DES MOINES, Iowa — The Michigan Wolverines came out of their locker room and gathered in a tight circle, the players locked arm in arm at the entrance to Wells Fargo Arena.
“Breathe!” Zavier Simpson barked.
They did as told. Simpson has that kind of power of this team. The players looked at each other, taking exaggerated deep breathes before playing Florida on Saturday afternoon. And you could feel the calm setting over them.
Then, they went around the circle, each player saying out loud what they would give to this team in this game.
“Play defense,” Zavier Simpson said.