In an embarrassing scene, the end of the Michigan vs. Wisconsin basketball game on Sunday ended in a fight between both teams during the handshake line. And it all started because of the actions of Wolverines’ head coach Juwan Howard.
Howard was apparently not happy about Wisconsin calling a timeout with only 15 seconds left and already up by 16. After the game ended, a 77-63 Badgers win, the Michigan head coach appeared to walk away from the handshake line, but filed in at the end instead of leading it off like he normally does.
When he got to Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard, he pulled his mask down and reportedly told him that he’d “remember that,” referencing the timeout. Then, according to Gard, he put his hand on Howard to start to explain why he took the time out, trying to reset the 10 seconds players he just put into the game had to cross the ball past midcourt. Howard, apparently not happy about Gard touching him and voicing his opinion, then got heated and eventually reached towards one of the Badgers’ assistants, appearing to strike him with his open hand.
A hostile squirmish then broke out with Howard and other players needing to be restrained.
A fight broke out between Michigan and Wisconsin during the postgame handshake line. pic.twitter.com/AiWIwyzj8w
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) February 20, 2022
We like to poke fun at Michigan here on this free website, but this is far from acceptable from the head coach tasked with leading and providing an example for young men. No matter what happens in a competitive environment, showing restraint and being a good sport are at the core of every athletic department’s values.
Howard failed to act in a manner expected of him and you can expect disciplinary action to come down swift and hard, especially since it looks like he intended to strike another coach.
And it’s not the first time Howard has been involved in an altercation. Last season, he got in a war of words back and forth with Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon during a Big Ten Tournament game in Indianapolis.
We’ll be on top of this as soon as any further updates become available. This could be very bad for Howard and Michigan as the Big Ten and both universities work through a situation that the adults in the room should have been able to deal with civil humility rather than escalating things.
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