4 months ago
- Wolverines
- Published: Jan. 06, 2026, 11:12 p.m.
Michigan coach Dusty May was asked Monday if he thought his squad would use from getting challenged precocious successful a crippled successful nan adjacent future.
On Tuesday, Michigan survived an upset bid from Penn State, pinch a 74-72 roadworthy win.
“If that meant that we played really good and nan different squad played exceptionally well, I would unrecorded pinch that,” May had said successful consequence to nan question. “But no, I don’t really want to beryllium successful one-possession games because arsenic we saw astatine Minnesota past year, a one-possession crippled could beryllium a half-court heave to lose.”
It was past January erstwhile a heavy 3 astatine nan buzzer gave Michigan its first Big Ten nonaccomplishment and Minnesota its first Big Ten win. History astir repeated itself Tuesday successful State College.
Game-winning stops
This 1 went nan Wolverines’ measurement because they closed nan crippled pinch 2 awesome protect stands. After a handbasket pinch 3:09 near put them up 73-65, they went cold. Penn State scored nan adjacent 7 points and sewage a protect rebound pinch 40 seconds left.
Penn State’s Freddie Dilione V could not shingle Yaxel Lendeborg, settling for a step-back jumper conscionable wrong nan 3-point line. Aday Mara skied for nan rebound and sewage fouled pinch 15 seconds near and divided a pair.
After a timeout, Penn State again went to Dilione, who was initially guarded by Roddy Gayle Jr. Gayle passed him disconnected to Lendeborg, who locked up Dilione again earlier giving measurement to Nimari Burnett to decorativeness nan job. Dilione’s 3 deed nan backmost of nan rim arsenic clip expired.
“Yax had guarded Dilione really good nan possession earlier and forced a reliable 17-footer,” May said connected nan postgame power show. “And past connected that possession, they tried to get Yax disconnected of him. And I thought Nimari did a really bully occupation of closing abstraction and past getting a really bully title without fouling.”
Michigan (14-0, 4-0) is nan champion squad successful nan country, some wide and successful galore circumstantial categories. One of them is protect field-goal percentage. That showed up passim Tuesday’s crippled — Penn State changeable conscionable 34.8% — and particularly successful crunch time.
Room for improvement
Why did a crippled against a Penn State squad that entered 9-5 wide and 0-3 successful nan Big Ten spell down to nan wire?
Partly because Michigan gave up 15 violative rebounds and surely did not get to half of nan alleged 50-50 balls.
“The loose shot conflict is yet what killed us,” May said. “And erstwhile they’re capable to people those precocious baskets it was typically connected nan 2nd shot.”
Penn State was credited pinch 22 second-chance points. Michigan led by arsenic galore arsenic 10 successful nan first half and 15 midway done nan 2nd half but couldn’t abstracted further because, contempt often getting first stops, couldn’t extremity nan possession pinch a rebound.
At slightest 1 of Michigan’s apical 3 rebounders connected nan play — Aday Mara, Lendeborg and Morez Johnson Jr. — was connected nan level astatine each times Tuesday; usually astatine slightest 2 of them were, making nan rebounding issues each nan much confounding.
May pointed to different problems, for illustration missed free throws. Mara doubly missed nan beforehand extremity of a one-and-one successful nan 2nd half. Michigan changeable 14 for 19 overall. “There were respective times we fouled them astir 90 feet from nan basket,” May said. “And those aren’t nan undisciplined type of mistakes that we request to beryllium making.”
The hustle plays are apt what will person May astir frustrated. “They were overmuch quicker to nan shot than we were tonight.”
A (road) win’s a win
Despite Michigan’s capacity against a lackluster opponent, nan Wolverines still picked up a Big Ten roadworthy win. The standings will bespeak that, of course; nan players would use from responding arsenic if Dilione’s last changeable had gone in.
“We talk astir conscionable being very authentic and I don’t deliberation anyone successful our recreation statement feels bully astir nan measurement we played and america being amended than we were nan past clip we competed,” May said.
That’s nan due consequence for a squad pinch title aspirations.
“With that being said,” May added, “we’re still relieved that this doesn’t sound america backmost for illustration nan Minnesota crippled did past year. … But it besides shows america that we’ve sewage to beryllium a batch tougher and much wished to do nan soiled activity connected nan road.”
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Andrew Kahn covers University of Michigan athletics for MLive. His superior thumps are Michigan football, men's hoops and women's basketball. He joined MLive successful 2017 aft antecedently freelancing for The Wall...
