john harrar

Michigan won a basketball game shooting 31.5% from the field. It was a horrific experience to watch and the quality of basketball was very poor, but Michigan got a victory on the road in State College and every win is big at this point in the season. The reason? Penn State shot the ball very poorly and the Wolverines went 19/22 at the line, hitting all their free throws late. In this ugly wrestling match in the mud, it was just enough to get it done. 

The first half was a dramatic difference between the feelingsball sense of how things were going and the actual score. Michigan struggled offensively to get much of anything going, while Penn State, a terrible midrange team, started knocking down junk shots at a high percentage. Sam Sessons feasted in iso against Kobe Bufkin, getting to the rack with ease, and even when the Wolverines were able to put up good defense, the Nittany Lions knocked down their shots. The Wolverines trailed by 11 points with four minutes to go and the opposing crowd started to get involved. The team's tournament odds were fading in a hurry. 

That's when the Wolverines put the engine in gear and closed the half well. An 11-0 run, adjusted upwards from 10-0 at halftime after a two point shot was revised to a three, got Michigan back into the game just before the break. Caleb Houstan and Brandon Johns Jr. both knocked down three pointers for a Wolverines team that had previously been ice cold from distance. A switch to zone from man-to-man on defense helped keep the PSU offense at bay, and the Lions didn't help themselves with a couple horrendous turnovers. After a great pass from DeVante' Jones hit Johns to set up a layup at the horn, Michigan was back in it. Despite the feeling of impending doom that was pervasive in the first half, the score was somehow tied at 34. 

Hunter Dickinson didn't make nearly as many of these shots as normal tonight [Wilcomes]

The second half was substantially worse than the first half from a quality of play standpoint. That could be summed up in the following statistic: Michigan won the first four minutes of the second half 2-0. Both teams struggled to hit open shots, and that was epitomized by a scuffling Hunter Dickinson, who shot 6/20 from the field, missing a litany of shots he typically makes. Penn State was no better on offense, and the field goal percentage stats for the two squads sank like stones. The second half oscillated between small Michigan leads and tied games, never expanding to a point of comfort, but the Maize & Blue were generally in front. 

John Harrar made a pair of free throws with 3:41 to go, and the score was tied at 48. Eli Brooks missed a layup, Dickinson grabbed the rebound, and he got hacked. The big man drained both free throws, beginning the clear theme of the final four minutes, which was Michigan's excellence at the free throw line. An Eli Brooks jumper a minute later put Michigan up 52-48, and the Wolverines began to put the clamps on defensively. Jalen Pickett missed a three pointer and the Wolverines held the ball with under two minutes to go, still up four. A basket would potentially end it, but Jones fired an inbounds pass off a PSU player, which ricocheted back off himself, and out of bounds for a turnover. 

That lifeline thrown to the Nittany Lions didn't go very far. Sam Sessoms missed a layup despite having a step on Terrance Williams II, and Dickinson got the rebound. Michigan wound the clock down under a minute and had an open hook shot for Dickinson, but the ball hit off the heel and PSU snagged the board. After Micah Shrewsberry called timeout, Seth Lundy drew a shooting foul. Lundy went 1/2 at the line, and with Michigan holding a three point lead and under 30 seconds left, it turned into a free throw battle. Caleb Houstan and Eli Brooks would combine to go 6/6 at the line down the stretch, never letting the home team hold the ball down one score. Penn State nailed a three at the horn down four, which made the final margin one, but the game was over at this juncture. Final: 58-57 Michigan. 

PSU didn't make many of these shots tonight either [Wilcomes]

The box score is a horror show to look at from an offensive standpoint. Dickinson led the team with 19, but again, shot 6/20 from the floor. Brooks scored 16 points on 4/9 from the field. The other three starters, Jones, Houstan, and Moussa Diabate, combined to go 4/17 from the floor, while Brandon Johns Jr. and Frankie Collins went 2/7 off the bench. The shots didn't fall, but Michigan hit 86.4% from the line, including all those late high-leverage free throws. An interesting development was Diabate being benched for a large stretch in the second half for the second consecutive game, leading to one segment with Johns playing the five. Jalen Pickett led PSU with 14, followed by Sessoms with 13. No other Lion scored in double digits. 

Tonight's victory began a three games in five days stretch for Michigan, who face a compressed schedule over the final month of the season due to rescheduled contests. Thursday brings Purdue to Crisler, while Saturday brings Ohio State to town. Both are ranked in the top 25 and both represent opportunities for the vaunted marquee win that Michigan desperately needs. The Thursday game is scheduled for 9:00 PM EST and is set to be televised on ESPN. There is no content after the jump.

Previously: Part One (Illinois-Minnesota)

Today's post will cover the back half of the Big Ten and next week I'll post a part three that (finally) ranks the league by current roster outlook. Let's get this going before anyone else moves.

Nebraska

Key departures: W Teddy Allen (left team during season, transfer), F Yvan Ouedraogo (Grand Canyon transfer), G Elijah Wood (transfer), W Akol Arop (transfer)
Key additions/super seniors: G Kobe Webster (super senior), W Keon Edwards (DePaul transfer), W CJ Wilcher (Xavier transfer), G Keisei Tominaga (JuCo transfer), 5* W Bryce McGowens (2021 signee), 4* F Wilhelm Breidenbach (2021 signee), 3* C Oleg Kojenets (2021 signee)
Up in the air: F Thorir Thorbjarnarson (possible super senior), F Shameil Stevenson (considering pros)

Color me shocked, there's a lot of transfer action in a Fred Hoiberg program. While that reflected a poor Nebrasketball program the last couple years, however, this offseason shows some promise for the Huskers.

Hoiberg did a good job of holding the roster together after leading scorer Teddy Allen left the program midway through the season. The only other rotation player to leave is backup big Yvan Ouedraogo, while the other players who've transferred or are considering their futures either didn't play significant minutes or are fringe Big Ten talents. Starting guard Kobe Webster, a good outside shooter, decided to use the COVID exemption for an extra senior year.

Meanwhile, the players coming in look like they'll move the program forward. Hoiberg isn't shying away from heaping expectations on freshman wing Bryce McGowens, the #22 overall player in the 2021 class—easily the highest-ranked signee in Huskers history—and younger brother of senior guard Trey McGowens:

"I believe that signing Bryce changes the whole trajectory of our program." Nebraska Coach Fred Hoiberg said. "He is the centerpiece of what I believe is the strongest class that Nebraska basketball has ever signed. Since I've been here, we have talked about building a program that can have sustained success, and adding a player of Bryce's caliber shows that we building something special here. It shows that Nebraska can compete for some of the top players in the country. It also says a lot about the type of person that Bryce is. He wanted to go to a place where he can create a legacy and help Nebraska basketball reach new heights.

He's on the skinny side and his outside shot is reportedly streaky but he has the look of a high-level scorer from day one. Top-100 big man Wilhelm Breidenbach is merely the third-highest ranked signee in program history; at 6'9, 200 pounds, his lack of bulk may matter more than McGowens' because of their respective positions.

DePaul transfer Keon Edwards is, in effect, another top-100 commit. The lanky 6'7 wing was ranked in the 40-80 range depending on the evaluator after he gave up his senior season of high school to reclassify to 2020 and enroll in December. Edwards played only a handful of minutes over five games as a freshman. The Huskers say he'll have four years of eligibility and he had some high-level programs after him as a transfer, including Alabama and Florida State.

Xavier transfer CJ Wilcher is in a similar position. The #113 prospect in the 2020 class rode the pine for most of the season before emerging as a useful rotation player and even a spot starter on the wing in its final month. He, too, will have four years of eligibility. While limited as an athlete, he was touted as one of the better shooters in his class.

Speaking of shooters, top-ten JuCo transfer Keisei Tominaga is touted as "the Japanese Steph Curry" after shooting 48% from downtown for Ranger (TX) College, which is coached by Billy Gillespie(!). His range and quick release are evident on film and he should at the very least be a fun player to track.

[Hit THE JUMP for teams with a bit less change except for... Wisconsin?]