Simpson's 135-Game Streak Ends, Can Still Set Record For Most Appearances
Senior point guard Zavier Simpson did not play in last night's 79-68 win at Nebraska due to suspension, marking the first game he had ever missed for the Michigan Wolverines' basketball program.
His absence snapped a string of 135 consecutive appearances, a streak that began on Nov. 11, 2016, when U-M took down Howard, 76-58, in the 2016-17 season-opener.
Though he was a minimal contributor as a freshman in 2016-17 (only averaged 8.7 minutes per outing), Simpson still played in all 38 games for a Wolverine club who won the Big Ten Tournament and made it to the Sweet Sixteen before falling to Oregon, 69-68.
Simpson then burst onto the scene as a sophomore in 2017-18, starting 29 of the team's 41 games and serving as the primary point guard for a squad who won its second straight Big Ten Tournament and made it all the way to the National Title.
The script was much of the same last season, with the Lima, Ohio, native starting all 37 contests and then the first 19 this year.
What's even more interesting than Simpson's consecutive appearances streak, though, is where his 135 career games played stands on Michigan's all-time list.
He is currently tied with Loy Vaught (1986-90) for the fifth most appearances in U-M history, and is only 10 games away from setting a new program record.
Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman (2015-18) is currently No. 1 on the list with 144 career appearances, having played in all but three of the 147 contests that occurred during his four years in Ann Arbor (all three absences came during his freshman campaign of 2014-15).
Simpson can undoubtedly overtake Abdur-Rahkman for the new school record, though his recent suspension has thrown a bit of a wrench into things.
Head coach Juwan Howard didn't give any details on the length when he discussed it at Monday's press conference, only revealing that the senior's status will be reevaluated after the Nebraska contest.
The Wolverines have at least 12 games remaining this year, with 11 regular-season contests to go and then a minimum of one Big Ten Tournament showdown.
That number could be increased significantly, though, if U-M wins a game or two in the Big Ten Tournament and then advances to a postseason tournament.
Simpson is only one game away from tying Stu Douglass (2009-12) on the school's all-time games played list, and seven away from tying Zak Irvin (2014-17) and Jordan Morgan (2011-14) for the No. 2 spot.
Six of the names on the program's top-10 list played under former head man John Beilein, which shouldn't necessarily come as a surprise when considering schools play more games nowadays than ever before, and the fact that five of his clubs made it to the Sweet Sixteen or further.
| Player (Years) | Games Played |
|---|---|
|
1. Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman (2015-18) |
144 |
|
T-2. Zak Irvin (2014-17) |
142 |
|
T-2. Jordan Morgan (2011-14) |
142 |
|
4. Stu Douglass (2009-12) |
136 |
|
T-5. Zavier Simpson (2017-Present) |
135 |
|
T-5. Loy Vaught (1986-90) |
135 |
|
T-7. Zack Novak (2009-12) |
134 |
|
T-7. Glen Rice (1986-89) |
134 |
|
9. Courtney Sims (2004-07) |
133 |
|
T-10. Louis Bullock (1996-99) |
132 |
|
T-10. Michael Griffin (1987-90) |
132 |
|
T-10. DeShawn Sims (2007-10) |
132 |
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