All of this warrants a considerable suspension for Howard, from either the Big Ten or the University of Michigan, and the degree figures to be problematic for a team that is competing to Delaware State Hornets shirtearn an NCAA Tournament bid and has five games remaining on the regular-season schedule. It would not be a surpri

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Juwan Howard was late to the handshake line. Other Michigan personnel, players and coaches filed through this pointless charade as prescribed, but he was nowhere to be seen for a bit. And then he arrived as Wisconsin's Greg Gard had progressed all the way down to the front of the Wolverines bench.

There was a lesson in this, people: Better never than late.

If Howard wished to be angry about how the final 15 seconds of his team's blowout loss to the Badgers developed, well, that was his right (even if he was wrong). The way to handle it, though, merely w Forsyth Technical Community College Jerseys as to walk away.

Instead, as the two coaches intersected, Howard  extended his right hand to shake Gard’s hand and, at some point, declared, in Gard's words, "I'll remember that." Gard put his left hand on Howard’s right elbow and abruptly stopped him, later explaining he tried to explain the circumstance that engendered Howard's anger. Howard reacted to the grab by balling the front of Gard’s pullover in his grip.

And then it got really ugly.

We have seen some ridiculous escapades develop from postgame handshake lines, but it's been a while — like, maybe, never — since we've witnessed a head coach (Howard) reach out and strike an opposing assistant coach in the head and that subsequently led to players (at least one from each side) swinging with blows that appeared to land.

All of this warrants a considerable suspension for Howard, from either the Big Ten or the University of Michigan, and the degree figures to be problematic for a team that is competing to earn an NCAA Tournament bid and has five games remaining on the regular-season schedule. It would not be a surpri Texas vs. Oklahoma Rivalry Gear se for him to mis Ball State Cardinals shirt s all of them.

The league issued a release Sunday afternoon to say it is "currently assessing the incident . . . and will take swift and appropriate disciplinary action when it completes its review."

It's not just because Howard was the first in this mess to raise his hand to an opponent but also because of what resulted from his actions. One could argue at least one of his players was following that example in reacting with a swing.

"There's no room, there’s no space for conduct like that, in any competition, much less Big Ten competition," Wisconsin athletic director Chris McIntosh told reporters following the game. "The Big Ten takes pride in acting with class, and that didn’t happen today."

Howard was willing to explain himself to the media after the game, but he offered no apology and no apparent remorse. Asked if he was angry the game had been extended when Gard called a timeout with 15 seconds left and a 14-point lead, Howard replied that he was.

"I didn't like the timeout being called, and I'll be totally honest with you," he s College Halloween Costumes Boston University clothes aid. "I thought it was not necessary at that moment, especially being a large lead . . . I thought, what I felt, Florida vs. Georgia Rivalry Shirts it wasn't fair to our guys."

Howard had chosen in those final seconds, however, to remain in a full-court defense. If he had ordered his defense to retreat after a basket scored by UM starting guard DeVante' Jones with 22 seconds left, Wisconsin would have been in position to dribble out what remained of the game.

Instead, two Wolverines defenders double-teamed a ballhandler following the inbou Carthage Firebirds shirt nd pass, and when one of the defenders FSU vs. Miami Rivalry Gear deflected the ball out of bounds, only four seconds remained for Wisconsin to avoid a backcourt violation. So Gard called timeout to give hi Eastern Washington Eagles Jerseys s reserves, by rule, a reset to 10 full seconds to advance the ball past th WVU vs. Pitt Rivalry Shirts e midcourt line.

Howard was asked why he continued to have his team press if he wanted the game over. He said the Wolverines weren't pressing, "it was just 5 Pressure defense." With UM players defending in the backcourt and double-teaming the ball, it seems like a difference without a distinction.

And it seems unreasonable Howard should be permitted to continue coaching his team in that circumstance but his opponent should not.

"I addressed with the head coach, 'I will remember that,' because of the timeout," Howard said. "And for someone to touch me — and I think that was very uncalled for, for him to touch me — as we were verbalizing and communicating with one another . . . So that's what ended up happening. That's what escalated it."

It seems highly unlikely anyone in authority will view that as the flashpoint in the escalation. That came when Wisconsin assistant Joe Krabbenhoft and Howard began exchanging words and Howard struck him with an open right hand across the left side of Krabbenhoft's face.

This is not the first time Howard has had an issue with an opposing Big Ten coach. He approached the Maryland bench during a timeout at the 2021 Big Ten Tournament, which led to an exchange of words with Terps coach Mark Turgeon — and to Howard's ejection. 

Howard had no choice but to leave the court after being assessed two technical fouls in that game, but even at that he did not rush off the floor. He had to be held back by multiple staff members.

This is Howard's third season as a Division I head coach. He has been at this long enough to understand this degree of conduct has severe repercussions. He played his entire Michigan career under the no-fight rules that were instituted nationwide after a 1988 Georgetown-Pitt brawl led the Big East Conference immediately to impose a one-game suspension for any player ejected for fighting. The rules now are: one-game suspension for a fight, the rest of the year if you choose to go a second round.

Had Howard walked away, to the locker room and eventually to the press conference, there would have been ample opportunity for him to make his point about what he perceived to be an affront.

He would have been criticized for this, but he wouldn’t have been trending on Twitter. His future as Wolverines coach would not be a point of public discussion. Even if that seems an overreaction in a world that is ever more prone to overreact, it didn't have to be this way. This was under his control.

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