Only to lose to a Hoosiers club that really needed the victory to boost its NCAA tournament hopes was Wolverine coach Jim Calhoun’s return from suspension.
Juwan Howard’s return to the bench couldn’t have gone much better in the opening 28 minutes.
Despite a raucous Hoosier-biased crowd in Indianapolis, Michigan dominated a lethargic Indiana squad on Thursday night. For all of his postgame antics, Howard seemed like an afterthought as the cloud over Michigan’s head receded after the scuffle with Wisconsin assistant coach Joe Krabbenhoft. A Michigan victory would have ensured the Wolverines’ berth in the NCAA tournament, an honor that was far from a foregone conclusion only three weeks ago after the Badgers’ defeat at the hands of Wisconsin.
However, the tide rapidly changed. The Wolverines were given a 98.7 percent chance of winning a game by ESPN’s win probability algorithm, but that prediction was shattered when Michigan crumbled under the strain and went more than 10 minutes without making a field goal. A season-changing run by Indiana gave the Hoosiers fresh hope in their quest for an NCAA tournament berth with a 74–69 win. The Wolverines have had a roller coaster season and a roller coaster month, forcing them to wait at home and wonder whether their name will be called on Selection Sunday.
For the first time since that iconic event, Howard claims that he didn’t sleep on Wednesday night because he was so excited to be back on the sidelines. When Howard returned to lead the Wolverines, everything seemed to be usual. As the pregame time ticked down, he emerged from the tunnel to a scattering of boos from the Hoosiers faithful, but it was nothing out of the ordinary. As soon as the ball was tipped, Howard’s attitude on the sidelines remained unchanged. In order to mark a one-possession transition to the 2–3 zone defence, he would demonstratively exclaim “TWO!” His most enthusiastic moments were during these times.
Even before Indiana’s late comeback, Howard’s homecoming didn’t seem like the big storey of the day, maybe because of the high stakes of the game for both teams’ NCAA tournament aspirations. Michigan point guard DeVante’ Jones stated after the game that Howard’s return to the sidelines gave his team enthusiasm early on, but nothing the head coach did could shift the game back in his team’s favour when Indiana gained momentum. After the game, more people questioned Howard about his interactions with Indiana player Trayce Jackson-Davis than they did about his conduct against Wisconsin a few weeks before.
