Will Juwan Howard Return to Michigan Next Season?

On Monday, Michigan men’s basketball coach Juwan Howard was suspended by the Big Ten Conference for hitting Wisconsin assistant Joe Krabbenhoft after their game the previous day. Howard’s suspension will last for five games — which is the rest of the regular season — and he was also fined $40,000 for his actions. The big question now is, will Howard be back next year?

The Badgers defeated the Wolverines 77-63 in the game, and Howard did not like that Wisconsin called a time-out in the final minute to get the ball past mid-court despite having walk-ons on the floor. Michigan was still playing its regulars with a full-court press at the time.

Howard was visibly upset following the loss, and Badgers head coach Greg Gard grabbed his arm in an effort to stop and talk to him before words were exchanged and things got heated. Krabbenhoft then got involved by making a move towards Howard when he was struck.

After the Big Ten dished out the suspension, Howard issued a statement regretting how he handled the situation and apologizing for how he represented his school:

I speak a lot about being a Michigan man and representing the University of Michigan with class and pride, I did not do that, nor did I set the right example in the right way for my student-athletes. I will learn from my mistake and this mistake will never happen again. No excuses!

Gard was fined $10,000 as well for violating the conference’s sportsmanship policy while Michigan forwards Terrance Williams and Moussa Diabate and Wisconsin guard Jahcobi Neath were all suspended one game for appearing to throw punches during the fracas. The Wolverines currently sit in a tie for sixth place in the league standings, 3.5 games behind the Big Ten-leading Badgers and Purdue Boilermakers. Michigan is on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament right now and may need to finish strong in order to make it into the Big Dance.

What Does Howard’s Future Look Like?

As a Michigan alum, Howard obviously has very close ties to the school. Plus, he just won Big Ten Coach of the Year last season and earned a five-year contract extension through 2025-26. For those reasons alone, this one incident does not figure to impact his future there long-term.

Online sportsbook Bovada has made the “Yes” a strong -360 favorite (bet $360 to win $100) that he will return as the head coach for the Wolverines next season. The “No” is listed as a +250 underdog (bet $100 to win $250).