Michigan Wolverines Basketball

Michigan Wolverines men's basketball head coach Juwan Howard, who was fined $40,000 and served a five-game suspension after hitting Wisconsin assistant coach Joe Krabbenhoft after a Feb. 20 matchup between the schools, was reinstated Monday. 

On Wednesday, he took responsibility for his actions while speaking with reporters.

"I can come with a thousand excuses, but I'm not,” Howard said. "I take full ownership for my actions."

"I could talk about the timeout. We could discuss the pull on the arm. We can talk about the words that were exchanged with coaches," he added. "But all that will be excuses. The main thing is that was not the right way how I should carry myself as a head coach at the University of Michigan. I was truly upset with myself."

Howard appeared unhappy with Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard for calling a late timeout, leading to words between the coaches and the scuffle:

"Apparently he didn't like that I called a timeout..."

Wisconsin coach Greg Gard on why Juwan Howard was upset after the game vs. Michigan.

📹 @CBSSportsHQ pic.twitter.com/zTUkYkjeYA

— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) February 20, 2022

The Michigan head coach wasn't alone in being punished. Wisconsin player Jahcobi Neath and Michigan players Moussa Diabate and Terrance Williams II were each suspended for a game, while Gard was fined $10,000.

Howard said he underwent therapy following the incident. 

"When I talk about my team being 1 percent better, that applies to me, too," he told reporters. "During that two weeks, I got a chance to do some soul searching, to evaluate how I can get better."

Juwan Howard said his fellow Michigan coaches from other sports reached out to him to show their support during his suspension.

“There’s nothing like knowing that your Michigan family loves you. That’s what I got from it — they all love me. And I love them too.”

— Clayton Sayfie (@CSayf23) March 9, 2022

Associate head coach Phil Martelli took over during Howard's suspension, leading the Wolverines to a 3-2 record. While Michigan (17-13) is very much on the bubble, a couple of wins in the Big Ten tournament might be enough to get it into the Big Dance. 

And Howard will be back on the bench to guide his team in that effort.

Michigan men's basketball coach Juwan Howard has been reinstated following a five-game suspension and will coach the team in the Big Ten tournament, per Michael Cohen of the Detroit Free Press. 

Howard had been suspended for the remainder of the regular season after striking Wisconsin assistant Joe Krabbenhoft during the postgame handshake between the two teams last month:

Juwan Howard strikes Wisconsin assistant Joe Krabbenhoft after Michigan-Wisconsin game https://t.co/fbv0WKzbT6

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 20, 2022

Howard was also fined $40,000 for his role in the physical altercation.

The coach apologized for his actions in a statement following the suspension. 

"I speak a lot about being a Michigan man and representing the University of Michigan with class and pride, I did not do that, nor did I set the right example in the right way for my student-athletes," Howard said. "I will learn from my mistake and this mistake will never happen again. No excuses!"

Howard will now return to the sidelines for Michigan's first postseason game on Thursday against Indiana. If the No. 8 seed wins, it will play top-seeded Illinois in the Big Ten quarterfinals Friday.

The Wolverines went 3-2 under acting coach Phil Martelli, including a road win over rival Ohio State in the regular-season finale.

It has kept the team in the hunt for an at-large berth in the NCAA tournament. Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller has Michigan as a No. 10 seed in the latest projection. 

Howard is in his third season coaching his alma mater, producing a 59-30 overall record in this time. He led the Wolverines to a Big Ten regular-season title last season and an eventual trip to the Elite Eight as the No. 1 seed.     

Michigan men's basketball will continue to participate in handshake lines under acting head coach Phil Martelli despite the recent altercation involving Juwan Howard.

"Do not get rid of them," Martelli said Tuesday, via ESPN. "This is about more than basketball, it's about teaching young people lessons."

Howard, the Wolverines' head coach, was suspended for the rest of the regular season after striking Wisconsin assistant Joe Krabbenhoft following the Badgers' win on Sunday. 

Juwan Howard strikes Wisconsin assistant Joe Krabbenhoft after Michigan-Wisconsin game https://t.co/fbv0WKzbT6

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 20, 2022

The incident began with an argument between Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard and Howard, who was upset about a late timeout called by the Badgers in their 77-63 win.

Howard offered an apology on Monday:

Quote from Juwan Howard pic.twitter.com/aKQUzXhWQx

— Brendan Quinn (@BFQuinn) February 22, 2022

The incident still raised a discussion over the need for handshake lines, which create opportunities for conflict after heated competition. 

Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo countered by telling reporters Tuesday it would be the "biggest farce" if the NCAA did away with the handshake lines. 

"We've already told these kids that it's hard to hold them accountable," Izzo said. "And now we're going to tell them to not man up and walk down a line to someone who's kicked your butt and have enough class to shake their hand is utterly ridiculous."

Martelli clearly agrees as he prepares to lead the Wolverines for the rest of the regular season.   

The Big Ten Conference announced Monday that University of Michigan men's basketball head coach Juwan Howard has been suspended for the remainder of the regular season for his role in the skirmish following Sunday's 77-63 loss to Wisconsin.

Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports broke the news earlier Monday. Michigan has five regular-season games left before the Big Ten Tournament.

Juwan Howard strikes Wisconsin assistant Joe Krabbenhoft after Michigan-Wisconsin game https://t.co/fbv0WKzbT6

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 20, 2022

Howard was also fined $40,000.

Michigan forwards Terrance Williams II and Moussa Diabate were each suspended one game for their roles in the altercation, as was Wisconsin guard Jahcobi Neath.

Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard was not suspended, though he was fined $10,000. Badgers director of athletics Chris McIntosh said in a statement that the school would cover the fine, as he views it as a "'Wisconsin fine' and not a 'Greg Gard fine'":

Statement from Wisconsin Athletics pic.twitter.com/Lyo5ai8uHf

— Wisconsin Badgers (@UWBadgers) February 22, 2022

Badgers assistant Joe Krabbenhoft was not disciplined.

Howard and Gard started yelling at each other in the handshake line before players and assistants came to separate them. It was then that Howard reached across and physically struck Krabbenhoft.

That escalated the tension and led to a scrum with players pushing each other.

The Big Ten released a statement in the aftermath indicating it was "aware of a physical altercation involving [Howard]" and was "in contact with both member institutions and is currently assessing the incident."

The Associated Press (via ESPN) noted Wisconsin called a timeout with 15 seconds left despite enjoying a healthy lead, which angered Howard.

"I didn't like the timeout being called, to be totally honest," Howard said in his postgame press conference. "I thought it was not necessary at the moment, especially being a large lead."

Howard apologized Monday for his "unacceptable" actions and words:

Michigan coach Juwan Howard has released a statement. pic.twitter.com/gvrkYbqwsi

— Gary Parrish (@GaryParrishCBS) February 22, 2022

McIntosh said some members of his team's staff were "affected and injured."

McIntosh also said he contacted Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren and added, "There's no room, no space for conduct like that in any competition, much less a Big Ten competition. The Big Ten takes pride in sportsmanship. The Big Ten takes pride in acting with class. That didn't happen today."

Gard discussed the incident in the aftermath and explained he called timeout to reset the 10-second half-court clock before he emptied his bench:

"Apparently, he didn't like that I called a timeout."

Wisconsin coach Greg Gard explains what led to the postgame fight with Juwan Howard and the Michigan team. pic.twitter.com/tjgRpGsCQB

— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) February 20, 2022

On the court, the Badgers improved to 21-5 overall and 12-4 in conference play with the win. All five Wisconsin starters scored in double figures, including Johnny Davis, who led the way with 25 points and six boards.

Hunter Dickinson's 21 points were not enough for the Wolverines, who are firmly on the NCAA tournament bubble heading into the season's stretch run after the latest loss dropped them to 14-11 overall and 8-7 in the Big Ten.

Michigan head coach Juwan Howard might have earned himself a lengthy suspension after swinging his right hand at Wisconsin assistant Joe Krabbenhoft.

During the customary handshakes following the Badgers' 77-63 win over the Wolverines, Howard exchanged words with Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard. Things escalated from there when Howard struck Krabbenhoft in the head with an open palm:

A fight broke out between Michigan and Wisconsin during the postgame handshake line. pic.twitter.com/AiWIwyzj8w

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) February 20, 2022

Here's a closer look at the altercation (warning: video contains profanity):

Here's really good raw video of the aftermath of #Michigan and #Wisconsin. You can clearly hear Juwan Howard say "I'll remember that" to Greg Gard prior to the altercation.

(Video courtesy of WKOW. Caution unedited, NSFW language.) pic.twitter.com/27N2q1OD8I

— Jeanna Trotman (@JeannaTrotmanTV) February 20, 2022

Gard said on CBS he thought Howard took exception to a timeout he called with 15 seconds left. He had called the timeout because he was concerned about a 10-second violation with his backups on the floor:

"Apparently, he didn't like that I called a timeout."

Wisconsin coach Greg Gard explains what led to the postgame fight with Juwan Howard and the Michigan team. pic.twitter.com/tjgRpGsCQB

— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) February 20, 2022

He elaborated further during his postgame press conference:

More from Greg Gard on the game and what transpired afterward pic.twitter.com/6nhsYF6N5P

— Matt Belz (@savedbythebelz) February 20, 2022

Howard told reporters the timeout didn't sit well with him and he also didn't like how Gard stopped him in the handshake line:

Here's Juwan Howard's side to the story.

Added later that he felt he needed to protect himself, because Greg Gard touched him unnecessarily in the handshake line after he had gotten upset.#Badgers pic.twitter.com/hFWrEtBv1v

— Evan Flood (@Evan_Flood) February 20, 2022

Juwan Howard's said he didn't appreciate the #Badgers calling a late timeout even though he was pressing with his starters against UW's bench. pic.twitter.com/mz2gUL7qO8

— Evan Flood (@Evan_Flood) February 20, 2022

Wisconsin athletic director Chris McIntosh told reporters that "there is no room for that in our competition" and confirmed he has reached out to Big Ten officials.

"It's unfortunate what transpired," McIntosh said. "I expect the league will act swiftly. It's difficult for me to compose myself."

Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel also issued a statement saying that "there is no excuse" for a Michigan coach or student to get involved in a physical altercation:

Statement from University of Michigan Athletic Director Warde Manuel: pic.twitter.com/GVt0zxcgLN

— Michigan Athletics 〽️ (@UMichAthletics) February 20, 2022

It looked as though Howard, while visibly agitated, was prepared to continue walking down the sideline before Gard grabbed his right arm. Without that, the entire scuffle might have been avoided.

But that's unlikely to earn Howard much of a reprieve when the Big Ten weighs any potential punishments for those involved.

The conference said in a statement that it would issue "swift and appropriate disciplinary action" after completing a review of the matter:

Big Ten statement on the incident: pic.twitter.com/IiM4CCX3Ee

— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) February 20, 2022

This isn't the first time the 49-year-old got heated on the sideline. He was ejected from a Big Ten tournament game against Maryland last March after arguing with Terrapins head coach Mark Turgeon. He needed to be restrained as he walked toward the Maryland bench.

Juwan Howard was ejected after exchanging some words with Maryland HC Mark Turgeon 😳

(via @BigTenNetwork)pic.twitter.com/lCuivxNuEm

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 12, 2021

Maryland alleged to the Big Ten that Howard had threatened Turgeon, while Howard said he was initially animated about an out-of-bounds call. He also claimed Turgeon "charged at me" as they were arguing, which led him to respond in kind.

Michigan, which fell to 14-11 overall and 8-7 in the Big Ten with Sunday's loss, has five games left in the regular season.

ESPN's Joe Lunardi projected the Wolverines to be one of the last four teams in the NCAA tournament and thus qualify for the play-in games. Assuming a suspension is on the table, Michigan might have to seal a berth in the Big Dance without its head coach.

Michigan announced Saturday's Big Ten men's basketball game against No. 10 Michigan State has been postponed because of COVID-19 issues within its program.

The Wolverines fell below the roster minimum to play following Friday night's testing. The schools will work with the Big Ten to reschedule the rivalry game for later in the 2021-22 season.

Michigan's clash with the 10th-ranked Spartans is one of several crucial upcoming games for a squad that's been hovering around .500 for most of the campaign.

The Wolverines opened the year 2-0 but have posted a mere 5-6 mark since to fall to 7-6 overall, including 1-2 in conference play. It's left them on the fringe of the NCAA tournament picture and they'll need a couple marquee wins down the stretch to reach the Big Dance.

U-M won't have a shortage of opportunities thanks to the strength of the Big Ten. It has seven games against currently ranked opponents left on its schedule—two apiece against Michigan State, Ohio State and Purdue along with a road game against Wisconsin.

Michigan head coach Juwan Howard was asked about the difficult schedule on the horizon on Friday. He replied:

One game at a time has always been our approach. Playing at home has always been, you've got to protect your home court.

You have your home fans that are gonna be there supporting you. Your family, your friends, alumni group, student body—the Maize Rage. Play inspiring basketball because your fans are going to get behind you and support your effort.

It's good to know that this game and the next games coming up are very competitive games. But that’s the Big Ten, and the Big Ten is a very competitive conference.

Meanwhile, Michigan State is already a virtual lock for the NCAA tournament with a 13-2 record, including a 4-0 start to conference play. The Spartans can improve their seeding over the next few months, with an outside shot at landing on the No. 1 line.

A road win over Michigan would have helped bolster those chances, but that always intriguing matchup will now have to wait a little longer.

The Spartans' next scheduled game comes Wednesday when they welcome Minnesota to the Breslin Center.

Michigan is slated to host the No. 3 Boilermakers on Tuesday at the Crisler Center if enough players clear the COVID-19 protocols over the next three days.

North Carolina hasn't quite figured out how to solve its road woes, but staying in Chapel Hill has been a road to success for first-year coach Hubert Davis.

Caleb Love scored 22 points and Dawson Garcia added 14, as the Tar Heels turned in a dominant second-half performance on their way to a 72-51 win over No. 24 Michigan in the 2021 Big Ten/ACC Challenge.

Ahead by just two at halftime, North Carolina turned up the pressure on both ends and never trailed after the break. The Heels are now 4-0 under Davis at the Dean Smith Center.

Playing its first traditional road game of the season, Michigan could not find an offensive rhythm as it fell to a disappointing 4-3. Moussa Diabate led the way with 13 points and Eli Brooks scored 11.

---

Notable Stats

North Carolina

G Caleb Love: 22 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals
F Dawson Garcia: 14 points, 4 rebounds
F Armando Bacot: 11 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks

Michigan

F Moussa Diabate: 13 points, 3 rebounds, 1 block
G Eli Brooks: 11 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals

---

Juwan Howard Has Long Road Ahead

Michigan's young rotation looked afraid of the limelight Wednesday night. The Wolverines finished shooting just 35.1 percent from the floor and were embarrassed on both ends of the court in the second half. 

Ranked as the No. 3 recruiting class in the country coming into this season, things have not been pretty when Michigan has been tested against good competition. Touted freshman forward Caleb Houstan has been a major disappointment, so much so that Howard should consider moving him to the reserve unit. Diabate played himself into more rotation time with a solid performance, and lineups featuring the two freshman bigs and center Hunter Dickinson have not fared well this season.

Transfer DeVante' Jones has also not packed nearly the scoring punch he did during his career at Coastal Carolina.

It's clear this is somewhat of a foundational year for Howard, with none of the freshmen looking like instant-impact stars. That said, this was a team that was ranked No. 6 in the country coming into this season. The results have to be better than what they've been so far.

---

Hubert Davis Off to Solid Start

It's fair to say Davis wasn't a particularly inspired choice to replace Roy Williams. A job of North Carolina's caliber opening typically leads to some of the most prominent names in coaching being linked. Davis was a longtime loyal assistant with Carolina ties, now getting the opportunity to prove himself in the main job.

So far, so good on the court.

The coach has spent much of his first seven games tinkering with the rotation in hopes of finding a good mix and may have finally reached the correct formula in the second half. Four of North Carolina's five starters had at least nine points, and Davis gave only seven players significant playing time.

The Heels added only two recruits in their 2021 class, so this is going to be an uphill battle of a season. It just may wind up being one that Davis and his group of veteran leaders make far more interesting than expected. 

The Arizona Wildcats upset the No. 4 Michigan Wolverines 80-62 on Sunday to move to 5-0 on the season. Arizona's win marked its first victory against a top-five team since Dec. 30, 2017. 

The Wolverines dropped to 3-2 with the loss. 

It was an incredible night for Arizona's Christian Koloko, who notched 22 points, seven rebounds, two assists and four blocked shots in the win. Bennedict Mathurin was also impressive, finishing with 16 points, five rebounds, one assist and one steal. 

DENIED 🚫@kolokojunior1 doing @kolokojunior1 things

📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/3mfDyb5AEH

— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) November 22, 2021

🔨🔨🔨🔨🔨@BennMathurin to @kolokojunior1

📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/PsgwS5V64u

— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) November 22, 2021

The Wildcats were impressive defensively throughout the night, but once things were tied at 21 with seven minutes remaining in the first half, Arizona took control and pulled away in the second half. 

Arizona began the second half by making its first nine shots to push the lead to 62-45. 

The Wildcats shot 4-of-21 from deep (19 percent), but went 33-of-66 from the field (50 percent). Michigan, meanwhile, was awful from deep on Sunday, with Brandon Johns Jr. making the team's only three pointer on 14 attempts. 

Eli Brooks was the Wolverines best player Sunday, notching 14 points, five rebounds, two assists and one steal. Hunter Dickinson, meanwhile, finished with 11 points, seven rebounds and two steals. 

Outside of Brooks and Dickinson, Michigan failed to get much production from anyone else. The Wolverines also had an unacceptable 10 turnovers in the first half and 15 overall. 

If Michigan has Final Four dreams, it's going to have to get better following a loss to an unranked opponent. Head coach Juwan Howard, who is in his third season, has quite a bit of work to do. Arizona, meanwhile, is looking impressive and could find themselves with Michigan among the nation's top 25 teams next week. 

The Wolverines will next face the Tarleton Texans on Wednesday, while the Wildcats won't face their next opponent, the Sacramento State Hornets, until Saturday. 

The unranked Seton Hall Pirates upset the No. 4 Michigan Wolverines 67-65 on Tuesday at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor.

Michigan had a chance to tie or win the game down 66-64 with 10 seconds remaining.

Wolverines forward Terrance Williams II missed a long-distance two from the top of the key with eight-tenths of a second left, but Seton Hall guard Jared Rhoden was called for a shooting foul.

Williams missed the first free throw and made the second. Off the inbounds pass, Pirates guard Bryce Aiken was fouled with two-tenths of a second remaining and made one of two free throws to end the scoring.

Michigan then didn't have enough time to get a shot off, capping the upset.

Rhoden led the Pirates with 16 points. Tray Jackson and Aiken each scored 13 off the bench. Jackson made all five of his shots, three of which were three-pointers.

Wolverines big man Hunter Dickinson led all scorers with 18 points.

Michigan guard Eli Brooks stuffed the stat sheet with 17 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals. Backcourt mate DeVante' Jones had an 11-point, 12-rebound double-double.

The Wolverines led by as many as 10 in the second half and held a 55-46 edge with 8:49 remaining, but Seton Hall responded with an 11-2 run capped by an Aiken three with 4:35 left to tie this one at 57:

𝗧𝗜𝗘. 𝗚𝗔𝗠𝗘.@SetonHallMBB and #4 Michigan are level at the U-4.

It would be in your best interest to get to FS1. #GavittGames pic.twitter.com/k23Ov0wsKS

— BIG EAST MBB (@BIGEASTMBB) November 17, 2021

Seton Hall ended up taking the lead for good on a pair of Aiken free throws with 33 seconds left for a 65-64 advantage.

Eli Brooks missed a jumper on the other end, and Pirates guard Myles Cale responded with one of two free-throw makes after a foul, leading to the final sequence.

The 3-0 Pirates will now play Ohio State next Monday in the Fort Myers Tip-Off in Florida. The 2-1 Wolverines will visit UNLV in the Roman Main Event in Las Vegas on Saturday.

Juwan Howard isn't going anywhere in the near future.

Michigan Wolverines athletic director Warde Manuel announced the college agreed to a five-year contract extension with the men's basketball head coach on Tuesday. The new deal will run through the 2025-26 campaign.

"I'm honored to be regarded in such a way that the University wished to continue a lasting relationship with me," Howard said. "It was a surprise when Warde approached me, and it didn't take long for us to get on the same page. I'm grateful to him, our great University and my talented young men who sacrifice every day. The love I have for the University of Michigan is beyond words."

Michigan hired Howard, who played at the school as a member of the famed Fab Five team, prior to the 2019-20 season.

He is 44-17 overall and is coming off a dominant 2020-21 season that saw him win the Associated Press Coach of the Year and the Big Ten Coach of the Year while leading the Wolverines to the Big Ten regular-season title and the Elite Eight.

That team lost a heartbreaker to UCLA by two points in the Elite Eight and fell just short of the program's first Final Four appearance since the 2017-18 campaign.

Michigan is right in the thick of the national picture again this season at No. 4 in the Associated Press Top 25 rankings. It is off to a 2-0 start with wins over Buffalo and Prairie View A&M and has marquee nonconference games remaining against Seton Hall and North Carolina before starting a daunting Big Ten slate.

Howard has the Wolverines set up for immediate and future success thanks to his prowess on the recruiting trail.

He landed the No. 3 class in 247Sports' composite 2021 rankings and currently has the No. 6 class in the 2022 rankings.

It is no surprise, then, that Michigan wants to keep Howard in charge of its men's basketball program for the foreseeable future as it looks to remain a national player both in recruiting and on the court.