Michigan Basketball Seems Very Ready For Big Ten Play
Michigan is playing good basketball right now. It's not great, it's not completely polished or a finished product, but they've looked dominant at times during the first five games. The Wolverines are averaging 86.4 points per game and are 5-0 after the non-conference slate, but it gets real today.
Michigan will open Big Ten play today by welcoming Penn State to the Crisler Center. The Wolverines lead the head-to-head series 36-14 and is a 7-point favorite against the Nittany Lions. But Penn State is riding high after a 75-55 road win against a ranked Virginia Tech team in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
Penn State is currently 3-1 and its only loss came in overtime against a good Seton Hall team. The Nittany Lions are averaging 81.2 points per game and get pretty balanced scoring for four different players. Sophomore forward Seth Lundy (16.8), junior guard Izaiah Brockington (14.0), junior guard Sam Sessoms (12.3) and junior guard Myreon Jones (12.3) make up the bulk of the offense for the Nittany Lions.
Like Michigan's game with Toledo, the Wolverines are going to have to defend the three-point line. Penn State is shooting 44.9 percent from the field, including 45 percent from beyond the arc. Five different players have made five three-pointers or more this season, led by junior guard Myles Dread's team-best 10.
Penn State is in an interesting position as they embark on Big Ten play without a permanent head coach. Interim coach Jim Ferry replaced Patrick Chambers, who was relieved of his duties this summer, and has the Nittany Lions playing pretty well. Michigan will have to step up, adapt to life without Austin Davis, and get solid performances from Isaiah Livers and Franz Wagner to get wins in the conference. It's also going to be really fun to watch Hunter Dickinson as he takes on much better, bigger and stronger players in the Big Ten, because he was dominant through the first five games.
