Does Michigan basketball need a new head coach?

Despite the struggles of Michigan basketball head coach Juwan Howard, one insider says it’s likely he returns.

Almost every road game feels like a new rock bottom for Michigan basketball and that was true again on Thursday night as the Wolverines were flat-out embarrassed on the road by Rutgers, 82-52. Forget the fact that Rutgers is the 13th-best team in the Big Ten, just one spot above Michigan basketball in the standings, this Wolverines team hasn’t been competitive on the road all season and as we saw last night, the problem runs deeper than missing Dug McDaniel.

His return to the lineup offered some hope. But it was short lived. Michigan wasn’t ready to play and allowed the worst offensive team in the Big Ten to score 41 points in each half.

The Wolverines are 3-15 in the Big Ten, 8-21 overall and following a 3-0 start, they have won just five of their last 26 games. Frankly, whatever the circumstances, that’s unacceptable just like it was to watch Purdue fans take over Crisler. At this point, maintaining the status quo feels unacceptable, but according to Michigan insider John U. Bacon, that’s exactly what Marde Manuel might do.

No decisions will be made until the end of the season, and shouldn’t be, in my opinion. You gain nothing. Then, however, it seems more likely than not that UM AD Manuel will give Howard another year, even though most fans don’t want that. https://t.co/aXO8PO0AB7

— John U. Bacon (@Johnubacon) March 1, 2024

Juwan Howard return to Michigan basketball is “more likely than not”

Responding to a post on X Thursday night, Bacon responded that “nothing would happen before the end of the season” in regards to Juwan Howard. Bacon also said, “it’s more likely than not” that Manuel gives Howard another season.

Maybe Warde is thinking back to the Jim Harbaugh decision in 2020. Lots of Michigan fans wanted him fired too, and keeping Jim was the best decision Manuel has ever made. But Jim Harbaugh is a different animal than Juwan Howard and the decline of Michigan basketball has been going on for three years. U-M did make the Sweet 16 in the 2021-22 season, but it also underachieved.

Last year, Michigan missed the NCAA tournament despite having an All-American center and two first-round picks on the roster. If Howard returns, you can expect significant changes on the coaching staff, sort of like we saw with Jim Harbaugh in 2021. But there are plenty of warning signs that this isn’t going to work and the fact that Howard was a star on Michigan’s most famous hoops team isn’t a reason to keep him.

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