Juwan Howard on Ejection: 'When Guys Charge You, It's Time to Defend Yourself'
Mar 12, 2021
Michigan head coach Juwan Howard, front, is restrained after being ejected from the game in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Maryland at the Big Ten Conference tournament in Indianapolis, Friday, March 12, 2021. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Michigan head basketball coach Juwan Howard explained what led to his ejection in the second half of his team's 79-66 win over Maryland in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinal Friday.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Howard explained that he was set off by a comment from Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon:
"(Mark) Turgeon saw that I was out of the box, he tells the referee to look at my feet, I’m out of the box, I’m like, come on man, this is what we’re doing today? You’re worried about my feet being out of the box? So he said to me, 'Juwan, I’m not gonna let you talk to me. You don’t talk to me ever again.' And he charged at me.
"I don’t know how you guys were raised but how I was raised by my grandmother and also by Chicago. I was raised by Chicago, I grew up on the South Side, when guys charge you, it’s time to defend yourself."
Howard received a double-technical during a timeout midway through the second half as he and Turgeon exchanged words on the court:
Howard was held back by Michigan staff members Jay Smith and Chris Hunter, though he was able to get close to the half-court line amid his frustration.
Turgeon told reporters afterward that he said "don't talk to me" to Howard prior to the incident.
Phil Martelli, who is in his second season as a Wolverines assistant, took Howard's spot as head coach for the remainder of the game.
Michigan, the top overall seed in the tournament, will play No. 9 Ohio State in the first semifinal Saturday. The Wolverines are looking for their third Big Ten tournament title in the past five years.
Big Ten Tournament 2021: Quarterfinals Scores, Semifinals Bracket and Schedule
Mar 12, 2021
Michigan Wolverines guard Mike Smith (12) signals a play against Rutgers in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Ann Arbor, Mich., Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Each of the eight best teams the Big Ten has to offer were in action Friday in the quarterfinals of the 2021 Big Ten men's basketball tournament.
All of the top eight seeds advanced to the quarters, meaning some of the top teams in the nation were looking to punch their tickets to the semis.
Among the teams slated for action at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis were fourth-seeded Michigan, No. 9 Ohio State, No. 3 Illinois and No. 5 Iowa.
Here is a full rundown of Friday's Big Ten tournament results thus far, as well as a look at where the Big Ten tourney bracket stands.
The top-seeded Michigan Wolverines overcame a double-digit first-half deficit to beat the eighth-seeded Maryland Terrapins 79-66 in the quarterfinals of the 2021 Big Ten tournament on Friday.
Michigan looked to be in dire straits in the first half, but it closed the half on a 16-2 run to take a 40-38 lead into halftime.
Franz Wagner scored the go-ahead bucket in the closing seconds of the opening half on the ninth assist of the game up to that point by Mike Smith:
1⃣6⃣-2⃣ run to close the half.
No. 1 seed @umichbball finished the first half on fire.
Even so, Michigan had all the momentum on its side, and it never relinquished the lead aside from a brief tie in the opening seconds of the second half.
The Wolverines actually had to close out the win without head coach Juwan Howard, who was ejected about midway through the second half after he and Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon got into a heated argument:
The two sidelines converged and had to be separated so that things didn't escalate further. Michigan led by 10 at that time, and it was never in danger of losing that lead even after Howard was ejected.
Maryland outshot Michigan for much of the first half, but the Wolverines flipped the script and ended up winning the statistical battle.
Michigan shot 51.7 percent from the field, 45.5 percent from three and 100 percent (7-for-7) from the free-throw line, compared to 48.1 percent, 30.8 percent and 75 percent for Maryland.
The Wolverines also had 21 assists to 16 for the Terps, and that was primarily thanks to Smith, who put himself in elite company, per ESPN Stats & Info:
Mike Smith finished with 18 points and 15 assists in Michigan's 79-66 win over Maryland.
Smith is the 4th player over the last 25 seasons with 15 points and 15 assists in a conference tournament game. pic.twitter.com/PO0qMZhZTD
Smith scored a career-high 18 points and added a Big Ten tournament record 15 assists to pace the Wolverines.
Michigan also got big performances from Wagner and Eli Brooks, who both scored 16 points. Maryland's Eric Ayala led all scorers with 19.
While Michigan has advanced to the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament, Maryland fell to 16-12 on the season and must now await its fate with regard to whether it did enough to make the NCAA tournament.
Ohio State 87, Purdue 78 (OT)
The fifth-seeded Ohio State Buckeyes outlasted the fourth-seeded Purdue Boilermakers 87-78in overtime of their Big Ten tournament quarterfinal game.
OSU led by 18 at halftime, but that lead evaporated in the second half thanks to a late 9-0 run by Purdue. The Buckeyes came back to life in the second half, though, with trifectas by Seth Towns and Duane Washington Jr. looming large.
Ohio State's first-half lead was largely built on the play of senior Kyle Young, who came out of the gates firing, especially from three-point range:
With Young out, Purdue junior forward Trevion Williams took over the game, as he posted up Ohio State players on possession after possession and kept scoring with precision hook shots:
Williams tied the game at 70-70 with 49 seconds left in regulation and then tied it again at 72-72 with 12 seconds left to force overtime.
Williams ended up scoring all but four of his game-high 26points in the second half and overtime, which was paramount in Purdue's comeback. He also accounted for 14 rebounds and five assists.
To the Buckeyes' credit, they figured things out in the extra session and managed to reverse the momentum enough to advance to the semifinals.
Washington led Ohio State with 20 points, but Young's efforts played a big role in the win even though he exited in the second half, as he went 7-of-10 from the floor and 4-of-5 from deep for 18 points.
Illinois 90, Rutgers 68
Junior guard Ayo Dosunmu posted 23 points, six assists, five rebounds and three steals as Illinois led wire-to-wire in defeating Rutgers 90-68.
Illinois jumped out to a 9-0 lead en route to a 47-28 halftime edge. Dosunmu, who scored 14 first-half points, played a big part in that hot start, converting on this three-point play early on:
He finished with 14 first-half points, enabling Illinois to cruise in the second half. The No. 3 team in the Associated Press poll led by as many as 26 points after halftime before winning by 22.
Sophomore center Kofi Cockburn added 18 points and 12 rebounds for Illinois, which shot 52.5 percent from the field and out-rebounded Rutgers 44-19. Illinois also grabbed 17 offensive boards to Rutgers' four and scored 46 points in the paint.
Cockburn's paint dominance down low was on display all night, including this offensive rebound and ensuing slam dunk:
Freshman guard Adam Miller also excelled with 12 points, five rebounds and two steals. He put the exclamation point on this win with a dunk to put Illinois up 26:
Junior guard Ron Harper Jr. led Rutgers with 21 points, and senior guard Jacob Young added 13 more.
Illinois, which is seeded second in the Big Ten tournament, will play the winner of Iowa versus Wisconsin in the conference semifinals Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET.
The winner will take on either Ohio State or Michigan in the finals on Sunday at 3:30 p.m.
Rutgers' season is not over: The Scarlet Knights should be in the NCAA men's basketball tournament for the first time since 1991. Bracket Matrix currently projects Rutgers as a No. 9 seed.
Iowa 62, Wisconsin 57
Senior center Luka Garza posted 24 points on 10-of-15 shooting, nine rebounds and four blocks as third-seeded Iowa defeated sixth-seeded Wisconsin 62-57 to advance to the Big Ten tournament semifinals.
Junior guard Joe Wieskamp, who suffered a sprained right ankle when the Hawkeyes beat the Badgers to close the regular season last Sunday, returned Friday and scored 10 points.
Senior guard D'Mitrik Trice led Wisconsin with 19 points, and senior forward Micah Potter added 17 off the bench.
Wisconsin led 34-26 early in the second half thanks in part to Potter, who scored 11 by halftime. Potter finished off this pick-and-roll with Trice for a slam dunk to put Wisconsin up six late in the first half:
However, Wisconsin went ice-cold from the field in the second half, going 9:08 without a field goal. A Trice three-pointer with 9:22 left in the second half was the last bucket Wisconsin would get until he made another three with 14 seconds remaining. Trice was the only Badger to make a field goal in the last 14 minutes of the game.
Iowa took advantage and chipped away at the Badgers, taking the lead for good after Wieskamp's layup with 3:01 remaining to put the Hawkeyes up 54-52. Wieskamp hit another jumper to put Iowa up four, and senior guard Jordan Bohannon scored six points down the stretch to seal the win. That included this big bucket:
Iowa shot just 2-of-20 from three-point range but had 16 combined steals and blocks to Wisconsin's seven. The Badgers also committed 14 turnovers versus Iowa's eight.
Iowa will now face Illinois in the semifinals on Saturday at 3:30 p.m., with the winner facing either Ohio State or Michigan on Sunday at 3:30 p.m.
Video: Michigan's Juwan Howard Ejected After Arguing with Maryland's Turgeon
Mar 12, 2021
Michigan head coach Juwan Howard, front, is restrained after being ejected from the game in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Maryland at the Big Ten Conference tournament in Indianapolis, Friday, March 12, 2021. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Michigan men's basketball coach Juwan Howard was ejected during the second half of Friday's Big Ten tournament game against Maryland:
Both Howard and Maryland coach Mark Turgeon were assessed technical fouls after an argument between the two on the sidelines. Howard was later called for a second technical foul, which leads to an automatic ejection.
The altercation came during a media timeout with 10 minutes, 44 seconds left on the clock of the quarterfinal matchup. Michigan held a 10-point lead at the time and went to win 79-66.
After the game, Howard gave his side of the story:
Juwan adds “And he charged at me. I was raised by Chicago and when you’re charged, you defend yourself. Especially when a grown man charges at you.”
Howard was the Big Ten Coach of the Year and is a top candidate for the National Coach of the Year Award after leading Michigan to a 19-3 record and a conference regular-season title in his second season with the program.
After a few days off following the end of the regular season, the top four teams in the Big Ten will be back in action Friday...
Big Ten Tournament 2021: Betting Tips for Round 2 Odds, Spreads and Over-Under
Mar 11, 2021
Michigan State forward Aaron Henry (0) goes up for a shot against Maryland during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
The Michigan State Spartans have been one of the best stories in men's college basketball over the past few weeks.
Tom Izzo's squad went from a team in danger of missing the NCAA men's basketball tournament to a potential lock into the field of 68.
Michigan State can further solidify its place in the Big Dance on Thursday with a victory over the Maryland Terrapins in the Big Ten tournament second round.
Maryland is one of a few teams scheduled to take the court in the second round that enters Indianapolis on a losing run.
The Ohio State Buckeyes fall into the same category and need to beat the Minnesota Golden Gophers to create some momentum going into the men's NCAA tournament.
Big Ten 2nd-Round Schedule
No. 8 Maryland vs. No. 9 Michigan State (-1) (Over/Under: 131) (11:30 a.m. ET, BTN)
No. 5 Ohio State (-10.5) vs. No. 13 Minnesota (O/U: 146) (2 p.m. ET, BTN)
No. 7 Rutgers (-3) vs. No. 10 Indiana (O/U: 131) (6:30 p.m. ET, BTN)
No. 6 Wisconsin (-5) vs. No. 11 Penn State (O/U: 134) (9 p.m. ET, BTN)
Michigan State worked its way off the bubble with five wins in its past seven games.
One of the rare slip-ups during the stretch was a loss to Maryland on February 28 that featured its second-lowest scoring total of the run.
Since that game, the Spartans beat the rival Michigan Wolverines to land on the "last four byes" line in the latest projection from ESPN's Joe Lunardi, and Maryland suffered a pair of disappointing losses.
Maryland struggled to score against the Northwestern Wildcats and Penn State Nittany Lions as it produced a total of 116 points.
If those troubles carry over into Indianapolis, the Spartans could be in prime position to set up a third meeting with Michigan in eight days.
To secure that matchup, Michigan State needs to shoot much better than it did at the Xfinity Center. It made just 19 of its 57 field-goal attempts in the 73-55 defeat.
In Sunday's win over Michigan, the Spartans' most experienced players led the scoring, as Rocket Watts and Aaron Henry combined for 39 points.
If Watts, Henry and Joshua Langford turn in a solid set of performances on Thursday, they could hold the edge in what is being viewed as a coin flip matchup by oddsmakers.
Maryland could rally back from its losing run, but Michigan State has too much momentum in its favor right now, and it has the motivation to avenge one of its recent defeats.
Ohio State vs. Minnesota (Under 146)
Ohio State went from a contender for the fourth No. 1 seed to a No. 2 or No. 3 seed in the midst of its four-game losing streak.
The only silver lining to come from that run is that the Buckeyes were competitive with a trio of Top 10 teams.
On Thursday, the Buckeyes received a much easier matchup to get back on track before a potential quarterfinal showdown with the Purdue Boilermakers.
Minnesota is coming off an atrocious 51-point performance in the first round on Wednesday, and it has had trouble scoring in some games against Top 25 foes.
In its five losses to ranked Big Ten opponents, Minnesota failed to reach the 75-point mark. It owns four victories against Top 25 teams, but all of those triumphs occurred at home and in the early stretch of Big Ten play.
Richard Pitino's squad recorded 65 points or fewer in five of its last eight games in which it produced a 1-7 record.
Ohio State has not reached the 70-point mark in its last three games, and it may have trouble adjusting to the court inside Lucas Oil Stadium since Big Ten teams were not given time to practice there before playing.
Minnesota suffered from that on Wednesday and is dealing with depth issues. The Gophers only had eight players hit the floor against Northwestern.
If those struggles carry over into the second-round contest, we could see a low-scoring affair in the 60s.
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Several of the top men's college basketball teams in the country are in the Big Ten, including No. 3 Illinois, No. 4 Michigan and No. 5 Iowa. So the conference tournament should provide plenty of exciting action...
Big Ten Tournament 2021: Betting Tips for Round 1 Odds, Spreads and Over-Under
Mar 10, 2021
Northwestern forward Miller Kopp, right, shoots against Maryland guard Darryl Morsell during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Evanston, Ill., Wednesday, March 3, 2021. Northwestern won 60-55. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
The Minnesota Golden Gophers dropped off from the middle of the pack in the Big Ten to the first day of the Big Ten tournament in the last month.
The drastic fall from a 6-7 league record to a seven-game losing streak placed the Golden Gophers into the No. 13 seed in Indianapolis.
Minnesota's losing run made it one of the two underdogs for Wednesday's opening-round games. The Gophers will square off with the Northwestern Wildcats.
In the other contest, the Penn State Nittany Lions will try to ride the momentum gained from three wins in four games to beat the worst team in the Big Ten.
A win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers seems like a straightforward result for Penn State, but the real question regarding its opening-round appearance is if it can cover a 6.5-point spread.
No. 12 Northwestern (+0.5) vs. No. 13 Minnesota (Over/Under: 141.5) (6:30 p.m. ET, BTN)
No. 11 Penn State (-6.5) vs. No. 14 Nebraska (O/U: 146) (9 p.m. ET, BTN)
Betting Tips
Northwestern (+0.5) vs. Minnesota
There is absolutely no way you can trust Minnesota at this juncture of the season.
Not only have the Gophers lost seven in a row, but they have not been competitive in most of those games. Six of those seven defeats were by seven points or more, and one of them came against Northwestern.
The Wildcats beat the Gophers by eight on February 25 and used that as a catalyst to win two more games to close out the Big Ten regular season.
Since it is trending in the right direction, Northwestern should be picked to cover the small spread, which is where it is at because the two programs finished beside each other in the Big Ten regular-season standings.
In the 67-59 win, Northwestern used 42 second-half points and a 42.2 field-goal percentage to get past Minnesota.
The Gophers turned in an awful shooting performance in that contest, as they made four of their 27 three-point attempts.
Minnesota's three-point shooting did not improve after that. It did not shoot better than 30 percent in contests against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, Penn State and Nebraska.
Conversely, Northwestern is coming off a 44 percent performance from deep in its regular-season finale versus Nebraska.
If those trends hold true, the Wildcats should move on with ease to set up a second-round clash with the Wisconsin Badgers.
Penn State (-6.5) vs. Nebraska
Outside of a two-game winning run in February, Nebraska has not achieved much success in Big Ten play.
Since beating Penn State by one point on February 14, Nebraska allowed 75 points or more in six of its seven defeats. The one exception occurred in the game directly after the Penn State win.
The lone stellar defensive showing in that stretch came in a March 1 victory over Rutgers in which it held the Scarlet Knights to 51 points.
That type of performance can't be expected on a nightly basis from the Huskers, which is one of the reasons why Penn State is the more trustworthy team in the matchup.
Two of Penn State's last three wins came against Minnesota and Nebraska, and it eclipsed the 80-point mark in both victories.
Those offensive outbursts combined with the surprising win over Maryland on Sunday should give the Nittany Lions plenty of confidence heading into Indianapolis.
Penn State has three impressive scorers in Myreon Jones, Izaiah Brockington and Seth Lundy. Lundy averages the fewest points per game of the trio, but he exploded for 31 points versus Maryland.
If the Nittany Lions' top three scorers rack up high totals against Nebraska, it could relegate the Huskers to an early exit and a double-digit scoring difference.
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The Big Ten has been one of the most competitive conferences during the 2020-21 men's college basketball season...
Iowa AD Apologizes to Roy Marble's Family over Luka Garza Jersey Retirement
Mar 9, 2021
Iowa center Luka Garza speaks folllowing a video tribute after an NCAA college basketball game against Wisconsin, Sunday, March 7, 2021, in Iowa City, Iowa. Garza, a senior, was playing his last home game at Iowa. Iowa won 77-73. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
University of Iowa athletic director Gary Barta apologized after offending the family of former Hawkeyes basketball star Roy Marble while announcing the retirement of Luka Garza's No. 55 jersey.
Marble, whose No. 23 has not been retired, held the school's all-time scoring record for 32 years before Garza surged past it in February. Shortly after the Big Ten regular season ended, Barta announced no other Hawkeye would wear Garza's number, joining Carl Cain, Ronnie Lester, Bill Logan, Sharm Scheuerman, Bill Seaberg, Bill Schoof, Greg Stokes, Chris Street and B.J. Armstrong.
"We have learned since Sunday that Roy Marble's family was hurt and feeling disrespected since that day," Barta said, according to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN). "I just want to take a moment and share that absolutely that disrespect was unintentional and to publicly apologize for that."
Marble's son, Devyn Marble,tweetedMonday that he would never watch another Iowa game in his life after "the amount of disrespect that school has shown" to his family. Devyn played at Iowa from 2010-2014 and was named first-team All-Big Ten his senior year.
Roy Marble scored 2,116 points during his career while leading Iowa to a 30-win season in 1987 as well as the 1988 Sweet 16. Yet those accomplishments have previously not been enough to qualify for a jersey retirement.
Per the University:
"Iowa Athletics, in conjunction with the Iowa Varsity Club, have had different criteria over the years involving accomplishments, All-America recognition, individual awards, etc. Gary Barta and Iowa administration have been working towards a set of criteria that is more streamlined, in which exact awards and recognition are included. The top two priorities are individual National Player of the Year recognition, and consensus All-America recognition. Gary and Iowa administration will continue to work towards a more direct list of criteria that will be used moving forward."
In the meantime, Marble will join Murray Wier and Chuck Darling in a permanent display at Carver Hawkeye Arena.
Big Ten Tournament 2021: Bracket Seeds, Odds, Matchups and Predictions
Mar 9, 2021
Illinois' Ayo Dosunmu (11) dribbles during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Indiana, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2021, in Bloomington, Ind. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
The Michigan Wolverines are listed as the Big Ten tournament favorite, but the past week has proved anything is possible in this conference.
Juwan Howard's team had appeared to be untouchable but then lost two of its final three games to Illinois and Michigan State.
The Fighting Illini are one of the many teams listed above +300 that could cut down the nets in Indianapolis instead of the Wolverines.
Before the top four seeds take to the floor on Friday, a few programs in need of positive results will hit the hardwood, including Michigan State and the Maryland Terrapins.
The Spartans come into the tournament as the hotter team and could go from bubble team to surefire lock in the span of three weeks if they beat the Terps.
According to Joe Lunardi of ESPN, Michigan State enters Lucas Oil Stadium on the "last four byes" section of the projected field of 68. It used wins over Illinois, Michigan and the Ohio State Buckeyes to move from the fringe of the field to inside it.
Tom Izzo's team should solidify its spot in the field of 68 with a victory over Maryland, which is trending in the opposite direction following losses to the Penn State Nittany Lions and Northwestern Wildcats.
The pair of shocking defeats dropped the Terrapins into the No. 8-versus-No. 9 matchup against one of the hottest teams in the country.
Maryland's last victory came against Michigan State, a game in which the Spartans struggled to shoot well from any area of the court. They hit 33.3 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from three-point range in the 73-55 loss.
In Sunday's win over Michigan, the Spartans made 44.4 percent of their shots and received 39 points from Rocket Watts and Aaron Henry.
If Michigan State's most experienced players step up again in Indianapolis, it should cruise to a quarterfinal berth and remove itself from the "last four byes" line and play for a better Big Dance seed for the rest of the tournament.
Maryland should still be in good shape to make the field of 68, but it would head into the NCAA tournament with three straight losses and viewed as one of the top teams to fade in bracket pools.
Illinois Cashes In On Recent Winning Run
At +320, Illinois carries some of the best value of any team in championship week.
Brad Underwood's team will likely land the fourth No. 1 seed in the Big Dance and has one of the best inside-outside duos in the country in Ayo Dosunmu and Kofi Cockburn.
Illinois is on a four-game winning run, with each of its last three victories coming against ranked opposition. If it continues on its current run, it could land a spot in Sunday's tournament final and a possible rematch with Michigan.
The Fighting Illini could have an extra edge on Michigan, with Dosunmu getting back to full strength and the Wolverines potentially missing Eli Brooks, who left Sunday's loss to Michigan State with an injury.
Brooks has the fifth-highest points-per-game total on the Michigan roster, but he contributes in many areas. If he is not at 100 percent, Illinois could win the backcourt matchup.
Dosunmu has played his best against the top teams in the Big Ten. He produced 19 points or more in five showdowns with Top 25 sides.
The senior guard's lowest total from those games was a 19-point outing on Saturday against Ohio State, which came after a two-game absence due to a facial injury.
If Dosunmu continues to shine against the league's best teams and Cockburn chips in with his normal production down low, the Illini could cash in on their odds to win their first Big Ten tournament since 2008.
