The Michigan wolverines men’s basketball team is now winless all time against Illinois with Juwan Howard as the head coach. Illinois has bested Juwan’s Michigan Wolverines 8 times now since he became head coach in May of 2019. The opportunities for a win against their southern foe will still come but how long is the question now. Illinois sits atop the Big Ten conference in terms of seeding for the upcoming conference tournament. The Michigan wolverines alternatively are towards the bottom half. Will the basketball gods favor the seeding to allow Juwan one last chance at redemption before heading to March Madness?

Illinois sure is a problem, money however is not
The Michigan wolverines have not been afraid to go after some big name coaches. Their last get we saw Jim Harbaugh come in to clean up a mess that seemed to stem all the way back to Rich Rodriguez in 2012. Juwan secured “the bag” with his lengthily career in the NBA as a player, need I mention the contract signed for Juwan at Michigan in 2021. As a player Juwan allocated more than 149 million. As of 2024 Juwan has a net worth of 80 Million. Juwan has a current contract through 2026 with early departure clauses guaranteeing substantial payouts.
Juwan is Illinois’ problem as a Player
Juwan Howard has had basketball running through his veins since he was a young star in high school. Juwan received national attention as young as being a sophomore. One of those highly coveted schools was none other than the University of Illinois. At the time Lou Henson was the Head Coach of the University of Illinois Fighting Illini Men’s basketball team. Lou Henson was very high praise on Juwan Howard as a young High Schooler. Like many other schools including Michigan, Juwan was their Number One target.
Juwan Howard and a problematic future
Since the 2020-2021 B1G regular season conference championship, the Wolverines have seen a steady fall in the rankings. The 2021-2022 season resulted in 8th place for B1G regular season rankings with a 11-9 conference record and 19-15 overall record. The 2022-2023 season resulted in similar results of 8th place ranked in the B1G regular season with a 11-9 conference record and 18-16 overall record. The 2023-2024 Season has gone tremendously worse 3/4 through the regular season. The Michigan Wolverines are currently in last place in the B1G conference. With 5 games left in the regular season, the Michigan Wolverines are 3-12 in conference and 8-18 overall. Not much can be salvaged other than a strong finish against the remaining conference opponents. An unlikely Cinderella run in the conference tournament would be the only way a Juwan Howard Michigan Wolverines team could see any more court time in the month of March. Will this be the end of an era? Can Juwan Howard save his legacy as head coach by doing the unthinkable and win the B1G conference tournament as a 16 seed? Will this be the year Michigan University is forced to replace head coaches for both football and basketball?
For more great College Basketball content
Follow me on Twitter at @fullthrottle612 and follow us @HardwoodHeroics for more great content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in college and professional sports, click here!