Michigan freshman point guard Xavier Simpson arrived at U-M as the Player of the Year in Ohio and with high expectations. He’s provided a key spark recently and continues to make strides.
Simpson is averaging 1.6 points and 1.13 assists in 9.1 minutes per game, but he ranks fifth on the team in steals with 20, only eight off the team lead, and has made an impact defensively. He frustrated Northwestern’s Bryant McIntosh in a two-point road loss Wednesday with his aggressive, in-your face style.
“It’s always my goal honestly, to come into the game and try to be a little fly you can’t get out the kitchen,” he said. “When Derrick [Walton] or Muhammad [Ali Abdur-Rahkman] need a rest, me going to the point guard moving one of those players to the two, I try to guard their best guard and try to wear him down.
“I know that’s one of my biggest skills. Something I’m extremely confident in is my defense, so I try to come out and wear him down, get in a player’s head and try to do anything I can so they may make a mistake from being worn down by me.”
They might need him even more Sunday night and Nebraska. Tai Webster and Glynn Watson Jr. were relentless in the first meeting between the two, a 91-85 Michigan win, taking the ball to the rim and finishing with regularity.
U-M has gotten better since, but they’ll need to be a step quicker Sunday.
“It’s really critical,” Simpson said. “We just watched some film, and they got downhill a lot. They come off screens and go downhill. It’s important we slide our feet, play aggressive but also play smart.”
Simpson’s offense has improved dramatically since he first arrived on campus. He had his best game last week with seven points and two assists in only 11 minutes of an 82-70 win over Big Ten champion Purdue.
“He’s just gotten a lot more comfortable settling in and being confident in himself,” Walton said. “He went from learning everything to implementing and putting his own twist on things. That’s all the difference for him right now. He plays the game the right way, plays with a lot of intensity. It’s just a lot of learning ‘X’s and ‘O’s about how we do things. At that point you can do whatever you need to do.
“I think he made great strides the last game, and of course he’s a great spark. He showed flashes of what he can be going forward. I tell him all the time I’m proud of him, excited for him and think he is going to be a really good player.”
It could well be him running the show next year. For now, however, Simpson is concentrating on this year and what this team can still accomplish.
“This season is important for us,” he said. “I feel like we can have a good run in the tournament. When next season comes, it comes.”
NOTES
• Walton said the difference between Michigan defensively since the first meeting with Nebraska is night and day.
“That was almost a 90-90 type game. That’s not the type of game we want to have,” he said. “We have played some inspired defense since that first meeting, and want to keep making steps in the right direction on that side of the ball.”
It comes down to want-to, he added.
“It’s willingness. The effort on that side of the ball has been enhanced … another level that’s been taken, another step,” he said. “That’s pretty much the difference — the effort. It came down to the wanting to.”
• The Wolverines will approach Sunday night as a must-win, both Simpson and Walton said.
“Bounce-back games, we’ve got a good record in those,” Walton said, “I expect my guys to just be hungry as if we won our last game, just trying to build momentum going toward next week. I think of it as stepping on the court and getting a chance to prove who you are. Each and every game is a different story. It’s an unwritten story, and now Sunday we’ve got a chance to put words on that page.
“I’m excited. It’s going to be a great atmosphere. I think it’s senior night for those guys, but I think my guys are extremely confident and ready to go play.”
• Walton said he took the loss at Northwestern harder because the ball was thrown over his head and led directly to the winning basket. He tuned out most of the postgame chatter, he added.
“Twitter people do what they do. Everybody’s an expert when they have a platform, and that’s okay,” he said.
• Simpson has made only three of 12 triples in Big Ten play and is shooting 39.1 percent from the floor, but his shot is coming.
“My numbers have improved a lot,” he said. “Coach Beilein helped me a lot with little things on my shot. I’ve continued working. If I come in for one minute I may be open for a three, may take it and it may help our team.”
He’s also developing a floater, he said, that should help his scoring.
“A perfect example is McIntosh. He has a great floater,” he said. “I’ll put it in my package and feel like it can help my game a lot.”
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