Michigan-Wisconsin game turns ugly in confrontation with Juwan Howard, Greg Gard
Michigan basketball’s poor performance at Wisconsin turned uglier as the two teams were preparing to leave the floor. Head coaches Juwan Howard and Greg Gard were involved in a postgame handshake controversy that led to a scuffle between both teams.
Howard was displeased that Gard called a timeout inside the final minute of the game up double digits. Michigan responded by fouling on the next possession to extend the game and send a message that it was not happy.
Following the final buzzer sounding, Howard initially held himself out of the handshake line before returning and was set to walk past Gard while expressing his displeasure. Gard grabbed him and the two got into a verbal spat with Howard pointing his finger in his face. The benches of both teams would come to the aid of their coaches in an escalating situation.
Wisconsin assistant Joe Krabbenhoft charged in to say something to Howard and appeared to touch and speak to Michigan forward Terrance Williams, which was met with an open-handed swipe to the face from Howard to Krabbenhoft. The scene got ugly from there with several players pushing and shoving one another and security getting involved.
At least one Michigan player appeared to be involved in the scuffle with freshman forward Moussa Diabate throwing multiple punches. Howard and Diabate’s actions will likely lead to suspensions and discipline from the Big Ten office. Others are likely set to feel the effects of the confrontation in addition.
Howard confirmed during his postgame press conference that he was miffed at Gard’s timeout. Things escalated when Gard put his hands on him.
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“For someone to touch me, I thought that was very uncalled for,” Howard said.
He did not apologize during his session with the media but did say that he admired his players for backing each other up, though that it was unfortunate it came to that.
What’s next for Howard, Michigan
This could not have come at a worse time for the Wolverines. Michigan is on the NCAA Tournament bubble with every win needed to cement their resume. It will likely be without its head coach and at least one of its key players for an indefinite amount of time. This is a disaster at a critical point in the season.
According to Brendan Quinn of The Athletic, the Big Ten’s sportsmanship policy limits a possible suspension to two games with a $10,000 fine. However, Michigan could add more discipline if it chooses to jointly issue it with the conference.
Regardless, Rutgers comes to town on Wednesday night for a showdown with the Wolverines. Tipoff for that game is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET from Crisler Center in Ann Arbor.
