Michigan Basketball: Takeaways from Zavier Simpson-led comeback effort

1. Zavier Simpson is in postseason form

What was most impressive about the way the diminutive Simpson dominated was that he was only 1-for-1 from 3-point range in his near 40-minutes of playing time. He got into the lane at will and his change of pace dribble allows him to freeze defenders at the next level of the defense, something that is crucial for a player of his size to score in the paint. Since the turn of the calendar to 2020, Simpson has responded to every single-digit scoring effort with a big-time double-digit scoring effort and that continued on Thursday.

Simpson had perhaps his worst game of the season against Purdue on February 22nd, scoring 4 points on 0-for-10 shooting from the field (including 0-for-5 shooting from 3-point range), so it was not shocking to see him go supernova against the Badgers. He left a bit on the table by going 3-for-7 from the free throw line but Michigan has always dealt with his poor shooting from the charity stripe and they wouldn’t have even been in this game without Simpon’s presence. He also chipped in 6 assists and only one turnover, playing a responsible game on offense in the absence of guard Eli Brooks (11.8 points and 2.0 assists per game).

The Wolverines were on a 5-game winning streak prior to the loss to Wisconsin and will now have to win the Big Ten Tournament to maximize their chances of grabbing the highest possible seed in the NCAA Tournament. Simpson won’t have to play as he did on Thursday and average 30+ points per game for Michigan basketball to win the Big Ten tourney, but he will need to be more consistent. Michigan is approaching the time of the year where if Simpson turns in a lackluster performance, there won’t be a next game to bounce back.