Ann Arbor —  The past two weeks have been a period of self-reflection for Juwan Howard.

After being reinstated as Michigan’s head coach on Monday, Howard expressed remorse and made one thing clear: He takes full responsibility for his actions during the postgame altercation at Wisconsin on Feb. 20 that led to him serving a five-game suspension and being fined $40,000.

When he returns to the sidelines on Thursday at the Big Ten tournament in Indianapolis, Howard understands there will be a microscope on him moving forward.

“I could come with a thousand excuses, but I'm not. I take full ownership for my actions,” Howard said Wednesday at Crisler Center in his first press conference since he was suspended on Feb. 21.

“I could talk about the timeout. We could discuss the pull on the arm. We could talk about the words that were exchanged with coaches. But all that will be excuses. The main thing is that was not the right way how I should carry myself as the head coach at the University of Michigan. I was truly upset with myself during those two weeks.”

Howard said he spent time “soul-searching” and went to therapy while he was away from the team. Howard noted the therapy was something he wanted to do and was part of a “collaboration” with the university.

“I want to be a better person. I want to be a better coach,” said Howard, who added this wasn’t the first time he sought therapy and won’t be the last.

“I felt that was the right thing to do to help improve as a person. I got a chance to really evaluate and see areas that I can improve on. And that is not just because of now, but that's going to be for the future as well because I enjoy being here and I enjoy being the leader of this program.”

However, Howard failed to act like one during the incident at the Kohl Center, where he had what he called a “setback.” Everything started when he expressed his displeasure over a late timeout and got into a verbal confrontation with Wisconsin coach Greg Gard in the postgame handshake.

Gard attempted to explain his reasoning when he grabbed Howard’s arm and prevented him from walking by. Things escalated from there and Howard struck Wisconsin assistant coach Joe Krabbenhoft in the head to trigger a skirmish that led to several players throwing punches.

Howard said once he got on the bus after that game, he was disappointed with how he conducted himself in that situation and in the postgame press conference, during which he never apologized for his actions.

“I’m sorry. I hurt a lot of people,” Howard said. “I hurt my family. I hurt my players and their families. I hurt my staff. I hurt the Michigan family, the Michigan alumni base. There were a lot of people that I hurt during that moment and are still hurting.”

While Howard apologized to Krabbenhoft in a statement after his punishment was announced and again during Wednesday’s press conference, he said he didn’t reach out to Gard or Krabbenhoft during his suspension. Rather than speak over the phone, Howard plans to apologize in person when he gets an opportunity, likely when the season is over.

In addition to Howard, sophomore forward Terrance Williams II and freshman forward Moussa Diabate served one-game suspensions for their involvement in the postgame fracas. Howard spoke with the two the day after the incident about accountability and taking ownership and talked with all his players’ parents.

More: Michigan's DeVante' Jones puts it all together to close regular season

Throughout the suspension, Howard said everyone was “extremely supportive,” from friends, family and mentors to former and current coaches. That list includes others at Michigan like football coach Jim Harbaugh, women’s basketball coach Kim Barnes Arico, men’s swimming and diving coach Mike Bottom and wrestling coach Sean Bormet.

Howard credited athletic director Warde Manuel for helping him through the process and called him a “big brother” that he leaned on. He said the conversations he had with Manuel over the past two weeks were “all about learning.”

Howard also got choked up when speaking about assistant coach Phil Martelli, who guided Michigan to a 3-2 record in an interim role, and was touched by the support he received from his players. Some even stopped by his house to check up on him, like sophomore center Hunter Dickinson did before Michigan’s win over Michigan State last week.

“Knowing that your players that you’re in the trenches with every time — every coach would assume sometimes your players get tired of hearing your voice — but knowing that my players cared about me or my well-being, that meant everything to me,” Howard said.

Howard noted it was tough to watch the Wolverines on TV, but he tuned into to every contest on the from his home office and took notes while decked out in the same Michigan gear. Even before the Big Ten tournament bracket was set, he was watching game film of all three possible opponents — Indiana, Maryland and Penn State.

Now that he’s back after taking time to look inward, he’s focused on forging ahead as a better leader, a better coach and a better person.

“I know there's going to be a big microscope on me every time that I coach. What are my emotions like, how am I communicating with my players?” Howard said. “I know I'm not a perfect person and with the mistake that I made I will try to improve. But there was growth and I have learned through the process, and I will continue to keep learning.”

No. 8 seed Michigan vs. No. 9 seed Indiana

► Tip-off: 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis

► Records: Michigan 17-13, 11-9 Big Ten; Indiana 18-12, 9-11

► Outlook: Michigan won the lone regular-season meeting between the teams, 80-62, at Assembly Hall on Jan. 23. …Sophomore center Hunter Dickinson practiced on Wednesday for the first time since missing Sunday's game at Ohio State with a stomach bug. …Indiana has lost seven of nine heading into the postseason. …The winner will advance to face top-seeded Illinois in the quarterfinals at 11:30 a.m. Friday.