‘Coach Howard Happened’- Michigan Wolverines Senior Forward Opens Up On How They Won ‘The Toughest Conference’ in the NCAA

Michigan Wolverines pulled off the impossible and became regular-season champions of the toughest NCAA conference this season. Most of the AP Top 25 has been populated by Big Ten teams all season long, proving how closely matched the conference was. However, despite the stars that the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Illinois Fighting Illini have, the Wolverines won the Conference.

READ MORE: Baylor Bears Become First Non-Kansas Team To Win Big 12 Championship In 17 Years

Along with that, Michigan was the team that finally knocked the Baylor Bears of #2 in the AP Poll after a season of dominance by the Bears. The season has been a fairy-tale for the Wolverines, who weren’t expected to emerge as the cream of the crop in the Big Ten. Isaiah Livers, who is in his last season for the University spoke about how it felt to win the title and how Juwan Howard was the key behind it.

The Wolverines are going into the post-season tournaments as the favorite to win it. While ‘March Madness’ odds have the Gonzaga Bulldogs well ahead of them, nobody can doubt this Wolverines team anymore. Michigan legend and coach Juwan Howard has done a fantastic job with the program.

Michigan Wolverines: Can Juwan Howard lead them to an NCAA title?

The Michigan Wolverines are a basketball powerhouse. However, the most iconic era of the team has to be when the ‘Fab Five‘ were playing in the 90s. With Jalen Rose and Chris Webber as the stars, Juwan Howard became an integral piece to that Michigan team. However, titles eluded them.

The one thing Howard couldn’t do as a player has finally been achieved. He has won the Big 10 as a coach and will hope to also win the tournament to rectify the losses from two decades ago. The field of competition will be very tough for Howard to overcome. While they will get favorable matches towards the start due to seeding, having to run into some of the top teams may be a little hard for this team.

However, they have veteran leadership, a steady coach, and elite talent. It seems the time for Michigan fans to celebrate is coming, but it may not be this season. With teams like Baylor and Gonzaga, Michigan may fall short this season. But they still have a lot to be proud of.