ANN ARBOR, MI — Michigan takes on a Penn State team that’s 3-4 in Big Ten play, but has yet to win away from State College. Home teams are an incredible 42-7 in conference play this year, and U-M needs to hold serve to remain a factor in the Big Ten race.

It would help to get junior forward Isaiah Livers back. Head coach Juwan Howard sees that happening soon.

“It’s a day to day process. He’s definitely improving,” Howard said. “That’s a great sign; not a good sign, a great sign.

“We’re looking forward to Isaiah joining us in practice very soon. That’s part of Isaiah getting closer to joining his teammates on the court. My philosophy is I’d like to see our guys practice at least once or twice. Hopefully soon Isaiah will get a chance to get out there and compete, see how he feels after a practice.”

Howard doesn’t expect Livers, a 13.2-ppg scorer, to come out with guns blazing after having sat several weeks

“When you practice and your body hasn’t done anything in the last four to six weeks, you’re going to be sore, but how do you feel from that injury?” he said. “That’s the key point … the next day.

“It’s been a frustrating process. Here’s a guy who sees his teammates out there competing hard. He’s been a part of the team in the season, a huge part of the team’s success, now he’s missed … I’ve stopped counting how many games."

It's been hard to watch him struggle, Howard added.

“Look at his face. Yes, it wears on you," he said. "He wants to be out helping his team. He knows his teammates need him. He missed the competition, he missed the games of playing against the opponents, sharing success and the fun opportunities with his teammates.”

NOTES

PSU is coming off a win over No. 21 Ohio State, a 90-76 blowout.

“That’s a very physical team, led by Lamar Stevens,” Howard said of the 16.6 PPG scorer. “Mike Watkins (10.1 points, 8.1 rebounds) is a very physical force on the inside. They play hard defensively, are very good on the defensive side of the ball.

“Offensively they can shoot the ball from outside, three or four guys who can knock it down from outside. They are a very skilled team, battle tested on the road before, so nothing new to us.”

Howard hopes the whistle will be better than it’s been to U-M this year, to date. Iowa shot 30 free throws to Michigan’s five last week.

“We’re not just a jump shooting team. We attack the paint, whether it’s for layups, post up plays, so you happen to look back to our last game, free throws, comparing Iowa to Michigan … Iowa shot 30, we only attempted five," he noted. "If you look at our points in the paint, we had more points in the paint.

“Just like I stated … we’re not just a jump shooting team. We attack the basket. So why not? Why not us?”

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