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Juwan Howard reveals how Will Tschetter 'ignited' Michigan vs. Northwestern

Screen Shot 2024-05-28 at 9.09.17 AMby:Kaiden Smith•01/15/23•

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Michigan forward Will Tschetter has given U-M good minutes this year. (Thornton/Getty Images)

After a closely contested back-and-forth battle on Sunday, Michigan pulled out an 86-78 win over Northwestern at home on Sunday. The Wolverines had a strong second-half scoring outing that helped propel them to victory, but also had an impressive day on the glass that was key to their win, which Michigan head coach Juwan Howard discussed following the game.

“Yeah see it was big, huge because Northwestern, they average over 11 offensive rebounds per game,” Howard said. “And as you can see in the first two minutes of the second half they were able to get two offensive rebounds and that’s unacceptable on our end, especially off a free throw, that’s built on effort grit.”

The Wolverines would go on to win the rebounding battle by a large margin, ending the game with 41 rebounds compared to Northwestern’s 29. Michigan’s star center Hunter Dickinson led the charge on the boards, leading the both teams with career-high tying 15 rebounds. But according to Howard, other players like freshman forward Will Tschetter helped off of the bench in the rebounding department for the Wolverines, especially in the second half.

“And then we get another offensive rebound off a layup, they were quick to the ball so I needed to find something that would’ve ignited us, but I knew Will would be that guy with his toughness, and he’s just scratching the surface too,” Howard said

Tschetter and other freshmen have been making the most of their minutes this season for the Wolverines, giving them a valuable spark off the bench all season and become reliable options for Howard’s rotation.

“This is his, you could say, freshman year but we trust that when Will comes in the game he’s gonna give us that life that we need. Will, Jace (Howard), Tarris (Reed) those three guys, and then you can also throw in Isiah Barnes in there too, those four guys give us that energy that we need,” Howard said.

Reed had an impressive eight rebounds off of the bench Sunday and two dunks for the Wolverines, and has been logging more minutes for Michigan in their last two matchups.

Michigan’s freshmen will definitely be a big part of their season, and their success could be a major determining factor in the success of the team. The Wolverines hit the road of their next game, as they face Maryland on Thursday at 7:00 p.m.