The lights in Crisler Center were extinguished after the announcer completed the Rutgers starting lineup, as always, moments before tipoff. The same hype video Michigan basketball has used all season flashed across the video screen as the same vocal cadence introduced the Wolverines for the first time since their brawl with Wisconsin over the weekend.
When the moment arrived for coach Juwan Howard’s name to be called, for his picture to be flashed on the screen at center court in what usually triggers a warmhearted round of applause, there was a noteworthy omission. Assistant coaches Howard Eisley and Saddi Washington heard their names called, as did associate head coach Phil Martelli, who will run the show for the remainder of the regular season while Howard serves his five-game suspension.