How Michigan Basketball can make the tournament without Juwan Howard
By Alex Hinton
What Michigan basketball needs to do in order to make the NCAA Tournament without Juwan Howard for the rest of the regular season.
Michigan basketball is currently 14-11 and 8-7 in Big Ten play. It will be without head coach Juwan Howard for the remainder of the regular season as he will be serving a suspension for the postgame altercation following the Wisconsin game.
Howard’s suspension comes at an inopportune time as the Wolverines are fighting to make the NCAA Tournament. Fortunately, Michigan has a former head coach to turn to in lead assistant Phil Martelli.
Michigan basketball has five games remaining beginning with tonight’s game against Rutgers at the Crisler Center. Rutgers won the first meeting at The RAC 75-67 on January 4th. Michigan was shorthanded in the first meeting because of COVID-19 issues in the program.
Michigan will be without forwards Moussa Diabate and Terrance Williams, who will be serving one-game suspensions.
Perhaps the suspensions force Michigan basketball to play a little bit more small ball.
What Michigan basketball needs to do down the stretch
Michigan has five games remaining in the regular season and four of them are at home. Of the four, Rutgers projects to be the most winnable and is absolutely a must-win game.
Following Rutgers, the Wolverines have Illinois, Michigan State, and Iowa at home before closing out the regular season at Ohio State.
Obviously winning out would be the best-case scenario.
However, Michigan basketball needs to win at least three of its last five games to feel good about its chances to make the NCAA tournament.
That would put the Wolverines at 17-13 and 11-9 in the conference entering the Big Ten Tournament.
A win in the Big Ten Tournament would likely solidify a spot. However, Michigan will have the opportunity to pick up a Quad 2 win over Rutgers and Quad 1 wins over Illinois, MSU, Iowa, and OSU.
Next. Top 10 Michigan point guards of all time. dark
The Bracket Matrix has Michigan on the 11 line for the NCAA Tournament. Even without Juwan, the path is there for the Wolverines to make the Big Dance. The next step starts tonight against Rutgers.