College Basketball

Michigan Basketball: Important Takeaways from the Penn State Victory

Updated Mar. 5, 2020 12:37 a.m. ET

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Fansided, Adam Renuart/FanSided via GBMWolverine

Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Michigan basketball rallied for a dramatic win over Penn State Wednesday. Here are the important takeaways.

As the old adage goes, a win is a win. However, this certainly wasn’t the win that Michigan basketball was hoping for. The Wolverines, coming off a road loss to Iowa, were looking to establish themselves as a Big Ten title contender. But for a majority of their game against Penn State, Michigan looked like a pretender. The maize and blue was down by 7 at the half and down by 14 at one point in the second period. It was only after a quick run led by seniors Derrick Walton and Zak Irvin would the Wolverines show some life.

Irvin was the one who finally put Michigan ahead, with the elbow jumper that is his staple. Walton was able to ice the game with free throws, and was the leading man on the glass with six rebounds. Irvin and Walton co-led the Wolverines with 14 points each as Irvin chipped in 4 assists.

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However, it was yet another game where Michigan was out shot and out rebounded by its opponents. Against inferior opponents like Penn State, this tends not to matter as much. The Wolverines don’t turn the ball over or foul much, which often negates the other problems. But for teams with more talent, like Iowa, it leads to losses. Yet for now, Michigan has their first Big Ten win on the season.

The Wolverines will look to build on their win when they take on Maryland Saturday. Maryland is coming off a bad loss to Nebraska, and Michigan will hope to give the winningest team in the Big Ten another loss.

Mar 19, 2014; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Michigan head coach John Beilein during practice before the second round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

John Beilein usually schedules a few cupcake games towards the tail end of the non-conference schedule. A break from the grueling early season games, these contests usually allow a team to gain back any confidence gone missing. The tactic worked perfectly this year. After a competitive loss to UCLA, the Wolverines beat two consecutive teams by 40+ points. The schools they beat probably aren’t familiar to most fans, unless you’re from the town of Conway, Arkansas or Princess Anne, Maryland. Michigan out-shot Central Arkansas by 9% and converted at a 35% better rate than the Hawks of Maryland Eastern Shore.

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Since shooting 65% overall and 57% from deep against Maryland Eastern Shore, Michigan has found itself in a shooting slump. Luckily, Michigan took care of the ball and hit enough shots to win in two of the three games since faced Eastern Shore. However, the first was against a middle of the road Furman team. That game was the most worrying from behind the arc, with Michigan only hitting 20% of their threes. Luckily, Michigan got to the line that game, and converted on all 16 of their foul shots.

It didn’t get much better against Iowa, with Michigan making 12-35 from deep. If not for DJ Wilson and his 28 points, Michigan wouldn’t have been competitive for long stretches of the game. The one area where the Wolverines are consistent, the free throw line, saw Michigan go a paltry 3-5.

This carried over to the Penn State match-up. Again, the Wolverines could not get going from outside. It didn’t matter what types of looks Michigan got, they still shot 6 of 21 from three. Their Penn State counterparts were 8 of 19 from deep. Their shooting, along with 9 offensive boards, allowed the Nittany Lions to go up 14 in the second half.

Michigan will need to improve their shooting if they hope to compete in the Big Ten. While they have showed improvement getting to the bucket this season, their attack revolves around hitting outside shots. All Michigan starters can hit from deep, so it seems to be a matter of time before the Wolverines’ shots start falling.

Dec 6, 2016; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines forward Moritz Wagner (13) goes to the basket on Texas Longhorns forward Shaquille Cleare (32) in the first half at Crisler Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Michigan has always been hesitant to play out of the post. Beilein big men are often good in the pick and pop, but can always play defense and take a charge. Think Jordan Morgan, Jon Horford or Mark Donnal. This year, its the opposite. Michigan has its two most offensively talented big men since Mitch McGary. While Mo Wagner and DJ Wilson won’t take the ball up the court like Michigan’s most famous uni-cyclist, the two are miles beyond McGary in terms of shooting.

Mo Wagner started the game with a filthy behind the back dribble, capped off by a dunk. Wagner would dunk a second time in the second half, and added a few jumpers for good measure. The sophomore still has the tendency to take ill-advised shots, but his instant offense down low means Beilein can’t keep him off the floor long.

On defense, Wagner is still growing into his body. The Big Ten is incredibly physical, and Michigan will need Wagner to shore up defensively. He’s not bad individually, but a lack of muscle allows him to be pushed around on the glass. He’s only averaging 3.5 boards a game but often makes up for it with active hands, now averaging a steal a game.

On the other block, DJ Wilson demonstrated just how high his ceiling could be with his game against Iowa. Not only was Wilson stepping out for 3s, he also hit turnaround jumpers in the post. He displayed that jumper early against Penn State, and its almost startling how fluid it looks. Wilson doesn’t create his own shot off the dribble, but it will help the Wolverines if Wilson continues to look for his shot in the post.

Wilson also suffers from a tendency to miss rebounds. That’s not to say his chops aren’t there, as demonstrated by the 14 boards he collected against Iowa. Wilson needs to consistently utilize his length and hops, as the 5 rebounds he snagged against Penn State won’t cut it. However, like Wagner, Wilson impacts the game in other ways, making up for rebounds. Wilson recorded 3 blocks against the Nittany Lions, he now averages 1.5 per contest.

Dec 13, 2016; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines guard Zak Irvin (21) reacts after making a three point basket in the second half against the Central Arkansas Bears at Crisler Center. Michigan won 97-53. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Zak Irvin is in the middle of reclaiming his shooting stroke. The senior is shooting better than he ever has, except from beyond the arc. However, Irvin is averaging less three point attempts this season than any of his previous seasons at Michigan. This is good news for the Wolverines, because it means that Irvin is getting inside the arc more.

When Irvin penetrates the lane, good things happen for the Wolverines. There isn’t anyone else on the team as quick and tall as the Indiana native. Irvin has seen an uptick in assists this year, and he is now averaging close to four a game. Especially deadly is his pick and roll with Mo Wagner, who has often been a recipient of Irvin passes.

More importantly, Irvin is growing into his role as the closer. Muhammad Ali Abdur Rahkman is usually Michigan’s “go get a bucket” guy, but he hasn’t played like himself this season. The worry with Irvin taking the role is his tedency to dribble the air out of the ball. Against Penn State, Irvin picked his spots and got to them. He gave Michigan the lead with elbow jumper off the dribble, a lead they would not lose. Not more than 30 seconds later, Irvin hit another from the same area to seal the game. Michigan will need Irvin to be this aggressive during Big Ten games, especially when Michigan is down and needs a bucket.

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