2023-24 penn state #2

Michigan Men's Basketball's 2023-24 season, the worst in four decades (or longer), met its merciful conclusion tonight at the Big Ten Tournament. The team trailed a 15-16 Penn State team for nearly the entire contest, falling behind by 11 at halftime, making a small push in the early second half, before falling apart and then going out with its tail between its legs. Michigan made one of its final 10 field goals and did not score a point over a four minute stretch in the game's waning moments, not scoring again until the walk-ons were in. The game that unfolded on the court from both teams was sloppy, disorganized, and fitting of two bad teams. Michigan finishes the season 8-24. 

The first 13 minutes of the game were arguably the worst combined sequence of basketball between the two teams of Michigan's season, a year where there have been plenty of candidates. Michigan's offense was turning the ball over with machine-like efficiency, committing three in the first 2.5 minutes and they had seven turnovers on their first 15 possessions(!!!). Michigan couldn't hang onto the ball and it's not like Penn State was playing a whole lot better, the shooting quite cold and too many turnovers themselves. At the under eight media timeout the score sat at 16-10 in favor of the Nittany Lions, with the two teams combining for 12 turnovers against nine made field goals.

It was a game that certainly looked like the 14 seed vs. the 11 seed in the B1G Tournament (mostly because it was). Nimari Burnett was Michigan's only positive offensive contributor early on, making three triples in the first half while Dug McDaniel, the team's usual offensive engine, was ice cold (0 points, 0/5 in the first half). Burnett's third three cut the lead to 18-16 PSU and Michigan would end up tying it at 20 with just under 4.5 minutes to play. It felt like Michigan was playing poorly, but their opponent wasn't doing much better and the Maize & Blue were hanging around. 

[Marc-Gregor Campredon]

Penn State tacked on a 10-0 run, though, that gave them full control of the game going into halftime. They got it started with a three from the wing by Zach Hicks, added a neat little layup from Qudus Wahab, and then McDaniel was stripped by Ace Baldwin Jr., fouling in response. PSU made both free throws in the bonus to lead by seven and the lead hit double figures a half-minute later when Hicks drilled a corner trey. Hicks added one more three in the final minute and Jaelin Llewellyn's tough runner was off the mark as the horn sounded and Penn State led 33-22 at the break, using that strong spurt late to grab command. Michigan shot 7/29 from the floor and turned it over eleven times in the first half. 

They also were dealing with foul trouble, a theme that would continue in the second half. McDaniel, Tarris Reed Jr., and Will Tschetter all accrued two fouls in the first half, leaving them vulnerable. However, the early stages of the second half were good for Michigan, the only good string of basketball they played all game. Burnett stayed hot with a driving layup on the team's first offensive possession and Reed made a spectacular block from behind on Wahab on the team's first defensive possession. The tone was set and Michigan then got McDaniel into the game with a three (his first FG of the contest), followed by a Terrance Williams II jumper. Quick 7-0 run and Michigan was only down 33-29. 

Michigan was hanging in there down only 40-35 about four minutes into the second half and that was more or less where the fun ended. They couldn't get consistent stops, which dampened their ability to make a major run even as their two primary problems offensively in the first half (turnovers and McDaniel's struggles) improved. Michigan turned it over only once in the first 10 minutes of the second half, while McDaniel began to look more like himself, still not at his best but a drive and layup to trim the lead to 50-46 Nittany Lions was a sign that Dug was more alive. That McDaniel layup came just over the midway point of the half, while Reed was on the bench after picking up his fourth foul and just before the wheels began to come off.

[Marc-Gregor Campredon]

Michigan scored just five points over a nine minute span thereafter, bricking shots from all over the court while their defense was of course unable to muzzle Penn State enough to stomach that atrocious effort from the offense. Even the best defenses in college hoops wouldn't do well trying to support an offense that scores five points in nine minutes, but Michigan's is uniquely ill-equipped for that situation. PSU didn't run away with it, but they chipped in points to continue stretching the lead, going up by nine on a Wahab hook with 7.5 minutes left and then restoring a double digit lead with under 6 minutes left on a desperation heave three from Hicks. 

You didn't get the sense, given the way the game had gone, that Michigan had much of a run up their sleeve to get back in the game. But even considering those low expectations, the way Michigan's offense went out in this game was shambolic. There was an 0/2 trip to the line for Williams. There was Reed fouling out. There was a possession where Michigan got three open looks for jumpers around the court and missed all three. There was Jace Howard missing the front end of a one-and-one, Michigan getting the offensive rebound, and Howard missing a point-blank layup. They could not facilitate coherent offense and their shooters could not hit the broad side of the barn. 

The final minutes of the game didn't have any intensity to speak of and Michigan didn't begin intentionally fouling until Burnett did so with 1:08 left. The score was 64-51 Penn State and frankly, there didn't seem to be much point in doing so. Like so many Michigan games in the second half of this season, the game ended with an array of walk-ons in the game. Jackson Selvala's three was the last score of the game- and of Michigan's season- cutting the deficit to nine. The final score was 66-57 in favor of Penn State, Selvala's three to cut it to single digits thereby ensuring that this game would be only Michigan's second loss by <10 points in the past two months. In the words of a PSU fan watching: 

haven't watched michigan play much this year so this is my first real extended watch and my thoughts are as follows: jesus christ

— Bill DiFilippo (@billdifilippo) March 14, 2024

[AFTER THE JUMP: Thoughts on the season]

THE ESSENTIALS

WHAT	#14-seed Michigan (8-23, 3-17 B10) vs #11-seed Penn State (15-16, 9-11 B10)
WHERE	Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
WHEN	9:00 PM
THE LINE	Kenpom: PSU-4 Torvik: PSU-4
TELEVISION	Peacock (link)

[After THE JUMP: Many Nits to pick.]