The main question asked to Michigan’s players following today’s 77-70 loss to MSU was what impact it will have on them going forward.
While both freshman forward Ignas Brazdeikis and junior center Jon Teske were clearly distraught, they each gave positive, confident answers while responding to the question.
“Coach [John] Beilein’s main message to us was to keeps our heads up,” Teske explained. “We’ll take things from this game that will help us beat Nebraska on Thursday.
“He also explained to us how we’re just one game back [in the Big Ten standings] and how anything can happen. We’ve seen crazier things occur this year.”
“I always believe that you either win or you learn,” Brazdeikis added. “If we come out with that attitude and learn from this, we’ll be just fine.”
Michigan held a 51-45 lead with 13:52 to go in the game, but wound up getting outscored 32-19 the rest of the way.
U-M’s offense was the main culprit down the stretch, with a number of factors contributing to the inability to consistently make shots late.
“We missed some shots, but we also didn’t make the right decisions at times,” Brazdeikis explained. “The flow of the game kind of led to that, along with the fact that MSU played tremendous defense.
“They were denying us certain things and were ready for some of our plays. It’s just tough to win when you’re not making baskets.”
Teske also gave his take on the offensive ineffectiveness down the stretch, and echoed a near identical sentiment.
“We pushed it a little bit and as a result didn’t necessarily take the attempts we usually take,” he recalled. “They also did a good job of taking a lot of our stuff away.
“They’re still a very talented team even without their two guys [junior center Nick Ward and junior guard Josh Langford]. Their next guys in line are just as good.
“Their defense deserves credit, because they didn’t let us get many open looks. They outplayed us, but we’ll learn from it.”
Brazdeikis explained that the learning process begins ASAP, especially with Nebraska coming to town on Thursday.
The freshman was also asked about the regular-season finale rematch with the Spartans, but had no interest in discussing that game.
“Our focus is on Nebraska,” he confirmed. “When the time comes [for the rematch], we’ll be ready and we’ll be better.”
Brazdeikis was also asked if he learned anything today about the rivalry that he’ll apply to the second edition, but again, his focus was only on today and the immediate future.
“I learned they’re a great team, and how much both of us wanted to win,” he said.
“It does hurt though, because we had the lead and were up six, and then we were suddenly down and it just didn’t feel right.
“We still have three games left, so it’s important to keep our confidence up — that’s what it’s all about.
“This will only make us better, and we can’t let it affect us — it should motivate us.”
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