sunday morning. So, we’ll be smart about it.”
More on load management
“Well, Alex Wong and Jon Sanderson — they’re the best at it. They got it handled. Now, it’s important for me and my staff to come up with a good game plan for tomorrow’s practice. We’re not gonna wear our guys out, because two overtimes, late night. Hopefully they get some good food in their system. Healthy food in their system. I remember those those times when I was in college, it was pizza and wings! That’s a part of the recovery — you’ve gotta eat right, gotta get off your feet, get some sleep.
“Obviously, they have class tomorrow. It’s tough. It’s tough for a student-athlete, balancing both jobs — academics and basketball.
“We’ll be smart about it. I can’t give our secrets away!”
On Zavier not shooting the ball in the first 18 minutes
“It was mainly read, a lot of reads. It wasn’t me telling him, ‘You’ve got to be more aggressive offensively,’ or anything like that. I trust he’s gonna make the right decision.
Was it stubbornness leaving Jon Teske one-on-one
“No, it’s not like I didn’t want someone to send help for me. The stubbornness comes from — I’m just a bull-headed, stubborn guy. This game plan, they have shooting. They have — Eric Hunter can make outside shots from three. Sasha — he’s an excellent shooter, shooting like 48% from three. Wheeler is one of their stickers and can hit down outside shots. Jahaad Proctor — Isaiah Thompson — he hit us with some tough shots. So I wanted to make sure we didn’t give those guys open looks and I trusted Jon would do his job and making every catch tough for him. Making also every time he shoots the ball contested and ball contest and doing it without fouling. But Williams made some tough shots, man! They were well-guarded. Some of them. And he just willed it with his skill. Give him credit. But, at the end of the day, the 36 points, that was on me. That wasn’t on Jon Teske, okay? Just make that be clear. He scored that on me.”
On John Beilein’s ‘thugs’ comment
“Well, I’m sorry, I wasn’t there, so I can’t really comment on what was said. I read, just like a lot of us in this room, read they recorded Coach saying. At the end of the day, that’s all I know.
“I understand Coach made an apology, so that says a lot about his character. Now, the relationship between Coach, his players and Cleveland — that’s none of my business.”
