For Juwan Howard And Michigan, This Was Just The Beginning

Losing is never easy, particularly when it happens in March and within an arm’s reach of a national title. Though No. 1 Michigan was favored entering the Elite Eight matchup with No. 11 UCLA, the game proved that being favored means very little when it comes to tournament play. In the midst of an incredible tournament run that began in the first-four play-in game against Michigan State, the Bruins were expected to come back to reality against a group of Wolverines that simply outmatched them at nearly every position.

That didn’t happen.

What was supposed to be a relatively easy victory for Michigan (as easy as things can be in March), turned into a battle from start to finish that ended in an extremely painful loss for the Wolverines. Michigan didn’t need much to win the game at the end, they just needed someone - anyone - to make a shot. Instead, the Wolverines would miss their final eight attempts from the floor and lose to the Bruins by a score of 51-49.

Starting point guard Mike Smith, senior guard Eli Brooks and sophomore Franz Wagner went a combined 5-25 from the field - their worst collective outing of the season. With just 0.5 seconds left on the clock, Michigan would have one last opportunity to tie or take the lead. Howard called a timeout, drew up a play for Franz Wagner and Wagner got a great look from beyond the arc to win it. Unfortuately, the shot didn't fall. Game over.

As expected, many within the Michigan fan base questioned the reasoning behind giving Wagner - who had shot just one of nine from the field to that point - the final shot of the game.

“We got the look, got the shot that we wanted,” said Howard during his postgame press conference. “Unfortunately, there's not much you can do with point-five, but that shot, it was a nice little heave. Unfortunately, it just didn't go in.”

“Franz is one of the big reasons why we're here in this position,” Howard said. “And I will always have trust in all my players and it's never one guy’s fault because he didn't shoot the ball well. Together as a team. You win together and you lose together.”

With that, the Michigan Basketball season had come to an abrupt, painful and unexpected end. Such is life in March.

We will be back. #hail https://t.co/8pUREljI1y
— Jalen Rose (@JalenRose) March 31, 2021

Though a somber mood will likely linger for days (if not weeks) among the Michigan faithful, the reality is that this was one hell of a season from Juwan Howard and the Michigan Wolverines. From unranked to a Big Ten Championship and a No. 1 seed in the tournament, Michigan was consistently one of the most dominant teams in all of college basketball and just one game away from a shot at playing for the national championship.

Make no mistake, this wasn’t the end of anything in Ann Arbor. In fact, they’re just getting started.

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