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On Monday, chaos erupted at the NCAA men's basketball game after Michigan Wolverine coach Juwan Howard threw a punch at Wisconsin Badgers assistant coach Joe Krabbenhoft. As the fight ensued, players from the respective teams began fighting each other. Twitter is now swarmed with post-game memes and netizens debating whether Howard should be suspended from his position.
Game commentators observed that Howard got in line for the post-game handshake after Michigan’s 77-63 loss to Wisconsin. Howard attempted to walk past Badgers head coach Greg Gard without shaking his hand. However, the two stopped to exchange words. The former tried to take a swing at Gard but landed his fist on Krabbenhoft. Both the team players went on to brawl with each other.
The fight between the two coaches took place after Gard called a timeout when his Badgers were 76-61 up. Only 15 seconds were left in the game, leading to Juwan Howard being left displeased. Speaking about Howard and Gard’s heated discussion, the latter told CBS Sports:
“Apparently, he didn't like that I called a timeout to reset the 10-second call. We only had 4 seconds to get the ball past half court. I didn't want to put my bench guys in that position of scrambling, so I took the timeout. He did not like that when he came through the handshake line."
Juwan Howard acknowledged the same in a press conference after the game. He said:
“I didn’t like the timeout they called; I’ll be totally honest.”
He added that he felt it was unnecessary at the time, making it unfair to the Wolverines.
Internet reacts to Juwan Howard losing his cool in NCAA match
Many took to Twitter relentlessly joking about Juwan Howard. However, a few expressed their opinion on whether the coach should be taken out of games because of his conduct. A few tweets read:
Michigan athletic director puts out a statement following brawl
Warde Manuel, Michigan’s athletic director, said that a review would be launched into the on-court fight. He added that disciplinary action would also be considered. He said:
“There is no excuse for any of our staff or student-athletes to get into a physical altercation with others regardless of instigating factors.”
Manuel also confirmed that he apologized to Wisconsin officials.
The Big Ten Conference, which includes both teams, said that “swift and appropriate disciplinary action” following their own investigation.
Wisconsin athletic director Chris McIntosh said post-game that their staff has been “affected and injured.” Adding that their team did not instigate the fight, McIntosh said that he has been in contact with Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren to assure that the league acts “swiftly and aggressively.”
