MADISON, Wisc. (97.1 The Ticket) – Tempers boiled over into an ugly scene following Michigan’s loss at Wisconsin on Sunday, including Wolverines head coach throwing hands at a member of the Badgers’ staff.
While it wasn’t exactly clear what sparked the brawl, the Wolverines, while trailing by double digits late in the game, had continued a full-court press against the Badgers, leading to Wisconsin coach Greg Gard calling a timeout with the game well in-hand.
Just moments later in the post-game hand-shake line, things got ugly when Howard and Gard exchanged words, ultimately boiling over – a scene that lit social media on fire Sunday afternoon.
Several Michigan and Wisconsin players were also seen throwing punches.
In a postgame interview, Gard said Howard took exception with the timeout he called with 15 seconds left.
Gard said he had called the timeout to reset the 10-second call because the Badgers only had four seconds to get it across the halfcourt line and he "didn't want to put (my bench guys) in that position of scrambling."
"He did not like that when he came through the handshake line, so I'll leave it at that and the tape will show the rest," Gard said.
Howard shared his thoughts on the situation during a press conference, saying he told Gard he "will remember that," in regards to the timeout.
"I think that was very uncalled for, for him to touch me as we were verbalizing and communicating with one another," Howard said, referencing the Badgers coach putting his hand on Howard's arm as he attempted to walk past him in the handshake line, which prompted a furious response from the Wolverines coach.
"That's what happened; that's what escalated it," Howard said.
There will surely be some repercussions for members of both teams and coaching staffs. In a statement, the Big Ten Conference said it is aware of the incident and is in contact with both schools.
The conference is "currently assessing the incident. The conference will provide more information and will take swift and appropriate disciplinary action when it completes its review."
The Big Ten is limited to a two-game suspension and a $10,000 fine, according to Brendan Quinn of The Athletic. The punishment for Howard, however, could be more severe as it's anticipated the school and the league will jointly issue the penalty, meaning U-M can add its own additional games/sanctions.
No. 15 Wisconsin won 77-63, sending the 14-11 Wolverines to a second loss in three games and trending towards the wrong side of the NCAA Tournament bubble.
Stay tuned for the latest coverage on this story.
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