Penn State basketball takes on Michigan: Preview, prediction
Penn State head coach Micah Shrewsberry is still looking for a complete game.
It’s not an unfamiliar state for Nittany Lions head coaches to find themselves in. Patrick Chambers and Jim Ferry certainly experienced their fair share of agonizing near-misses, where a slightly better offensive performance or one more stop on defense would have made the difference.
Such was the case for Shrewsberry and Penn State last Saturday. They held then-No. 11 Wisconsin to 51 points — its worst offensive output since 2019 — but managed only 49 of their own in a tight defeat.
Hosting Michigan at the Bryce Jordan Center at 9 p.m. Tuesday, Shrewsberry will once again set out in search of a complete effort.
“There were gameplan mistakes that we made that they ended up scoring on where they shouldn’t have cracked 50,” Shrewsberry said. “And I didn’t think we played particularly well offensively, especially in the first half. So, really trying to put together a complete game on both ends the entire time.
“It’s kind of fluctuated. Our offense has played better in some games, some games it hasn’t. It’s also a factor of playing in our league and playing really good defensive games. We need the same defensive effort that we had at Wisconsin with the offense that we played with against Purdue or Iowa.”
The Nittany Lions come into this game at 9-10 and 4-7 in conference play, needing a win to move back to .500 — a crucial landmark as it relates to a potential NIT berth.
They’ve been good at home so far this season, with a 7-3 mark inside the BJC. Two of those losses came to Purdue and Ohio State, which rank fifth and 20th in KenPom’s ratings, respectively.
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With the season now firmly in its home stretch, Penn State senior big man John Harrar is starting to feel some urgency. He recently asked to meet with Shrewsberry individually, looking for anything extra he can do to help the Nittany Lions win.
“I realized I got one month,” Harrar said. “Me as an individual and us as a team are not where we wanna be. So, what can I do? How can I make this team win? How can we go on a run in this month of February?”
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Scouting the Wolverines
Juwan Howard’s Wolverines entered the season at No. 6 in the AP Poll but have underperformed expectations considerably.
They sit at 11-9 overall and 5-5 in conference play, coming off a narrow loss to Purdue on the road.
Still, they boast loads of talent. Sophomore 7-footer Hunter Dickinson is one of the best players in the Big Ten, averaging 18.1 points and 7.9 rebounds per game.
The guard duo of Eli Brooks and Caleb Houstan also averages double figures.
“They’re a quality opponent,” Shrewsberry said. “Another opponent coming off a loss right before we play them. We’re getting used to it.”
KenPom ranks the Wolverines at No. 45. Their offense is one of the best in the country with the 20th-best adjusted efficiency. But Michigan has struggled to get stops at points this season, ranking 12th in the Big Ten in defensive efficiency.
Penn State vs Michigan prediction
Penn State 62, Michigan 57.
There’s little doubt that the Wolverines are the more individually talented of the two teams, but that hasn’t translated to on-court success, especially on the road, where Michigan is 2-6.
I’ll back the Nittany Lions to find a way in a close, low-scoring affair here.
