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TheWolverine.com Chat: Michigan Football, MSU game time, Papa Kante, and more

Chris Balasby:Chris Balas•10/13/22•

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Michigan Wolverines football and basketball have both had plenty of success in recent years. We discuss both programs in today's chat. (Getty Images)

Our weekly noon chat. Today, we answer all your questions related to Michigan football (Penn State on tap!), recruiting, basketball recruiting (Papa Kante coming!), and much more. 

JOIN US HERE: TheWolverine.com Noon Chat

RELATED: Keys to the Game: Michigan football vs. Penn State

RELATED: Staff Predictions: Michigan vs. Penn State

Michigan follows up a win over Indiana with its biggest game of the year, a top 10 showdown with Penn State. The Wolverines have been outstanding at home under head coach Jim Harbaugh, but now it gets real.

“Last year’s game and every other game we’ve played … we’ve just got to be on point. We’re going to have to play really good because they play really good,” Harbaugh said. “They always do … they’re always well prepared. They’re always good in run defense, run offense, pass defense, pass offense and in the kicking game.

“We say it a lot of times — this the best unit we are going to play all year in some phases. Each year you kind of say that, and they’re always winning games. It’s a big-time matchup. We don’t need any more reminders but, if we did, all anybody has to do is watch the NFL games yesterday. About every time they went to a commercial, it seemed like they were advertising the Michigan-Penn State game at the Big House.”

Bu they’re excited, he said, and ready for the challenge. Meteorologists are calling for 54 degrees and partly cloudy skies, great football weather.

Harbaugh isn’t worried about his Michigan team getting too high for the game, though he’s sure they’ll be emotional.

“There’s no doubt before the ball is kicked off, before you take the first hit in any game, there are butterflies,” the Michigan coach said. “Especially in a big game, a maize out against a rival opponent … those emotions are going to be sky high. That’s great and that’s where you want them.

“Football is played by emotional people. You feel good and the confidence comes, I believe, in the practice and preparation and getting to know your opponent as well as you possibly can.”

Michigan basketball — Papa Kante is visiting this weekend

Michigan basketball coach Juwan Howard continues to look for his first 2023 pledge, and it appears he’s on the verge. South Kent (Conn.) big man Papa Kante, On3.com’s No. 32 player nationally, is visiting for a second time. We believe he could commit on his trip.

From On3.com’s Jamie Shaw:

Relationships and trust go a long with Papa Kante. The four-star told On3 that his trip home last month was the first time he had been back to Senegal in a couple of years. Each of the schools on his list has built a good relationship with Kante.

In speaking with Kante, Michigan head coach Juwan Howard has been very present for a long while. Kante told On3 in February that Howard was one of the only coaches, at one point, to make the trip to his high school to see Kante. Howard made that trip multiple times. The four-star also told On3 that Howard texted with Kante a lot after his games to talk about his performances; Michigan was probably recruiting him the hardest at that time.

“Juwan Howard put in a lot of work with On3’s No. 32 ranked player, and the groundwork he laid early seems to have the Wolverines trending in the right direction. As things stand, this one is looking like Michigan has been able to stand tall on top of this recruitment. There has been some fluidity involved with schools making pushes, and there might still be more of that to come. But with the intel gathered, when pressing ‘publish’ on this article, Juwan Howard’s Wolverines are trending to land this top-five center in the 2023 class.”

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