Game Grades: Penn State Men’s Basketball vs. Michigan
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State men’s basketball team dropped its second straight nail-biter in a 58-57 loss to the Michigan Wolverines Tuesday evening at the Bryce Jordan Center.
The Nittany Lions seemed to look past the heartbreaking loss in the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin last Saturday, getting off to a fast start and scoring 34 points in the first-half opposed to the 13 scored on Saturday.
Things were looking good early, as Micah Shrewsberry’s squad jumped out to a comfortable 34-23 lead with just 3:58 to play in the first half. But that was all the Wolverines needed to mount an 11-0 run and go into the locker room notched up at 34.
The scoring drought continued into the second half for the Lions, as they didn’t score their first points until the 13:51 mark in the second half, thanks to a 3-point jumper from Myles Dread.
Let’s take a look at the grades from last night's matchup.
Offense: C
Coming into the game averaging 65.5 points per game, Penn State fell cold in the second half to fall short of a very beatable Michigan squad. Jalen Pickett led the Nittany Lions in scoring with 14, followed by Sam Sessoms with 13 and Seth Lundy and John Harrar with eight apiece. Penn State dropped 34 in the first half, compared to only 23 in the second.
Penn State needed its reserves to step up in the absence of senior forward Greg Lee who was injured last Saturday at Wisconsin. New starter Dallion Johnson didn’t quite replace Lee’s production, posting only three points on 25% shooting.
The Nittany Lions have proven they have a lot of fight this season, coming down to the wire against several top opponents. There is still a lot of basketball to be played, but the Nittany Lions have fallen to 9-11 and will need to close out the season on a positive note if they want to have any opportunity for a postseason bid.
Overall, Penn State finished 40% from the field, and went 7-21 shooting from beyond the arc.
The Nittany Lions 10-plus minute scoring drought ultimately cost them the game. The second half was a battle until the end, but Juwan Howard’s squad hit clutch shots to prevail late.
Defense: B
The Wolverines came into tonight’s matchup averaging 73.1 points per game, so the Nittany Lions did their job containing the Wolverine offense, holding them to 15 points below their average mark.
Hunter Dickinson led the way for Michigan, posting 19 points and 15 rebounds going 6-20 from the field. Senior guard Eli Brooks collected 16 points of his own, also tallying five rebounds.
Penn State did a great job containing Dickinson, but the 7-foot-1, 260 pound sophomore center dominated in the paint. Dickinson proved to be the kryptonite, as his 15 rebounds helped pave the way for Michigan in the rebound battle, ousting the Nittany Lions 39-30.
Penn State was able to force seven turnovers from the maize and blue, but collected seven turnovers itself. Michigan didn’t shoot great from the field, going 17-54 (31.5%) and just 5-21 from beyond the arc.
Although they fell short, the Nittany Lions defense held the former No. 1 seed to just 58 points.
Coaching: B
Micah Shrewsberry has to be wondering what his team could have done differently these past two games, but the offense has been stale. Shrewsberry’s squad’s enemy has been the ability to close out games the way they’d like.
It must be frustrating to see your team fight with the passion they have just to fall short in the final minutes.
Shrewsberry has emphasized how he wants his players to succeed, but the Nittany Lions had seven questionable turnovers tonight that could have saved them the game.
In his first year as coach, Shrewsberry has changed the culture around this team, and one can hope that it is only a matter of time until this team gets their breakthrough win and climbs back to a similar position they were in before the pandemic hit in early 2020.
After an impressive turnout from fans at the Bryce Jordan Center, the Nittany Lions will hit the road once again as they travel to Minnesota on Saturday for a primetime matchup against the Golden Gophers. Penn State returns home next Tuesday, February 15 to face the No. 17 Michigan State Spartans.
Connor Fenix is a third-year minoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email cjf5726@psu.edu.
