The Michigan basketball program is reeling after yet another embarrassing home loss, this time at the hands of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.
Coach Juwan Howard and the Wolverines squandered yet another first half lead just days after they did the same against their rivals in East Lansing.
Recently, Coach Howard was absolutely thrashed by Wolverine fans online after his team's second half letdown against the Spartans. Spartans Coach Tom Izzo waxed poetic about his team's rivalry with the Wolverines and why it still means so much to so many people.
Howard spoke candidly about what Michigan basketball missed in is 69-59 Saturday home loss to the Knights at Crisler Arena after the game.
Howard Speaks on ‘Mindset' and ‘Pride'
The current Michigan coach has been through the ringer this past year after undergoing life-saving heart surgery in September.
A former member of one of the most brash and confident teams of all-time, the ‘Fab Five' of the early 90s, Howard called on his current team to adopt a stronger mindset.
“What stops the bleeding is pride,” Howard said. “Pride to have the mindset to go out and, whatever play it is, it has to be one of those where you roll your sleeves up, get your knees dirty,” he said.
“Those are the type of plays that we need. For example, driving to the basket during the stretch run that they had, that's got to be where you've got to have pride to sit down and guard and not allow a blow-by.”
Curtain Falling Fast on Michigan Basketball
The loss dropped Michigan basketball to 7-15 on the season, one year after first round picks Kobe Bufkin and Jett Howard passed through Ann Arbor.
Howard's team has faltered ever since John Beilein's recruits left town, despite the individual success of the aforementioned players and others on Howard's team this season.
Howard said the Wolverines must get better at making key plays including defensive stops and box outs to win games. These little things won't be added to the stat sheets in an obvious way, but they may help Michigan get back in the win column again.
“You gotta have a certain level of fight and commitment to play physical by starting with the basics,” Howard said to On3.com.
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