Wolverine TV: Juwan Howard, Michigan players discuss Colorado State, preview NCAA Tournament
No. 11 seed Michigan Wolverines basketball was teetering on the bubble for much of the season, but made the NCAA Tournament despite being 7-7 at one point in mid January. The Maize and Blue will take on No. 6 seed Colorado State Thursday afternoon in first-round action in Indianapolis.
Michigan head coach Juwan Howard, fifth-year senior guard Eli Brooks, the team’s captain, sophomore center Hunter Dickinson and freshman wing Caleb Houstan met with the media Wednesday morning to preview the Wolverines’ first-round matchup and the tournament overall
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Michigan Head Coach Juwan Howard
Hunter Dickinson, Eli Brooks, Caleb Houstan
Howard and the Michigan players discussed how they’ll play Thursday without fifth-year senior guard DeVante’ Jones, who’s out in concussion protocol.
“It’s a bummer, because here is a young man who has been a part of Coastal Carolina, had a lot of success there,” Howard said. Now he has the opportunity to play at the University of Michigan and led our team. He’s also a big reason why we’re here.
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Added the Michigan coach: “When you go out and practice, competitive practices where guys are competing … [it was] an inadvertent elbow as you drive into the lane. He got elbowed in the nose area. And [we’re] looking at it day by day. I’m sure he’s going to be healthy soon, [but] take his time. We’re not trying to rush him back. We want him 100 percent healthy, DeVante’. Frankie is going to get an opportunity; so will Kobe [Bufkin] and Eli. So we have a very good, balanced backcourt that’s able to step in and do whatever they can to help the team compete at a high level.”
Despite not having won more than three games in a row and only going on a two-game win streak three times this year, the Michigan players are confident they can put together a run in the Big Dance. Dickinson said the team is due to have some success and keep it going for longer than a few games. Howard, meanwhile, said his approach is to look at one game at a time and that if his Wolverines do that, they might be in good shape. They were also asked about how their experience can help during the tournament, compared to a team like Colorado State, which hasn’t made the Big Dance in several years. Brooks mentioned that he’s making sure to tell the younger players what to expect and how to go about their business.
