It was an emotional night at Crisler Center tonight as Michigan Wolverines basketball seniors Zavier Simpson and Jon Teske played their final games in Ann Arbor, helping the club blow out an overmatched Nebraska team, 82-58.
Simpson recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 assists while Teske poured in 12 points, with the duo walking off the court to a standing ovation with two minutes remaining.
“Coach [Juwan] Howard said he was proud of me for the things I’ve overcome,” Simpson revealed while discussing the hug he and Howard shared when he walked off the court at the end.
“I’m blessed to be a part of his first year and to be a part of his journey. He said he’s proud I’m on his side of the floor, but we’re blessed to be able to play for him.
“He played for the Fab Five and has a great resume, so I’m thankful to be able to gain some of his knowledge.”
The Maize and Blue seldom lost in Ann Arbor during the four years Simpson and Teske spent on campus, with the tandem helping keep Crisler Center one of the toughest places to play in the country.
“I just like the feeling and the support of the fans here,” the senior exclaimed when asked what he’ll miss the most. “I also like how loud it gets — we appreciate all those small moments as players.
“I was taking it all in as I was walking off, just thinking about what I all overcame as a freshman. I’m thankful for everything and am embracing all of it.”
The emotion finally got to Teske after the game, who addressed the crowd with a tremendous postgame speech and got a bit choked up while doing so.
“I started talking about my parents and everything they’ve done for me,” he explained. “All those emotions hit me when I walked off for the last time.
“My parents have instilled so many little things in me and they just mean so much to me.”
The Wolverines will next close out the regular-season on Sunday at Maryland against a Terrapins squad who will be looking to claim at least a share of the Big Ten title.
The Maize and Blue have come out victorious in their last two trips to College Park, however, and will be looking to make it three straight against a Terrapin club who has lost three of its last four games.
“We know what they’re playing for, and we’ll play spoiler if we can,” Teske insisted. “They’re a well-coached team, so we’ll have to come prepared to win; if not, it’ll be a long day for us, so we’ll have to execute.”
Notes
• Former Michigan head coach John Beilein was in attendance tonight, marking his first game back since departing the program last spring.
He recruited both Simpson and Teske to Ann Arbor and coached them during their first three collegiate seasons, enjoying back-to-back Big Ten Tournament titles with them in 2017 and 2018, to go along with a trip to the National Championship in ’18.
“I give him so much credit for the past few years, because he improved my game so much,” Teske said. “I wouldn’t be here with all those wins without him, so I give a lot of credit to the hard work he put in with X [Simpson] and I.”
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