Howard matriculated to the University of Michigan and joined his fellow freshmen for the 1991–92 Michigan Wolverines in forming a group that became known as the Fab Five.
He also joined future NBA personalities Eric Riley and Rob Pelinka.
As Michigan celebrated Midnight Madness on October 15, 1991, there was already talk that at least four of the five freshmen would be starting before the season ended. (
The five eventually started in a combined 304 of a possible 350 man-games among them during their first two seasons.)
Early in his freshman season, Howard started in some games and came off the bench in others for the highly rated Wolverines.
Over time, he won a starting role from Riley.
In Michigan's first matchup against Illinois, Howard scored 13 points and denied Thomas the ball consistently enough to hold him to 8 shots.
His biggest contribution in the game was getting his hand on a loose ball to force a jump ball with 16 seconds left and Michigan leading by only three points.
 In the Elite Eight round of the 1992 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, Michigan faced a Jimmy Jackson-led Ohio State Buckeyes team that had beaten them twice during the regular season by double-digit margins.
 Michigan won the rematch, during which the Fab Five scored all but two of the Wolverines' points.

The victory gave the 24–8 Wolverines a berth in the Final Four, where they found themselves matched against a 29–4 Bob Huggins-coached Cincinnati Bearcats team that averaged 83.6 points per game and had lost to only three teams, two of which had beaten Michigan.
 Nick Van Exel led Cincinnati in postseason scoring.
 Howard, King and Riley shaved their heads for the game.
 Michigan won and earned a rematch with a Duke Blue Devils team that had beaten them by three points in overtime in December.
 In the initial contest, Howard had scored only four points.
Entering the final game, he was averaging 11.2 points and 6.3 rebounds for the season.
 The day before the game, Howard had stomach cramps and fever and received fluids to combat dehydration.
As a result, he was exempted from mandatory media meetings.
 Howard was part of a rotation with Webber and Riley that guarded the National Player of the Year, Christian Laettner.
 During Laettner's first six possessions against Howard, Laettner dribbled the basketball off his foot, missed a shot, threw a pass that resulted in a turnover, traveled, threw the ball away and hit the backboard with a shot.
 Duke scored in its final 12 possessions of the championship game, going on a 23–6 run to win by a final margin of 71–51.
Despite his condition, Howard contributed 9 points in 29 minutes.
Howard earned a reputation for his quick feet, ability to grasp fundamentals, and excellent moves in the low post, but also for his 1-to-2 assist-to-turnover ratio and a high number of fouls.
Howard matriculated to the University of Michigan and joined his fellow freshmen for the 1991–92 Michigan Wolverines in forming a group that became known as the Fab Five. He also joined future NBA personalities Eric Riley and Rob Pelinka. As Michigan celebrated Midnight Madness on October 15, 1991, there was already talk that at least four of the five freshmen would be starting before the season ended. (The five eventually started in a combined 304 of a possible 350 man-games among them during their first two seasons.) Early in his freshman season, Howard started in some games and came off the bench in others for the highly rated Wolverines. Over time, he won a starting role from Riley. In Michigan's first matchup against Illinois, Howard scored 13 points and denied Thomas the ball consistently enough to hold him to 8 shots. His biggest contribution in the game was getting his hand on a loose ball to force a jump ball with 16 seconds left and Michigan leading by only three points.  In the Elite Eight round of the 1992 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, Michigan faced a Jimmy Jackson-led Ohio State Buckeyes team that had beaten them twice during the regular season by double-digit margins.  Michigan won the rematch, during which the Fab Five scored all but two of the Wolverines' points.
The victory gave the 24–8 Wolverines a berth in the Final Four, where they found themselves matched against a 29–4 Bob Huggins-coached Cincinnati Bearcats team that averaged 83.6 points per game and had lost to only three teams, two of which had beaten Michigan.  Nick Van Exel led Cincinnati in postseason scoring.  Howard, King and Riley shaved their heads for the game.  Michigan won and earned a rematch with a Duke Blue Devils team that had beaten them by three points in overtime in December.  In the initial contest, Howard had scored only four points. Entering the final game, he was averaging 11.2 points and 6.3 rebounds for the season.  The day before the game, Howard had stomach cramps and fever and received fluids to combat dehydration. As a result, he was exempted from mandatory media meetings.  Howard was part of a rotation with Webber and Riley that guarded the National Player of the Year, Christian Laettner.  During Laettner's first six possessions against Howard, Laettner dribbled the basketball off his foot, missed a shot, threw a pass that resulted in a turnover, traveled, threw the ball away and hit the backboard with a shot.  Duke scored in its final 12 possessions of the championship game, going on a 23–6 run to win by a final margin of 71–51. Despite his condition, Howard contributed 9 points in 29 minutes. Howard earned a reputation for his quick feet, ability to grasp fundamentals, and excellent moves in the low post, but also for his 1-to-2 assist-to-turnover ratio and a high number of fouls.
Juwan Howard