Michigan basketball returns another young team this season with plenty of fresh faces up and down the roster.

Despite that fact, it hasn't stopped Juwan Howard from dreaming big. The goals are always the same, no matter how young or inexperienced this program is heading into the season.

"I guess you could take a wild guess," Howard replied when asked what the expectations are for this season. "No changes. Always thinking about winning and growing and working hard to go out there (to achieve) our biggest challenge and also one of our biggest goals and that's winning championships, not just one. You know, our goal is— always we look at and identify that we are playing in one of the toughest conferences in college basketball, I will say the toughest conference, and that's the Big Ten.

"From that level of all the great coaches, and players that play in the Big Ten, that's always going to be a challenge. Because teams do a great job of scouting you. And vice versa."

Adding:

"You also get to know each other because we play against each other, sometimes, not once, but twice. And then you face your opponent again in the Big Ten Tournament. So that's another one of our goals to win that championship."

When Howard was referring to multiple championships, he wants to see those dreams extend beyond the conference, too.

He wants his program to compete on a national level.

First things first, though, navigating through a difficult and always competitive Big Ten conference will always be the first big challenge for any conference program.

That still hasn't stopped Howard from focusing on the ultimate prize, one that's been so elusive for decades.

"Last but final, the ultimate NCAA championship," Howard said. "That's something that I've always been peeking at, scratching the surface since the time when I played here at the University of Michigan, and haven't done it yet. But I'm always fired up about it. Let's go."