Michigan basketball injury updates on Jett Howard, Terrance Williams II before game at Rutgers
Michigan Wolverines basketball is entering a crucial game at Rutgers Thursday night in Piscataway with the status of two starters in question. Junior forward Terrance Williams II has missed the last two games — at Wisconsin and versus Michigan State — with a knee contusion. Meanwhile, freshman guard Jett Howard, the team’s second-leading scorer, went down with a right foot injury with 14 minutes to play Saturday night against the Spartans.
The team will practice Wednesday and depart for Piscataway in the afternoon. Associate head coach Phil Martelli spoke with reporters Wednesday morning and shared what he knows about each player.
Howard appeared to step on a Michigan State player’s foot after making a mid-range jump shot. He favored his right ankle and did not put any weight on it as he was helped off the floor. Howard did go to the locker room for a period of time but returned to the bench and was seen limping without assistance.
“He’s upright,” Martelli said when asked about the Michigan freshman. “His movement has improved each day. We were off Sunday. Monday, a lot of treatment, engagement in scouting report via film, and the same with yesterday.
“I will say this, his body language is much brighter than other times when he’s been injured. But still nothing where you’d say, ‘Oh yeah, he’s full-go,’ or anything like that. Not ready for that.”
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Martelli added that he will “absolutely” make the trip to Rutgers, “hopefully with uniform and not a sweatsuit.”
A Michigan team spokesman said that Howard will likely be a “game-time decision” after going through Thursday’s shoot around.
Howard is averaging 14.4 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game, while connecting on 41.8 percent of his field goal attempts and 36.9 percent of his triple tries. His 69 made threes are eight shy of being in Michigan’s top 10 for a single season.
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Williams warmed up at Wisconsin but could not play, before being ruled out even earlier during pregame against Michigan State. He’s progressing nicely heading into Rutgers, Martelli revealed.
“He was able to go lightly on Monday, and he was a full participant yesterday,” Michigan’s associate head coach said. “Some of it will be how he reacts today. We moved practice up a little bit because of this impending weather, so I have not seen the status report. We usually get a status report before we draft up our practice plan, but I haven’t seen a report yet for this morning.”
Williams is one of three captains, along with junior guard Jace Howard and junior center Hunter Dickinson. He’s struggled offensively this season, especially with his three-point jump shot. He’s shooting just 27.4 percent from deep (after making 38.5 percent of his threes a year ago) and averaging 6.8 points per outing, the least among the Wolverines’ starters.
Williams has kept up his leadership, however.
“Jace has definitely been the most vocal,” Martelli said. “Terrance Williams — I think that, by example … the players know that he has struggled and he’s not, not — I know a double negative — been dignified on the way he approaches his own self criticism, so that has grown.
“When he was out this past stretch, I’ve noticed that he’s gotten a little bit more vocal, more with individual guys — talking to a [redshirt freshman forward] Will Tschetter or talking to a [freshman forward] Tarris Reed.”
Stay tuned for more Michigan basketball injury updates as the game approaches. Thursday night’s tip-off is slated for 8:30 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1.
