For the Michigan men’s basketball team, the madness of March is already here.
The Wolverines are fighting an uphill battle to make the NCAA Tournament field, making every game crucial over the last month of the regular season. In the battle to reach 11 or more conference wins, even a mundane midweek trip to State College could ultimately swing the pendulum.
So when Michigan traveled to face Penn State on Tuesday, the Wolverines knew they couldn’t be distracted by the Nittany Lions’ 4-7 Big Ten record or the fact that they entered as losers of four of their last five games. Michigan struggled to pull away, but the Wolverines clawed their way to a 58-57 victory.
The Maize and Blue Review breaks down three takeaways from Michigan’s narrow win.
The Wolverines will go as far as Hunter Dickinson can take them
For better or worse, Hunter Dickinson is Michigan’s offense and Michigan’s offense is Hunter Dickinson. When he’s on the floor, he gets a low-post touch on almost every possession.
Tuesday night’s game at Penn State was no exception. The Wolverines played through the post, whether that was in the form of Dickinson taking advantage of undersized one-on-one matchups or kicking out when the Nittany Lions brought double teams. Michigan also runs many of its offensive actions off Dickinson’s post touches, like off-ball screens and laker cuts. The 7-foot-1 big man was also impactful as a roll man and popper in the ball-screen game.
During the Wolverines’ previous seven games, Dickinson averaged 22.7 points. He finished with a game-high 19 points on Tuesday night, but Michigan’s offense shot just 32% as a unit. Dickinson was inefficient, shooting just 6-of-20 from the field, but he was often the buoy keeping the Wolverines afloat. That has become a common theme throughout this season.
Michigan once again gets very little bench production
It’s no secret the Wolverines have a short bench. But even in the Big Ten, a short bench can still be an effective bench.
Michigan doesn’t have that luxury. Freshmen Frankie Collins and Kobe Bufkin have shown promise throughout the season, while sophomore Terrance Williams II has looked prime to take the next step at times. Senior forward Brandon Johns Jr.’s inconsistency makes him unpredictable, but at times it looks like things are beginning to come together.
On Tuesday night, however, none of them made much of an impact in Happy Valley. Michigan’s bench accounted for just seven points, and three of the four players who saw action finished with a negative plus-minus. Collins and Williams were the worst offenders, finishing with a -8 mark each.
Michigan's strong defense enough to overcome offensive struggles
Outside of Dickinson and Eli Brooks’ 35 combined points, Michigan’s offense was mostly dormant on Tuesday night. The rest of the Wolverines accounted for just 23 points and no other starter scored more than seven.
Michigan shot just 5-of-24 from the field in the second half, including a 1-for-10 mark from Dickinson. The Wolverines also turned the ball over six times after the break, but their defense answered the call.
Michigan held Penn State to just 4-for-19 on 2-point shooting in the second half, often walling up around the rim to prevent interior scoring. That made a huge difference down the stretch, powering the Wolverines to a critical Big Ten in ugly fashion.
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