Michigan coach Juwan Howard will receive a five-game suspension Monday for his role in a postgame scuffle after the Wolverines’ loss at Wisconsin on Sunday, according to Yahoo Sports’ Dan Wetzel. Howard struck Wisconsin assistant Joe Krabbenhoft after a tense exchange with Badgers’ coach Greg Gard in the handshake line after the game. The suspension will keep him off the sidelines for the remainder of the regular season.
Gard’s decision to call timeout with 15 seconds left and the Badgers holding a 15-point lead is what sparked Howard’s ire. With the Wolverines maintaining full-court pressure after Wisconsin went to a lineup of walk-ons and reserves, Gard later explained that he called the timeout to help his team avoid a 10-second violation. But it did not sit well with Howard.
“I didn’t like the timeout they called, I’ll be totally honest,” Howard said. “I thought it was not necessary at that moment, especially with it being a large lead. … I thought that wasn’t fair to our guys.”
The ordeal brought a swift rebuke from Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel on Sunday, and the Big Ten pledged “swift and appropriate disciplinary action when it completes its review.”
Howard’s suspension comes with Michigan needing a late surge to reach the NCAA Tournament. The Wolverines are one of the “First four out” of the projected NCAA Tournament field, according to CBS Sports Bracketology Expert Jerry Palm. Their next game comes Wednesday against Rutgers.
The program does have a natural fill-in on staff in associate head coach Phil Martelli. The former longtime St. Joseph’s head coach is in his third season on Howard’s staff after a storied 24-year run in the Atlantic-10.
