Juwan Howard praises Michigan players, rips alarming officiating vs. Ohio State

Fresh off a dominant 82-58 upset win over No. 3 ranked Purdue on Thursday, Michigan was looking to record another victory over a ranked opponent on Saturday as it hosted No. 16 Ohio State at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor. While the Wolverines competed back-and-forth with the Buckeyes, they ultimately suffered a 68-57 loss to drop to 13-10 overall with a 7-6 mark in Big Ten play.

In the game, there was one key statistical category that separated the two teams: free-throw shooting. While Ohio State went 16-for-18 at the line, Michigan attempted just six free throws – making five of them.

Following Michigan’s loss, head coach Juwan Howard expressed his frustration with the officiating in the game – pointing out that although the Wolverines scored more points in the paint than Ohio State, they shot less free throws.

“That was alarming – in a lot of ways,” Howard said. “When you look at it, we had the most points in the paint. So, 36 points in the paint and we only shot six free throws and Ohio State attempted 18. But we had the most points in the paint, and that was alarming to me. I was like, wow – we’re attacking the basket and I see there’s contact made and I think we’re in the right to go to the free-throw line.”

Although Howard and his team weren’t pleased with the officiating, he praised his players for staying focused and continuing to compete.

“I just wanted to make sure our guys were continuing to keep playing,” Howard said. “But when you’re a competitor, you feel the contact and you want it to be called fairly and our guys were just trying to keep their cool. I was just telling them to stay locked in, stay within the moment, I’ll ask the referee for the call and the reason why, and I don’t want you guys to get frustrated. I really commend our young men on just keeping a level head.

“Unfortunately, their coach didn’t keep a level head because I got a little frustrated towards the end. I apologize to them for that.”

After Saturday’s loss to Ohio State, Michigan returns to action Thursday on the road at Iowa. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.