Juwan Howard believes excitement led to mistakes vs. Michigan State

Turnovers told the story in Michigan’s 73-63 loss to Michigan State on Saturday. In the loss, the Wolverines committed 22 turnovers compared to the Spartans’ mere 10. After the game, Michigan head coach Juwan Howard pointed to his team’s excitement as a reason behind their surplus of mistakes.

“I saw that our guys were really pumped up for this game,” Howard said. “Just to see some of the decision making that was happening on the floor came from the adrenaline of being excited to play against Michigan State and then also seeing a home crowd that brought the energy.”

Michigan State capitalized on Michigan’s mistakes, scoring 27 points off the Wolverines’ turnovers. For reference, Michigan averages 13 turnovers per game. The Wolverines’ excitement was understandable.

Sitting with an 8-18 record and 3-12 mark in conference play, Michigan is desperate for wins. There’s no better way to turn a season around than a win over an arch-rival. Michigan saw its Crisler Center at near capacity for the Saturday matchup. However, the program couldn’t escape with a win.

Following the loss, Howard recalled his message to his team during their string of mistakes.

“We talked about it in timeouts, you have to, of course, just slow down, take a breather and allow the game to come to you,” Howard said. “That’s something that, as a young man, you learn. It doesn’t just happen.

“Those things happen, those moments where unfortunately when you come out as the loser and have 22 turnovers and then go back and see the ‘why’ of what caused the turnovers… I would not take anything away from Michigan State’s defense; it was more where we hurt ourselves.”

Only the latest obstacle for Michigan

Juwan Howard has had a tough season. Early on, his coaching responsibilities were limited because he underwent a heart procedure in September. Couple that with his worst season at the helm of the program, and it’s been a heavy several months for the Michigan legend.

Despite the setbacks, Howard is keeping an optimistic outlook for his Wolverines.

“As a leader of the program, you know, if I crack and I explode that’s going to trickle down to the players,” Howard said. “So it’s my job to keep coaching, keep teaching, and to find positive energy each and every day. And that’s what I enjoy doing. Because these young men that I work with, I love them, and I enjoy coaching. I’ve enjoyed working with them, I enjoy learning from them. 

“Me and my staff are always looking for ways of how we can improve what we see on film … But those are teaching moments that we will of course keep growing with our players. Losing doesn’t feel well for any of us.”