It's been a tough season for the Michigan Wolverines this year and there's even been rumors of head coach Juwan Howard possibly stepping down. The team has stumbled to an 8-15 record overall and 3-9 in Big 10 Conference play. Barring a miraculous run through the Big 10 Tournament, their NCAA Tournament hopes are pretty much non-existent. Michigan did get a huge upset win, 72-68, on Wednesday against No. 11 Wisconsin on Juwan Howard's birthday no less. Following the game, Howard gave his thoughts on the win via Andy Katz of the Big 10 Network.
"We stayed the course."@umichbball delivered quite the birthday present for Juwan Howard, who discussed the upset of No. 11 Wisconsin with @TheAndyKatz. pic.twitter.com/17wgVdVc19
— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) February 8, 2024
“Basically we stayed the course. We knew they were going to make a run, we talked about trying to keep them out of the paint, more importantly also contesting every shot without fouling,” Howard said. “Overall I'm just really impressed with how our guys kept their mental stability.”
Michigan was led by Dug McDaniel in the win against Wisconsin although Juwan Howard opted to keep him on the bench during the time the team was making a push. McDaniel finished with 16 points on 6-15 shooting from the field, 1-5 from the three point line and 3-4 from the free throw line. Tarris Reed Jr. had 12 points, Will Tschetter added 11 off the bench and Terrance Williams II added ten points.
Despite the win, it would appear that Michigan's hopes at making the NCAA Tournament are slim to none. The Wolverines have made to the NCAA Tournament in two of the four seasons that Howard has been head coach. The tournament has cancelled due to COVID-19 during his first season as head coach and last season they were in the NIT.
Follow Us
Subscribe