Juwan Howard explains decision to give Will Tschetter first career start vs. Wisconsin

Sophomore forward Will Tschetter made his first career start for Michigan during Tuesday’s 54-59 loss to Wisconsin. Tschetter finished the game with four points, five rebounds and two assists during 26 minutes on the court.

After the game, Wolverines head coach Juwan Howard explained his thought process behind giving Tschetter the starting nod, and how giving him the opportunity will help him during his development.

“It’s no surprise to me because the young man has worked extremely hard. This being his second year, he’s been very patient waiting his turn but also at the same time, just feeding life to the team,” Howard said postgame. “This year, you get an opportunity to play more. Being a first start, there’s nothing to try to make it more different than what it is overall by playing when he’s not starting.

“I always say this: next man up, and stay ready. He showed that tonight. He made some really good plays. Also, some aggressive plays to the basket. He also did very well defensively versus a tough matchup in Tyler Wahl. He accepted that challenge, which was no surprise to me, the staff and the team. I love coaching Will and it’s nice to have more Wills on our team”

The choice to start Tschetter follows the report that forward Terrance Williams was going to miss Tuesday’s game with a bruised knee. Howard has been high on Tschetter for a while, so it was a perfect excuse to slot the former On3 Consensus four-star recruit into a legitimate role in the lineup.

Still, the Wolverines came up short and drops even further down ESPN Bracketology expert Joe Lunardi’s rankings. Coming into the game ranked No. 80 overall, the loss to the Badgers knocks them even farther down the line and more than likely out of the NCAA Tournament picture altogether.