Wolverines Look to Feed Off One Another to Get On a Final Four Roll
3/30/2018 3:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Features
By Steve Kornacki
SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- The University of Michigan knows what it wants to do in its Final Four semifinal game against Loyola Chicago. It wants to get on a roll, and understands just how to go about doing that.
Senior guard Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman said he and his men's basketball teammates "are feeding off one another" on the court, and if they are doing that Saturday (March 31) in the Alamodome, the Wolverines will be in a zone to do damage.
Abdur-Rahkman explained why they are able to play so well off each other.
"We're so close," he said. "So, you want to see your brother do well. When your brother's doing well, it boosts your whole attitude. It just makes you go out there and play even harder. You are playing for each other. We're not selfish, and when everybody believes you are going to make your next shot, the shots start falling."
Jordan Poole believed the spark for the offensive explosion in U-M's 99-72 win over Texas A&M in the Sweet 16 game in Los Angeles was directly connected to his game-winning 32-foot shot that beat Houston in the Wolverines' second-round game in Wichita, Kansas.
"After I hit the shot to send us to the Sweet 16," said Poole, "I came in and hit the first three (against the Aggies), and everybody was still excited. They got super ramped up, and it triggered everyone else to making threes. They had that swagger and confidence and it led to a big-time win."
The Wolverines made 14-of-24 threes with a .583 shooting percentage that was the highest of the season.
"That's normally how it is," said Poole. "We play off positive vibes, and it keeps everybody in a state of mind where everything is positive. We find ways to feed off each other whether it's a blocked shot or something else. We find positive energy."
Forward Mortiz Wagner, best known as "Moe," further explained the "feeding off one another" connection.
"We talk to each other," said Wagner. "When I hit a three, he (Abdur-Rahkman) sticks his tongue out at me. When he hits a three, I stick my tongue out at him. That's why this team is so much fun. We have joy together and it's a real special team to play with.
"We are just so connected on the court. Nobody has any personal agendas on the court. Now, we will talk to each other. When you mess up, you're going to hear about it. But it's nothing personal. It's how we love one another."
Guard Charles Matthews added: "With this group of guys, we instill confidence in one another. I can miss five straight shots, and Moe will come in my ear: 'The next one's going in.' And we do the same for each other."
Senior guard Duncan Robinson added: "(Point guard) Zavier (Simpson) has no problem getting on me, and I have no problem getting on him. We know it's just business and expect a lot of each other. We hold each other accountable, and that's a huge part of this program."
They constantly look to motivate one another.
"When Zavier and Jordan make a big play," said freshman forward Isaiah Livers, "they'll come down and hit you in the chest and say, 'Your turn!' They're encouraging you to make not just big plays, but smart plays. That's really what gets me going is that smile on the court. I really love that. I'm not going to come out and just smile automatically. I'm not like Jordan and Moe. But I can really get going if Zavier and Jordan bother me and pressure me to do stuff. It's hilarious."
This team feeds off one another on both sides of the ball.
"On defense," said center Jon Teske, "we stay connected and stay united. It starts with our point guard (Simpson) and goes to Moe and Duncan. We try to pick each other up if somebody's down. But that goes for offense, too. We know where each other is at all times, and I think that's really important. We all love each other, and we're family."
When Teske (7-foot-1) dunked on Purdue star Isaac Haas, who is 7-foot-4, Simpson joyously shoved Teske in the chest and then popped him in the chest even harder. It was one of the best examples of how these guys feed off one another.
"You definitely get energy from that," said Simpson. "It was great. Hey, Jon, come over here and talk about this."
Teske took a few long strides to Simpson's locker, and they shared that moment from the Big Ten Tournament championship win at Madison Square Garden together again.
Matthews nodded and smiled when the concept was mentioned.
"For sure," he said. "We have that open dialogue and open line of communication. There are no egos on this team, and so you can continue to feed off one another. It also leads to transition baskets."
Wolverine head coach John Beilein quoted a line from Rudyard Kipling's "The Jungle Book" in explaining why his team plays this way.
"There is strength in numbers," said Beilein. "And there's the old adage, 'The wolf gets its strength from the pack, and the pack gets its strength from the wolf.' And we have a great bunch of guys that are connected as one pack, a Wolverine pack.
"Being connected is really important, and we have that."
Kipling used that line to illustrate the law of the jungle, and it applies to athletic competition. Michigan Hall of Fame football coach Lloyd Carr, who won a national championship in 1997, had it painted onto the wall of the defensive meeting room at Schembechler Hall.
Beilein often extols the Bo Schembechler mantra -- "The Team! The Team! The Team!" -- to encourage and demand his team to play as one, to play selflessly, to play connected.
To feed off one another and get on a roll.
