When the Michigan men’s basketball team returned to practice after two weeks off, it looked like a team that had taken two weeks off.
“There were some twists and turns,” said coach Juwan Howard with a laugh on Friday. “There was some excessive fouling. There were some wobbly legs. “
Howard said that all of this was expected, and he saw some of the rust disappear in the days that followed. Michigan visits Wisconsin on Sunday (1:00 pm ET, CBS) for its first game in 23 days.
The night after defeating Purdue on January 22, the Wolverines found that they would not play, train or even use the school’s sports facilities for two weeks. The entire Michigan athletic department was closing in response to a COVID-19 problem.
In Howard’s program, there was initially frustration, as the team had no positive cases. The team had no choice but to accept the decision and make the best of the situation. This included exercises at home and studying individual films.
Nothing compares to a five against five action on the entire court, as the Wolverines were remembered when they had their first full team workout on Sunday.
“In that first session, we thought, ‘Damn, it looks like summer training,'” said striker Isaiah Livers on Friday. “Because we had to start again. … It felt like we were entering a new season. “
In addition to conditioning, Livers mentioned that time and chemistry were off.
“Two weeks off right in the middle of the season can definitely get you out of your flow,” said center Austin Davis.
Howard and his team gradually demanded more of the players, in terms of conditioning, with each practice. Livers said that everyone felt much better after some practices.
“When you have a pantry like this, you’re going to have a little rust, you’re also going to be out of breath,” said Howard. “Slowly, we are coming back each day trying to get that one percent better. I see that. I see a light at the end of the tunnel. It’s getting there. “
Michigan was playing as well as any team in the country before the break. The Wolverines are 13-1 and are at the top of the Big Ten (8-1). They went 5-1 in January, with those wins averaging 21.6 points, including a 77-54 home win over Wisconsin on 12 January.
“We were playing basketball so well,” said Livers.
Now they will visit a team from Wisconsin looking for revenge that has kept a normal schedule. The Badgers beat Nebraska on Wednesday to improve to 15-6 (9-5).
It remains to be seen whether the Wolverines have resumed where they left off. Before becoming a juggernaut, Michigan was shaken at times early in the season, needing an extension to beat Oakland and escaping Penn State.
The way back to pre-shutdown conditioning levels and the overall feel of the game is underway.
“We trust, as a team, that on Sunday we will be ready to play,” said Howard. “I don’t know how it will be, but from beginning to end we will do our best.”
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