Kornacki: Point Being ... Michigan Just Fine at Point Guard

By Steve Kornacki

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- University of Michigan men's basketball head coach John Beilein had plenty to say to his team in the postgame locker room after a wild victory that it literally stole from UCLA.

The Wolverines had trailed the No. 23 Bruins by 15 points with just under 15 minutes remaining Saturday (Dec. 9) at Crisler Center. And coming off losing a 20-point lead and the game at Ohio State five days prior, it appeared that lingering effects were dragging them down.

But then one play sparked a turnaround.

Isaiah Livers, an unsung hero with seven rebounds off the bench, got position and fought for an offensive rebound. Livers spotted Charles Matthews open behind the three-point line and fired a quick pass. Matthews nailed the shot and, despite missing two free throws in the 1:40 stretch that followed, scored eight points in that time.

Michigan had come alive and overpowered the Bruins, 47-23, the rest of the way in a 78-69 overtime win.

Beilein looked at his smiling players, sitting in folding chairs and high-fiving one another, and told them, "I'm really proud of how you fought back when nothing was going right."

Then he pointed out how point guard Zavier Simpson and forward Duncan Robinson both made four steals, leading to a 12-2 edge in that department.

The Wolverines got out-rebounded and were atrocious at the free throw line, but stole the game anyway.

They did it with larceny in their hearts and with a pair of basically inexperienced point guards showing the way. Simpson, a sophomore who played a bit behind Derrick Walton Jr., last season, and freshman Eli Brooks played the do-or-die minutes and seconds of this one with ice water in their veins.

Beilein proclaimed at the end of his talk, "The point guards are leading us in the fight song!"

Everyone quickly huddled in the front of the room and Brooks and Simpson led the singing of "The Victors," a tradition after victories.

"That meant a lot," said Brooks. "It was good for the point guards to step up big in a game like this."

Simpson echoed, "It means a lot."

Winning with two point guards can be a challenge. But until somebody emerges as clearly the best at that key position, they are all going to get minutes -- and that includes graduate transfer Jaaron Simmons.

Simpson had a career-high 15 points in 24 minutes, adding two rebounds and those four steals. He didn't get an assist and had two turnovers.

Brooks had seven points, three assists, one turnover and one steal in 21 minutes.

They are handling the position-sharing quite well. And it is worth noting that Collins, who had one assist in four minutes, had as big of a smile as anyone in the postgame locker room.

"You just try to get out there and play the best you can," said Brooks. "If you play well, you're going to play more minutes. We all bring different things to the table, and we just try to play our game and let the offense come to us."

Simpson said, "We've got a lot of talent with three point guards that can play. Just, whenever we get in, whether it's me, Jaaron or Eli, we're trying to contribute to the team."

Brooks drove the length of the court on what was likely his team's final chance in regulation time, down by two points. He headed to the hoop and was fouled with 10.9 seconds remaining, calmly making both free throws to knot it at 65.

The Michigan point guards were called upon to lead the singing of "The Victors" by head coach John Beilein after the Wolverines' upset of UCLA.

"It just comes with practice," Brooks said. "You just have to remember all the hours you've put in shooting free throws, and trust that."

Simpson said, "A big shout-out to Eli Brooks. He knocked those down, and I was just so happy for him getting us to overtime to get the victory."

Beilein noted that "it shows a lot about Eli" that he handled that pressure moment so well as a freshman.

Simpson had cut UCLA's lead to 64-63 by stealing a pass he anticipated and drove to lay in a basket with 18.4 seconds left. He'd also made a wild flick shot on a drive to the hole to beat the shot clock with just over two minutes remaining.

"I call it the 'Three o'clock,' Simpson said. "I didn't think it was going off the glass, but I knew it was going in as I released it. It felt good."

Beilein has point guards practice those "rolling hooks" close to the basket with bigger defenders converging, using different points on a 12-hour clock to correspond to the angles of the shots.

There was a great sense of want-to in Simpson's play, and his defense was the difference down the stretch. Aaron Holiday may have had 27 points and seven assists, but he also had seven turnovers and only two points in the final nine minutes of action.

"Holiday had it going and he was just too comfortable," said Simpson. "So, I was just trying to do what I could to shut him down. It just comes down to heart, honestly. You've just got to suck it up and play defense."

Simpson came out absolutely possessed in overtime. He drained a three-point shot on the first possession and then Matthews hit a trey on the next possession, and the Wolverines weren't going to be denied. Simpson's layup on a slick pass from Matthews with the shot clock winding down made it 77-69 with 1:17 left in OT.

That was the dagger, and the crowd at Crisler became downright euphoric.

"We really appreciated that atmosphere," said Simpson. "The 'Maize Rage' came out early and they were loud. It's always good to have support like that behind us and reverse the direction of a game like that.

"The crowd was engaged, and they fed off our energy."

Brooks said, "That's the loudest it's been since I've been here."

Simpson and Brooks saw to that, combining for 22 points (16 after halftime) with three assists and five steals.

"The point guards gave us great spark in the second half," said forward Moritz Wagner, who had a team-high 23 points. "They were deflecting every ball, doing what they could defensively, working hard and making shots. They stayed poised and made good decisions and Eli, obviously, made some free throws that we needed so bad. And Zavier and the whole team came up big defensively.

"I don't care (who's at point guard). I love all of them. We just play loose, and we love each other so much. They are all great players, and I have huge trust in all of them."

Beilein said he decided to play mostly Brooks and Simpson in this game, but noted that his decisions could vary game to game. Beilein added that assistant coach DeAndre Haynes has had and will continue to play a big role in their development.

"Their ceiling is much higher," said Beilein. "They're going to get better."

Against UCLA, Brooks and Simpson scored plenty of points and made a point of coming up big when it mattered most.

Point being: Michigan is just fine at point guard.