Finally Some Hope For Michigan Basketball Fans?

I am not going to sugarcoat things one bit here — Michigan basketball fans have every right to be apathetic about the men’s program right now, seeing as it has been a mess as of late. That said, on Monday evening, Juwan Howard and his Wolverines took the court once again, and actually gave some hope regarding the state of the program, downing Ohio State 73-65 in front of the Fab Five at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, MI.

Michigan basketball fans seeing some hope following Monday’s win over Ohio State

Michigan basketball had lost five straight games heading into Monday afternoon’s battle with the Buckeyes at the Crisler Center. On top of that, things with Juwan Howard have been messy as of late (with the Jon Sanderson investigation and more), Dug McDaniel is suspended for road games, and — to be quite frank — the program has been in steady decline since its Big Ten title-winning season in 2020-21.

Still, Ohio State was no match for the Wolverines, and despite the fact that Michigan nearly blew yet another lead, the Maize and Blue claimed an eight-point victory, improving to 7-10 (2-4 Big Ten) on the season.

OSU win have everything that a Juwan Howard-era loss is usually made of

Monday’s win has everything that a Michigan basketball loss is often made of: a notable lead with a lot of time remaining, a few late-game mistakes, giving up the lead in the second half, and a close game down the stretch. Yet, unlike we often see with Michigan, the Wolverines managed to tighten things up as the game went on, eventually coming from behind and getting the win.

Of course, another odd occurrence for this year’s Wolverines was the solid defensive showing against Ohio State — this is a good trend considering Michigan basketball has been a poor defensive team at many points this season.

Win over Ohio State could turn things around, but we’re not there quite yet

Now, Michigan’s win over Ohio State is not going to turn the entire season around, especially given that the Wolverines are still three games below .500 and two games below .500 in Big Ten play. However, it’s a step in the right direction, and if Juwan Howard can use Monday’s victory as a momentum builder, and start winning some of these close defensive games, there are plenty of reasons for Michigan basketball fans to be optimistic about what lies ahead for the Maize and Blue.

On Thursday, Michigan basketball could make it two in a row and start building some serious momentum as No. 14 Illinois will come to Crisler for an evening matchup at 8:00 PM (ET).

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