Michigan head coach John Beileiln had been hoping Charles Matthews would return for his team’s game at Michigan State Saturday, but it wasn’t to be.
U-M could have used him, struggling through foul trouble in falling 75-63 in East Lansing.
"I really thought there was a realistic chance at it, but he just couldn’t go,” Beilein said. “[Friday] he was trying, but it just doesn’t feel right, and we’re not going to make that young man go out there unless it feels right. I thought he’d be able to play … he is working so hard to come back."
Matthews warmed up with a brace on his ankle, support for an injury suffered early in the first game with the Spartans. He went 1-for-8 but was clearly limited by his sore ankle. He missed the next two games and the rematch in East Lansing.
"They’re down people too, but Charles Matthews is one of the best defenders in the country," Beilein said. "Missing him again does not help us. In either one of these games he just wasn’t right, and now you add in foul trouble … we just weren’t very good, and they got us in foul trouble.
“He’s going to tell us what his body feels. He actually ran, he did some fast-break drills [Friday]. He made a beautiful three in traffic. He did everything, but he just couldn’t cut the way he wanted to cut, and we’re not going to put him out there if he’s going to be a liability defensively and offensively."
Beliein wouldn’t predict Monday whether Matthews would play Friday (9:30 p.m., BTN) against either Iowa, Northwestern or Illinois. The latter two play Wednesday, with the Hawkeyes slated to get the winner Thursday.
Whoever emerges plays U-M.
"It depends how he's practicing this week before we make that decision, how many reps he can get it,” Beilein said. "If he’s comfortable … then I’ll make that decision.”
Michigan has won the last two Big Ten Tournaments, beating Wisconsin in the final in Washington D.C. two seasons ago and Purdue on Sunday last year in New York City.
"Some of our fondest memories here at Michigan have been in this tournament," Beilein said. "We've won big games — Indiana three years ago in a 1-8 game that put us in the NCAA tournament., then the last two, winning eight in a row. That was pretty special, too.
"We'd like to duplicate what we've done. But it's going to be difficult."
His Wolverines have been resting in preparation.
“We've been trying to get some re-tooling in the first couple days, then some rest and then we'll go as normal as we can into a two-day prep," Beilein said. “There are things we're always sorting out, especially with Charles coming back from injury. How do we rest them enough and keep them sharp?”
But they’ve figured it out the last two years. They’re the No. 3 seed this time around with hopes of a three-peat.
"I'm certainly not pleased with the way the regular season ended. Michigan State really did a great job against us. We lost," Beilein said. "Now we have to regroup and move on to the Big Ten Tournament, which we love."
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