1/11/2021 basketball Edit

Livers Discusses The Challenges The Veteran Badgers Will Present Tomorrow

Austin Fox • Maize&BlueReview

Staff Writer

Hot starts to seasons have become routine for the Michigan Wolverines’ basketball program in recent years. The Maize and Blue are currently 10-0, after having started 7-0 last year and a school-best 17-0 during the 2018-19 campaign.

U-M’s hot start last year was followed by plenty of ups and downs, however, including a dismal stretch from Jan. 5 through Jan. 25 that saw the team lose five out of six games.

The season as a whole was not only an excellent learning experience for head coach Juwan Howard in his debut campaign, but also for the Wolverine players who learned how to handle being in the spotlight following an impressive first month.

“I tell myself and my teammates to be happy and to applaud, but this isn’t the end,” senior forward Isaiah Livers said this afternoon when asked about the club’s 10-0 start. “Coach Howard told us that even though we’re 10-0, things don’t stop here — our goal wasn’t to be 10-0, but to win championships.

“We had a great start last year and some guys could have gotten complacent, so we all know how quickly it can turn. We have to stay happy and positive in practice.”

Livers considered departing for the NBA following Michigan’s up-and-down 2019-20 season, but instead chose to return to Ann Arbor for his senior campaign. His scoring and rebounding numbers are both up from last year (12.9 to 13.9 in the scoring department, and 4.0 to 5.4 in rebounding), but more important is the fact the Maize and Blue are humming along like a well-oiled machine and appear to be one of the best teams in the nation.

“Zero percent do I relish or care about being ranked or the hype,” Livers admitted. “Once you get sucked in, you can fall under or off the radar. When I made my decision to come back, I wanted to be the best team, not a lollygag type of team.

“We have to keep our heads down and not focus on future goals, but to just win the day like Coach Howard says.”

Arguably the toughest test Michigan has faced so far this year will occur tomorrow night when Wisconsin comes to town. The Badgers are 10-2 overall and 4-1 in league play, and are viewed as one of U-M’s biggest challengers for the Big Ten title.

One of the factors that makes head coach Greg Gard’s squad so tough is the fact they’re made up nearly entirely of seniors and fifth-year seniors. Wisconsin has four fifth-year seniors in its rotation (guards D’Mitrik Trice and Trevor Anderson, and forwards Micah Potter and Aleem Ford) and two seniors (guard Brad Davison and forward Nate Reuvers).

“There’s no hesitation or glitches with them — they’ve been playing basketball for a long time,” Livers noted. “We’ll be going against vets — they’re going to cut and do all the little things right.

“They’re disciplined and won’t go for home run plays. Wisconsin won’t take a quick shot if they don’t have to, and teams like that are very crafty and hard to guard. [Senior guard] Eli [Brooks], [fifth-year senior forward] Austin [Davis] and I have played against them the last four years, and their tendencies don’t change.

“It’s always fun any time we play those guys — you can always feel the atmosphere. This is a huge challenge and we’ll see how long we can defend while being disciplined without fouling.

“We have to close out on their shooters and hand ball contest — we have to make them put the ball on the ground, because shooters don’t like to do that. Why give up three points when we can give up two?

“That’s our motto.”

Notes

• Michigan and Wisconsin only met once last year, with the Badgers picking up an 81-74 win at Crisler Center on Feb. 27. Brooks missed the game due to a broken nose and the Wolverines’ defense suffered significantly, but the 6-1 senior will be available this time around, despite losing a tooth in Wednesday night's win over Minnesota.

“The fact that Eli is even playing with the lost tooth is crazy — he actually wanted to come back in that game [against Minnesota],” Livers exclaimed. “That shows you the type of guy he is.

“He’s a warrior and wants to be out there with his brothers. We learned the day after that game he’d be back — he was ready for practice then. That’s just Eli — he puts his head down and goes to work.

“He’s a Michigan Man and is what Michigan culture is all about. We follow his lead.”

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