WATCH: Juwan Howard previews Wisconsin, discusses Michigan's lack of roster continuity
Michigan Wolverines basketball head coach Juwan Howard met with the media Tuesday afternoon ahead of his team’s game against Wisconsin Wednesday night at Crisler Center. Watch video of Howard’s virtual press conference in the player at the top of the screen or on our YouTube channel.
Beginning with Wednesday’s tilt against the No. 11 team in the country, Michigan will play six straight Quad 1 contests. The Wolverines are virtually out of the Big Ten conference race but can play spoiler going forward.
“We’re looking forward to playing against one of the best teams in our conference,” the Michigan coach said. “Wisconsin has always had success over the years. This year, they’re playing extremely good basketball. They’re fortunate enough to have a lot of their returning starters back from last season. Some of them have been with the program with three years, four years — and that helps. That helps with the continuity. That helps with guys understanding and knowing their system. And [head coach] Greg Gard being the head coach he is, he’s been able to have his guys get off to a good start and play some good basketball.
“Coming into a home game, your main goal is to come out and do whatever you can to make sure that you give your home crowd something to cheer for, and at the end you being the last team standing with a victory. So, that’s our mindset going into this ball game.”
Howard mentioned Wisconsin being a veteran team, but Michigan is that as well, to an extent. The Wolverines rank 183rd in the country in Division-I experience (pen Kenpom) and have three starters who are at least in their senior season.
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However, Howard pointed out that those facts don’t mean the Wolverines have continuity, since they brought in three transfers heading into this season. Michigan ranks 149th in minutes continuity (42.9 percent), and lost one starter to transfer and two to the NBA.
“You have a team like Wisconsin and also Michigan State … when you have a group of guys who have been through your program for more than one year … Wisconsin, for example, they have some who have been in their program for four years, three years, and you have a starting lineup that, one, two, three, four of their guys have been playing for each other for two to three years. That helps a lot, because you know each other, you know your roles, you are bought into your roles.”
Added the Michigan coach: “Offensively, as far as the style of play, you’re very familiar with it. From a defensive standpoint, you have a good comfort level of how the defensive schemes are. And also, you have a comfort level of your opponents within your conference, as far as how you prepare for your opponents. And that helps a lot in college basketball. You look at some of the teams that have had success early on and then also may have had the stability to continue to have consistent success, it’s the teams that are fortunate to have guys that stick around and have been with the program for some time. With us, yes, you said we have some veteran guys, but you have some guys that have only been in our program for months. It takes time to pick up a lot, as far as the roles, style of play on both ends of the floor — whether it’s offensively or defensively — a different role that you have been playing at your other school and may be a bigger role now here with Michigan. You may have had a lesser role with your other school.
“That’s a lot to take on, but I admire how our guys have been accepting to it.”
