Juwan Howard reacts to upset of Purdue, Michigan fans storming court

Juwan Howard added a signature win to his coaching resume on Thursday night, as his Michigan squad recorded a dominant 82-58 upset victory over No. 3 ranked Purdue at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor. Although the Wolverines have had their fair share of struggles this season, Thursday’s performance certainly gives Howard and the team some momentum heading down the stretch.

Michigan came out of the gate firing on all cylinders – building an eight-point lead just under six minutes in and taking a nine-point advantage into the locker room at halftime. The Wolverines were even better in the second half, as they outscored Purdue 44-29 and never allowed the Boilermakers to get into a rhythm.

Following Michigan’s big win, Howard met with the media for his postgame press conference and reacted to the Wolverines’ upset victory – which resulted in plenty of Michigan students and fans storming the court to celebrate.

“Thinking back to when I was a student-athlete here, no, we never had the fans storm the court,” Howard said. “And tonight, I really didn’t know how to react because it was my first time. But it was nice to see that our fans really appreciate the guys and the players and what they’ve brought to the table.

“The fans tonight really brought it. The ‘Maize Rage’ is always consistently there supporting us. Our student body and how they were present at a late game on a weekday … it was just nice to see the energy in the building. I know our guys really appreciate seeing and experiencing that.”

Now 13-9 overall with a 7-5 mark in Big Ten play, Michigan is back in action Saturday at home against No. 16 Ohio State. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Big Ten announces date for postponed Michigan-Michigan State contest

Michigan, looking to exact revenge on its in-state rival Michigan State, may not have gotten the opportunity after a Jan. 8 postponement.

No. 13 Michigan State got the best of the Michigan Wolverines at home on Jan. 29, as the Spartans cruised to an 83-67 victory — but that was supposed to be the second of two matchups between the rivals. Michigan was set to host Michigan State on Jan. 8, until the game was called off due to COVID-19 complications. For quire some time, the question was not whether Michigan was capable of turning it around and beating the Spartans; rather, it was a matter of whether the game would be played at all.

On Monday, the Big Ten answered that question, by officially announcing the date of the rematch: March 1 at 8:30 p.m. ET. The game will still be played in Michigan’s Crisler Center, as the Wolverines will now play host to the visiting Spartans.