Juwan Howard says he's been stressing defense with Michigan

Michigan picked up its second straight win today with their 77-69 victory over Ohio State. When discussing some of the keys to the Wolverine’s third win in five games, Juwan Howard harped on defense, defense, and defense.

Howard stressed that point of emphasis following the win over the Buckeyes. He said Michigan’s defense, specifically their communication within it, has been a major part of their success as of late.

“I’ve been stressing that since the start of the season. I’m gonna continue to keep pushing that message through to our guys about how important (it is),” said Howard. “Our communication has to be precise, it has to be loud. With communication, what it does is it just breeds more confidence. Also, it can become intimidating.”

“If you look at some of the mistakes we had today on the defensive end? It was because of a lack of communication. Calling out coverages but also calling your teammate’s name to make sure that that guy hears exactly who you’re speaking to,” Howard said. “Our defense is predicated on everyone. When one guys breaks down, it hurts the team. So that’s been a huge focus and a point of emphasis in this stretch run.”

Michigan’s defense has allowed 69.5 points per game this season. It’s also currently rated in the Top-75 in defensive-adjusted efficiency in KenPom. They’ve taken it up a notch in their latest three wins, though, as they held Minnesota, Northwestern, and Ohio State to an average of just 58.7 points per game.

Getting stops consistently goes a long way in getting wins period, let alone in a league like the Big Ten. With Michigan in the middle of the pack in the conference, continuing to take this message from Howard to heart should work wonders in moving them up the standings over their final eight games.