Michigan basketball wins at PSU, but has work to do - and now it gets real

Michigan became only the fourth team to win at Penn State this year, joining Purdue, Ohio State and Miami. There will be no apologies for how the Wolverines eked out the 58-57 win, nor should there be. A look around the league will tell anyone that A) this is not unique, and B) style points aren’t considered in the standings. 

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This same Penn State team took Wisconsin to the wire in Madison days earlier, for example, before losing 51-49. The halftime score there — 18-13 (there were so few buckets they didn’t even need to replace the peach baskets at the half). 

It’s not often your opponent will be in a game shooting 7-for-29 from the floor in a half. But the Wolverines won by only a point in a game tied at 34 at the break thanks to some key shots at plays down the stretch. 

U-M tightened it up defensively after giving up 34 first half points to an offensively challenged team.

“The difference was in the first half that we allowed their shooters to get open looks, too many paint touches,” head coach Juwan Howard said. “I look back to some of the first-half stats — they scored 18 points in the paint. They also shot the ball extremely well from the outside. They made four threes and they shot 57 percent in the first half. 

“So, I talked at halftime that it’s too easy … everything they’re getting is too easy. And we have to make them work for every bucket — that they don’t feel us. We have to cut off the paint touches.”

It was better in the second half, but the Wolverines were also fortunate. Yes, Michigan was much more active. But PSU also missed some point blank looks along with some wide-open jump shots. 

“[Second half], eight points they scored in the paint. Also, look at field goal percentage,” Howard continued. “They shot 24 percent from the field because we got hand-ball contests. We did a really good job of keeping our man in front. 

“When they did touch the paint, we limited them to one-shot opportunities because our guys did a really good job of boxing out. Our activity and energy and communication was very solid in the second half.”

That much is true. Howard, though, didn’t talk about the offense, because there wasn’t much good to say. Center Hunter Dickinson, looking a bit fatigued (which could be a concern given the big men he’s going to face in two of the next four days), missed a lot of shots at the rim he’d normally make in his sleep. 

Make no mistake — he was the catalyst in victory, notching 19 points and 15 rebounds. The latter was one of the key stats in the game, and his work on the defensive glass was one of the biggest reasons U-M won. 

He also went 6-for-20 on the offensive end, lacking the concentration he usually boasts around the rim and settling for some tough, contested twos on jump shots. 

U-M’s second half shot selection and offense, in fact, was tough to watch overall. The Wolverines went 5-for-24 in the stanza and never found a rhythm. Their 14-for-16 showing from the line in the half (19-for-22) saved them. 

Fifth-year senior Eli Brooks was the key. He scored 16 points, made seven of eight free throws (several down the stretch) and was the catalyst defensively, too.

“As a player, it’s great to have a teammate like him because he cares,” Howard said. “He’s like another coach out there on the floor, in games and also in practice. He brings it every time, all the time.

“Whenever he leaves Michigan — and I’m not trying to run him off — but he has a chance to play on the next level. The next level could be professionally in the NBA as well as Europe, because a coach is going to see all the intangibles he brings that results to winning basketball.”

That’s the good news as it pertains to this year. 

The bad — there aren’t enough like him right now. 

There are still too many head-scratching moments on this team, a group that’s talented but missing something. One long-time expert said it’s reminiscent of the 1990s Robert Traylor-Maurice Taylor-Louis Bullock teams. Those groups were extremely talented, but they never seemed to put it all together. 

Down the stretch, Michigan sophomore Terrance Williams left his feet on a three-point attempt that resulted in three free throws with under 10 seconds remaining. That gave the Nittany Lions a puncher’s chance when they should have been down for the count. 

Even on the last shot, a triple at the buzzer down four for a backdoor cover (U-M was -2), the Michigan players were running at the shooter rather than leaving him alone. Michigan was up four, and there shouldn’t have been anyone within 10 feet. 

There are times, too, that Howard’s frustration is evident with his players, even though he won’t say it publicly. 

But a win’s a win, and it was much needed. The next four Michigan games — home games with Purdue and Ohio State, on the road at Wisconsin and Iowa — won’t be easy, and might tell the tale of where this team is headed. 

Time will tell the story, but it’s fair to be somewhat concerned, even after a key win.