Michigan basketball coach Juwan Howard won’t be upset that the Wolverines picked up their eighth win in Big Ten play on Thursday, defeating Iowa, 84–79.
However, in pulling out the victory, the third-year head coach picked up two technical fouls. In one instance, he picked up a tech for arguing with a referee on a call. The other foul came in a very bizarre manner.
During the second half of the game, Iowa’s Conor McCaffery made a pass that bounced off the foot of Michigan’s Moussa Diabaté. From there, the ball went flying across the half-court line toward the Wolverines bench.
While McCaffrey attempted to pursue the loose ball, it ended up in the hands of Howard, who had stepped on the court and picked it up. Howard knew right away that he had made a mistake by interfering with a ball in play and laughed about it.
“I had a brain fart,” Howard said after the game. “As the ball was rolling, just my instincts—I think I’m being helpful. I go and pick up the ball and I’m thinking, ‘You know what, one of their players knocked it out, and they may have touched it,’ but I wasn’t locked in like I should have (been). I picked it up and it ended up being a technical.
“I knew when I got it, I was like, ‘Oh my god.’ That’s when it clicked that it wasn’t the right thing to do. I told the guys in the locker room and also on the court that we coaches make mistakes too. That one’s on me.”
With the win, Michigan (14–10) (8–6) sits a game behind rival Michigan State at seventh in the Big Ten standings.
