Michigan Wolverines basketball seniors Zavier Simpson and Jon Teske have known almost nothing but success in the Big Ten Tournament throughout their U-M careers, compiling a 10-1 record at the annual event over the last three seasons.
Michigan took home the crown in both 2017 and 2018, and came incredibly close to grabbing a third straight last March before Michigan State won a 65-60 nail-biter in the title game.
The loss to the Spartans snapped a 10-game winning streak U-M had been riding in the postseason tournament, a stretch that was started way back in 2017 when veterans like point guard Derrick Walton, guard Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman, and forwards Duncan Robinson and Zak Irvin helped the Wolverines catch fire at the right time of year.
“Staying locked in and staying focused [is the key],” Simpson stressed this afternoon when asked what has led to Michigan’s past success in the Big Ten Tournament.
“My first year here was with Zak Irvin, Derrick Walton, Duncan Robinson and [forward] Moe Wagner — they were so focused and made sure we stayed together.
“There were a lot of ups and downs, but those guys made sure we stayed locked in and stayed focused. We’re just focused on Rutgers and getting better today, while trying to execute Thursday’s game plan.”
The Maize and Blue will have to win four games in four days if they hope to take home the crown, something they’re no stranger to doing (did it in both 2017 and 2018).
This year’s crew already has one experience playing on quick turnarounds, having defeated Iowa State, North Carolina and Gonzaga in three consecutive days in late November to take home the Battle 4 Atlantis title.
“I felt prepared in the Bahamas, because the staff did a good job in that regard,” freshman guard Franz Wagner explained.
“We did a good job of knowing teams’ schemes down there, and that’s what it will come down to this week. We have all we need to make a run.
“I remember waking up during the night and watching my brother’s [Big Ten Tournament] games, and it was very exciting for me.
“We have a chance to do something special.”
“We want to make a run in the Big Ten Tournament and know we’re capable of doing that,” Teske added. “We can only do that if we win Thursday, so it starts with Rutgers.
“Anything after that will really help us [in regards to NCAA Tournament seeding]. We think we can make a run, and it starts with one game at a time.
“We’ll watch film today and go from there. The Big Ten is such a hard conference, so we’ve learned from each of our wins and losses.
“We’ve had a lot of highs and lows this year, and that will help come tournament time because we’ve been battle tested.
“We can’t go anywhere if we don’t win Thursday though.”
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