Texas Tech put on the most impressive defensive display Michigan had seen all season last night, holding the Wolverines to just 32.7 percent shooting in its Sweet Sixteen loss.
The Red Raiders entered the game ranked No. 1 nationally in Ken Pomeroy’s adjusted defensive efficiency rankings, so the fact that they performed at such a high level on that side of the ball wasn’t surprising.
That Michigan wasn’t able to connect from deep (1-of-19), however, was also a key factor in the club’s inability to score consistently.
“Give credit to Texas Tech because they have a great team,” sophomore guard Jordan Poole said afterward. “They have an amazing defense and they stuck to what they normally do.
“They stayed with their principles and executed all game on the defensive end. We also had a bad shooting night but that’s a credit to them, because we had a lot of open looks and none of them went in. They wouldn’t be here if they weren’t such a great team.”
Sophomore forward Isaiah Livers also gave his take on why Texas Tech’s defense was so dominant, and why U-M had such a hard time scoring.
“They changed their defense and we weren’t expecting a lot of it,” he admitted. “They also guarded well individually, and their help side defense was great too.
“It’s a big disappointment, but Coach [John] Beilein reminded us how we won 30 games this year, and that this doesn’t define our season. We worked so hard this season and were so close to getting back to where we were in 2018.
“I like seeing emotions after a loss because it shows how much we all care. Coach Beilein kept saying it was a bad day to have a bad day, and we rely on him a lot in situations like these.”
Poole echoed a similar sentiment to that of Livers, noting how proud he was of what the team all accomplished this season.
“We had the best start in Michigan history and won 30 games,” he reminded everyone. “It wasn’t the way we wanted it to end, but it was still a great season.
“Coach Beilein explained to us that only one team will win this whole thing, and everybody else will be in tears. For us to accomplish back to back 30-win seasons is amazing.”
Michigan does not have a single senior or fifth-year senior on its roster, meaning the future is incredibly bright for the club moving forward.
Redshirt junior guard Charles Matthews is expected to go pro, and while others may test the NBA waters, he is likely the only player who will be departing to play professionally.
Both Poole and Livers had strong words for the veteran guard from Chicago.
“I wouldn’t be in the situation I’m in without Charles, because he’s led me through so much,” the former explained. “That’s my big brother, and I look up to him so much.”
“His tenacity and grittiness, and how he’s so motivated [are what I admire most about him],” Livers added. “I envy how focused he is. He has taught me so many things I hadn’t even thought about that I’ll use heading into next year.”
If everybody outside of Matthews returns, Michigan will likely find itself in the top-10 once again heading into next year, and both Poole and Livers had no problem discussing how excited they are for the future in Ann Arbor.
“We had a lot of guys leave after we lost last year, but now we’ll have a lot of guys returning,” the sophomore guard explained. “We’ll go into the offseason seeing if we can accomplish something like this again. I was in the young guys’ shoes last year and felt like I was able to go on and have a pretty successful season, so now we’ll see what they can do.”
“We’ll have so much experience coming back,” Livers added. “We know how this feels and definitely don’t want to feel it again. It hurts a lot now but we’ll all use it as motivation.”
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