GREG GARD

A person with direct knowledge of the decision says South Carolina and Chattanooga’s Lamont Paris have reached a five-year deal for him to become the next men’s basketball coach.

Michigan men’s basketball coach Juwan Howard spoke to the media Wednesday (March 9) for the first time since serving his five-game suspension.

Wisconsin’s Johnny Davis is The Associated Press player of the year in the Big Ten Conference and the Badgers’ Greg Gard is coach of the year.

Tenth-ranked Wisconsin lost leading scorer Johnny Davis when he was injured on a flagrant foul early in the second half, and the Badgers also missed a chance to clinch the Big Ten title outright by falling to Nebraska 74-73.

While they weren't the preseason favorite to win the Big Ten Conference, Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said that's been his team's goal since the start of the season. Win the next game, and the No. 13 Badgers (23-5, 14-4) will have the regular-season title. “This group has had a Big Ten championship in their sights since we started in the offseason,” Gard said Saturday night after Wisconsin took over first place with a hard-fought 66-61 road win over Rutgers.

EAST LANSING, MI -- “We won’t quit, we’ll get better.”Those were the words of Tom Izzo after Michigan State lost its third straight game on the road at Iowa on Tuesday night. It’s the continuation of what has been a brutal stretch for the Spartans, who have now tumbled down the Big Ten standings, having lost five of the last six games. Not what you want to hear if you’re a Spartan fan, but MLive reporters Brandon Champion and Kyle Austin discuss it all on episode 69 of MLive’s Spartan Confidential podcast. Tom Izzo also said there will be lineup changes. How many more games do the Spartans need to win to guarantee a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the 24th straight season?

It set off a national debate about the handshake line across all sports. “Time to End the Charade of Postgame Handshake Lines,” read a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette headline over a column that cited multiple recent incidents. Tom Izzo, Michigan State’s coach since 1995, bristled at the suggestion that teams do away with postgame handshakes. “I’ve said publicly before, the handshake line is not something I’m in favor of,” he said on Monday. No, but who’s to say Howard wouldn’t have sought out Gard even in an alternate universe without postgame handshake lines?

Phil Martelli is all set to guide Michigan for the rest of the college basketball regular season.

Michigan basketball coach Juwan Howard has been suspended for the final five games of the regular season and fined $40,000 for hitting a Wisconsin assistant in the head, triggering a postgame melee.

Three players were also suspended and Wisconsin's head coach was fined for violating the Big Ten's sportsmanship policies.

Three players were also suspended and Wisconsin's head coach was fined for violating the Big Ten's sportsmanship policies.

Michigan basketball coach Juwan Howard released a statement Monday night after he was suspended for the rest of the regular season for hitting a Wisconsin coach in the head.

Michigan basketball coach Juwan Howard has been suspended for the final five games of the regular season after he struck a Wisconsin coach in the head following his team’s loss to the Badgers this weekend.

Michigan basketball coach Juwan Howard has been suspended the final five games of the regular season and fined $40,000 for hitting a Wisconsin assistant in the head, triggering a postgame melee.

Michigan coach Juwan Howard and Wisconsin coach Greg Gard had a testy moment in the postgame handshake line Sunday. Howard hit a Wisconsin assistant.

Sunday’s incident involved no fans but saw players from both sides throw punches and Michigan coach Juwan Howard strike a Wisconsin assistant coach. As of early Monday afternoon, no discipline had been handed down from the Big Ten conference office for the incident. Any suspensions to Howard or players could have a direct effect on the Spartans, who play at Michigan on March 1. Izzo called the incident a “scary situation” but declined to speak about the factors that led up to the incident, saying he didn’t know enough about all of the circumstances. “That to me would be the biggest farce, joke, ridiculous nature of anything I’ve ever heard of,” Izzo said.

A squabble in the postgame handshake line between Michigan head coach Juwan Howard and Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard quickly escalated and led to a scuffle on the court. Howard’s actions drew the most attention nationally as he hit a Badgers assistant coach. Here’s what’s being said nationally about Sunday’s fracas. “If you dont want a team calling a timeout, dont press them when the game is over. But a lengthy suspension absolutely seems fair.”“Terrible press conference for Juwan Howard,” 247Sports’ Zach Shaw tweeted.

Howard wants his teams to compete hard for the entire game, every game, and never quit. The play by play of the postgame incident -- and what led to it -- can be found here. In short, Howard admitted to not liking the timeout and telling Gard about in the postgame handshake line. He later added, “At that point, I thought it was time to protect myself.”MORE: Howard, Gard explain postgame brawlIt was not the first time Howard offered a similar defense. When asked Howard about his players joining the fight -- Michigan’s Terrance Williams II and Moussa Diabaté threw punches -- Howard said, “Unfortunately, it ended up like that.

The Big Ten conference said it was reviewing a fight after the men's basketball game between Michigan and Wisconsin and would take "swift and appropriate disciplinary action."

Juwan Howard was heated when he joined the handshake line following the 77-63 loss to the Wisconsin Badgers Sunday afternoon

This isn't the first time Howard has had an incident with an opposite Big Ten coaching staff.

Michigan basketball coach Juwan Howard struck a Wisconsin coach in the head during the handshake line after his team’s loss to the Badgers.

Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard called it and Michigan head coach Juwan Howard didn’t appreciate it. Howard let Gard know it in what started as a postgame handshake line and ended as a brawl on the Kohl Center court. After the ball was deflected out of bounds by a Michigan defender, Gard called timeout. When Howard and Gard met, Howard pulled his mask down and told Gard, “I won’t forget that,” referring to the timeout, and attempted to keep moving down the line. Gard wanted to explain himself and put his left hand on Howard’s right elbow to try to keep him there.

Michigan coach Juwan Howard hit Wisconsin assistant Joe Krabbenhoft after arguing with Wisconsin coach Greg Gard during the handshake line following the Badgers’ 77-63 victory.

Johnny Davis had a game-high 25 points, leading No. 14 Wisconsin to a 70-62 victory over No. 17 Michigan State on Tuesday night.

Baylor is once again the unanimous No. 1 in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll, and fifth-ranked Southern California climbed to its highest ranking in nearly five decades.

Baylor coach Scott Drew knew his sixth-ranked Bears might need time to blend a changed roster after losing four starters from a national-championship run.

The Texas basketball team walks around the concourse at Victory Field at the NCAA college basketball tournament, Wednesday, March 17, 2021, in Indianapolis. This is life at a basketball tournament being played in a pandemic. Starting Thursday, in an attempt to get through 67 games uninterrupted, the NCAA has placed players, coaches and staff under a virtual lock and key. “But it was not NCAA staff that encouraged meals to be had in restaurants,” he said. “Gotta make sure the game’s sharp by the time springtime comes.”Ad___More AP college basketball coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket

Iowa center Luka Garza walks off the court after an NCAA college basketball game against Wisconsin, Sunday, March 7, 2021, in Iowa City, Iowa. All rights reservedIOWA CITY, Iowa – It was Senior Day, but Luka Garza didn’t know he was going to have to give a speech. Minutes after the 6-foot-11 star scored 21 points and had 16 rebounds to lead the fifth-ranked Hawkeyes over No. 25 Wisconsin 77-73 Sunday, Iowa athletic director Gary Barta announced Garza’s jersey No. “Those two guys (Garza and Bohannon) were going to make sure we didn’t lose the game,” McCaffery said.

“I hope our guys don’t get too high on that.”As good as Michigan (11-0, 6-0) is playing, Howard knows it means little. Big runs can’t happen without getting stops, and Michigan forced the Badgers into their worst offensive performance of the season. Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard said Michigan put the Badgers on their heels. Michigan senior forward Isaiah Livers, who scored 13 on Tuesday, saw Michigan’s defensive potential over the summer, during scrimmages. Howard was pleased with how hard Michigan played on Tuesday but still sees areas for improvement.

7 Michigan Wolverines (10-0, 5-0)Where: Crisler Center (Ann Arbor, Michigan)When: Tuesday, January 12, 7:01 p.m. Wisconsin beat Michigan on Feb. 27, part of an eight-game win streak to close the regular season and claim a share of the Big Ten championship. “He finds (Hunter) Dickinson in those pick and rolls really well. More Michigan basketball content:Michigan ready for top-10 matchup with Wisconsin, another step up in competitionMichigan has put itself in position to win the Big TenWhat more can Hunter Dickinson do for Michigan basketball? How Michigan basketball became a ‘kick-ass defensive team’

Michigan started the season at the very back end of the top 25, picked to finish in the middle of the Big Ten. Wisconsin (10-2, 4-1 Big Ten) is coming off a double-overtime win over Indiana on Thursday. He torched Michigan for 28 in last season’s lone meeting, a Wisconsin win in Ann Arbor on Feb. 27. Brooks lost a tooth in Michigan’s last game, Tuesday’s rout of Minnesota, but will be ready to go against Wisconsin. How Michigan basketball became a ‘kick-ass defensive team’Wolverine Confidential podcast: Michigan basketball teams remain red-hot

Trice scored a season-high 29 points, lifting No. Wisconsin scored 14 of the last 21 points over the final 4:03 to turn a closely contested game into a lopsided result. The Spartans turned over the ball 14 times and Wisconsin scored 24 points off those giveaways. SCORING NOTESWisconsin had its highest total against Michigan State since 1994 and scored more than any other game at Michigan State since an 86-82 win in 1976. “They will be a top-five team all season," Izzo said.

Micah Potter scored 20 points and Aleem Ford added 12 to lead the Badgers an 85-48 non-conference victory over short-handed No. Louisville (4-1), playing its first road game, originally had been scheduled to play at Wisconsin on Dec. 9. Trevor Anderson added 11 points and Brad Davison 10 for Wisconsin (6-1), which rolled to a 44-18 halftime lead. “Obviously really pleased with the way we played,” Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said. Wisconsin finished the half 10 of 17 beyond the arc, including three each by Trice and Davison.

One of Michigan’s top 2020 college basketball prospects has left his team. Lorne Bowman, a three-star guard from Orchard Lake St. Mary’s in Detroit, has withdrawn from Wisconsin as he deals with a family matter that already had caused him to take a leave of absence in October. Wisconsin coach Greg Gard confirmed the news on Wednesday, according to the Associated Press. Bowman was the fourth highest rated recruit in the state of Michigan’s 2020 class, according to 247 Sports composite behind Isaiah Jackson (Kentucky), Jalen Terry (Oregon) and Scooby Johnson (Butler). Bowman finished third in Michigan Mr. Basketball voting last season.