Juwan Howard (sort of) updates status of Isaiah Livers for Friday vs. Iowa

Michigan Wolverines Men’s Basketball head coach Juwan Howard spoke to the media on Thursday afternoon in Ann Arbor and was asked about the health of junior forward Isaiah Livers (groin), who has been out since Dec. 21 with his ailment.

Howard originally had made it sound like Livers would not play on Friday against Iowa, but then a follow-up question was asked and he clarified saying that the difference in this matchup is that they have been without Livers recently, not that he was not expected to play. Howard continued to call the groin injury a “day-to-day” situation and says he prays every day for good news on that front.

“We’re a different team when we have Isaiah. I’m not quite sure if he’s going to play tomorrow night,” Howard said. “We will continue to keep monitoring his progress, and he’s getting better and better each day. We miss him, we need him.”

Saturday would be four weeks since Livers injured himself against Presbyterian College, Should be miss Friday night’s game, it would be the fifth in a row where he did not play with Brandon Johns Jr. presumably getting the start in his place once again.

A groin strain can typically take anywhere from a few weeks to six weeks to heal, so perhaps the light at the end of the tunnel is coming soon. The next opportunity for Livers to see the court if he does not play on Friday would be Jan. 22 at Crisler Center when the Wolverines hosting Penn State.

Michigan beat Iowa 103-91 back on Dec. 6 at home. Livers finished that game with 14 points and six rebounds. That contest was notable in that Iowa’s Luka Garza went off for 44 points in the game, which has the Wolverines on high alert heading into Friday’s contest.

The rematch between Michigan and Iowa tips off at 9 p.m. ET on Friday evening and will be broadcast via Fox Sports 1.