Michigan basketball coach Juwan Howard made a comeback by returning to the bench at the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas on Wednesday. Unfortunately, things didn’t turn out the same way this time around. Despite his presence on the sideline, Phil Martelli continued to serve as head coach during U-M’s tournament opener. The team suffered a setback as it lost to Memphis, 71-67, on Wednesday.
When the Wolverines won the tournament back in 2019, it was a momentous achievement for Howard. Now, they have plummeted to the opposite end of the scale. Michigan turned the ball over 18 times, 12 of which came in the first half. Four different players had at least three turnovers and Michigan shot 39% from the field.
Down by as much as 16, Michigan (3-2) got within one with 4:12 to play on a pair of Jackson free throws,
Nkamhoua led the Wolverines with 18 points and seven rebounds, Nimari Burnett added 16 points and nine rebounds, Dug McDaniel had 13 points and seven rebounds and Tarris Reed Jr. had eight points and 12 rebounds.
Memphis dominated the proceedings, with Ashton Hardaway scoring 17 points that included five 3-pointers, three of which came at key moments in the second half. The Wolverines made a valiant effort to cut the lead close, but were not able to overpower Memphis as it finished 69-67 in favor of the Tigers.
Memphis’ bench outscored the shorthanded Wolverines reserves 32-10. Michigan will play the loser of Arkansas and Stanford on Thursday around 7:30 p.m. in the elimination bracket.