Juwan Howard might not be safe with Michigan basketball after all

As the Michigan basketball season has gone on and gotten worse with each game, coupled with reports that U-M athletic director Warde Manuel wants to keep Juwan Howard, fans have started to get restless.

The support, in terms of attendance, has fallen off a cliff. Purdue took over Crisler when the Boilermakers played there. Sunday, on Senior Day, the place was half empty and after the worst season in program history, many, rightfully want a change.

However, Warde Manuel is the man with the power to make that move. So far, he's been hesistant, at least according to multiple reports. Yet, John U. Bacon, a known Michigan Wolverines insider, posted on X on Tuesday that things could be changing according to several inside sources.

"Hearing from insiders that, while Michigan AD Warde Manuel would rather keep men's basketball coach Juwan Howard, he now seems less inclined to protect Howard's job. FWIW.
We're getting pretty close to "Nobody knows anything" territory, but that seemed significant," Bacon wrote on X.

The key quote from Bacon is that Manuel "now seems less inclined to protect Howard's job." That's different than the last time Bacon posted on the subject. Before, he reported it was "more likely than not" that Howard would be retained as Michigan basketball head coach.

The Wolverines finished 3-17 in the Big Ten, as well as 8-23 overall. Michigan basketball also didn't have a single player earn postseason honors when the selections were announced by the Big Ten. The season could come to an end Wednesday night against Penn State and whatever happens, Manuel needs to be decisive. All the information needed to make a decision is out there.