Kornacki: Wolverines Reflect on Tough Defeat, Promise Next Season Holds
3/29/2019 9:26:00 AM | Men's Basketball, Features
• Watch: Beilein Reflects on Sweet 16 Loss
By Steve Kornacki
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- This isn't how the University of Michigan envisioned its season ending, with a 19-point loss to Texas Tech here in the Sweet 16. Emotion overtook many of the Wolverines afterward, and that was only natural. It's never easy when the end comes, but sophomore guard Jordan Poole put that all into perspective.
"There's going to be a team that wins the NCAA Tournament," he said, "and everyone else is going to be in tears. So, right now, it's hard, it's tough. But in a couple days we'll look back at a team that had a 17-0 start, a Michigan record. Who does that? We had back-to-back 30-win seasons. That's amazing."
Michigan scored its fewest points ever in college basketball's showcase event in a 63-44 loss to the relentless Red Raiders Thursday night (March 28). The Wolverines' previous lowest-scoring game in the NCAA Tournament came in a 63-45 loss to Holy Cross on March 18, 1948, in what was then called the quarterfinals because it was the opening round of the tournament.
"I will give you the message that we had in the locker room -- that this game shouldn't define who we are," said Michigan coach John Beilein. "(Assistant coach) Saddi Washington was great to bring that up. It was a bad day to have a bad day against a really good Texas Tech team."
Beilein touched on how the Red Raiders had "a ton of experience" and that factor was big last year for Michigan, which had four seniors who made huge contributions on a Final Four run. This year, Charles Matthews was the only senior, and even he has one year of eligibility remaining.
Teske
That bodes well for next season because few 30-7 teams return everybody the next year or lose just one player, should Matthews opt for the NBA Draft.
"That's huge for us," said junior center Jon Teske. "We were a young team this year with five freshmen, three sophomores and only me, 'X' (Zavier Simpson) and Charles being three-year players. We have a lot to look forward to, and I'm excited about that, and we have two new recruits (Jalen Wilson and Cole Bajema) coming in. It'll be exciting here next year."
Poole said, "Doing something like this with a young team provides a lot of hope. It's a bright future and something to look forward to."
Matthews said, "It shows what Coach Beilein has built with this program. Hopefully, next year's team can get it done. This team will continue to fight."
Assistant coach Luke Yaklich added on the big numbers returning: "It's everything. We have a great nucleus of guys that you love being around every day, and they love working in the gym. So, this feeling right now, it stings and it hurts. You hurt for Charles. But the nucleus of what this team can be and the program going forward -- and what Coach Beilein has established with the continuation of our culture -- it's in great hands."
Ignas Brazdeikis found a way to take off the shackles Texas Tech had placed on Michigan in the first half, scoring all but four of his 17 points after intermission while also grabbing 13 rebounds. But the next leading scorer on the team was Matthews, who got the majority of his 12 points late in the game.
The frustration of the night was constant. Even when the Wolverines had good scoring chances, many times they came up empty.
Nothing much was expected of this Michigan team, ranked No. 19 entering the season after losing three dynamic players in Moritz Wagner, Duncan Robinson and Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman and a key reserve in Jaaron Simmons.
But they won 30 games for the second consecutive season and reached the Big Ten Tournament championship game for a third straight year. The Wolverines had advanced to the Elite Eight in 14 of 15 previous Sweet 16 games, but they lost for only the second time in this round.
Poole showed some real leadership in the postgame locker room before the coaches addressed the team.
"We ain't got no reason to hang our heads," Poole told his teammates. "We accomplished a lot this year. Keep your heads up. We put our heart, our blood, our sweat out there. Special group."
Brazdeikis (with Livers, left, and Simpson) led the Wolverines in scoring at 14.8 points per game.
Brazdeikis was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Poole added quality defense to a good offensive showing, and Teske exceeded expectations on both sides of the ball. Simpson, a junior point guard, remained a defensive star and improved offensively. Isaiah Livers played three positions and developed into a solid contributor who had some big games. Matthews was outstanding on defense and had his moments on offense. Eli Brooks became glue off the bench, supplying timely scoring and solid defense.
However, in the end, the Wolverines' offense didn't show the consistency necessary to win championships.
"I feel like we had a great game plan coming into the game," said Brazdeikis. "We didn't execute and they did, and they hit shots and we didn't. I feel like that was the biggest difference. We didn't hit shots we usually hit."
Teske said, "They're a very good team. Give credit to them. They outplayed us. It was a combination of their defense and our shots not falling."
Michigan had several three-point attempts swirl out and some that were way off. It had missed all 18 treys taken until C.J. Baird made one with 22 seconds remaining for the final scoring. He was the only Wolverine other than Brazdeikis, Matthews, Poole (eight points) and Teske (four points) to score. The team made just 32.7 percent of its field goal attempts to more than negate the 35-31 rebounding edge over Texas Tech.
Simpson missed all five shots he took and had just one assist countered by four turnovers in an unusual performance for the player who led the Big Ten in assist-to-turnover ratio. The Wolverines were second in the nation with 8.8 turnovers per game but had 14.
Simpson
Beilein called a timeout with 16:56 remaining and the game getting away fast. Texas Tech led, 34-18. It was now or never for the Wolverines.
But, for all the scheming on grease boards in huddles and encouragement from coaches, Michigan never could make the adjustment needed or find the scoring firepower to get back in this one.
Michigan needed to come out strong in the second half, trailing by eight points, but instead struggled even more than it had in the first half.
Teske drove to the hoop on the first possession, was fouled, and missed both free throws. Then Matthews shot an air ball on a three-point attempt. The hook shots and finger rolls Simpson had scored on all year were either off the mark or short.
Nothing was working for a team that had averaged 70.3 points per game this season but never regained with any consistency the brilliant scoring displayed in an 84-67 win over North Carolina, 76-57 dismantling of Purdue and 73-46 domination of Villanova. The Boilermakers (who beat No. 2 seed Tennessee Thursday) and No. 1 seed Tar Heels (facing Auburn Friday) are still dancing.
So, Michigan had been outstanding against some of the nation's best teams. But this time even a strong defensive effort couldn't save it from offensive inadequacies.
Saying points were at a premium in this one would be an understatement.
It was tied, 6-6, 10 minutes into the game. It was the Red Raiders 24, Wolverines 16 at the half. Brazdeikis, Teske, Matthews and Poole each had four points at intermission.
A defensive game was anticipated with Michigan, which came in with the nation's second-best scoring defense at 58.2 allowed per game, facing Texas Tech, which ranked third at 59.2.
It was a defensive clinic, pure and simple.
However, the Red Raiders found some answers in the second half, which they took by a 39-28 margin.
The Wolverines never did get it going.
And so it's time to point to next season and all the promise it holds.
Wagner in the House
Moritz Wagner, the star of last year's Final Four team, watched half of the game in a section filled mostly with the children of assistant coaches and the Beileins' grandchildren. He held them high, swayed side-by-side with them on cheers and lit up the Wolverine section. "Moe" wore a maize "MICHIGAN HOOPS" T-shirt with the block M and other lettering in blue. He's coming down the stretch run of his rookie season with the Los Angeles Lakers, averaging 4.8 points and 1.7 rebounds in 8.8 minutes per game. He consoled coaches and his former teammates as they made their way to the postgame locker room.
