Listen: Playing The 'What If' Game Surrounding Isaiah Livers' Injury
Michigan junior forward Isaiah Livers got hurt against Presbyterian on December 21, causing him to miss the next six games — Michigan lost four of those contests. He returned against Illinois but left again after reaggravating the groin, and U-M ended up losing to the Illini at the buzzer. He returned for the big rematch against Michigan State, and the Wolverines rolled to a 77-68 win. He then tweaked his ankle against Indiana, causing him to miss the anticipated matchup against Rutgers at The RAC, but by then, U-M had really turned a corner and now hasn't lost since February 4.
Livers is one of the best overall players in the Big Ten, and arguably Michigan's best player, so obviously him being out is going to have a big impact on games. That rough stretch in January and a bad-ish loss to Ohio State at home weren't only because Livers was out, but his absence cannot be ignored.
That got us thinking, what would Michigan's record and Big Ten standing look like had Livers not gotten hurt this year? It's a fun and frustrating conference to have because U-M looks really tough to beat now. That's obviously a good thing as tournament time approaches, which is why we discussed it on Inside The Huddle today.
What do you think? How would Michigan's season look if Livers had played in every game? How would it have affected the progress of Brandon Johns Jr. and others? Comment below!!!
