Michigan basketball still in the mix for Big Ten Championship

Ann Arbor, MI. — Michigan basketball took down Penn State (11-4, 2-2 Big Ten) at the Crisler Center On Wednesday night. Despite a rocky start to the season and a 6-5 non-conference record, the Wolverines are undefeated in Big Ten play and still in the mix for the Big Ten Championship.

Wolverines could still win the conference

As we have seen in many recent Michigan basketball seasons, the Wolverines are off to an up-and-down start. After starting the year 7-4 overall, Michigan hit a low point in its 63-61 home loss against Central Michigan. Since the turn of the new year, the Wolverines appear to have gotten back on track and are now 2-0 since their embarrassing loss to CMU.

Last night, Michigan basketball bested one of the better teams in the Big Ten (to this point): Penn State. The Nittany Lions came into tonight’s matchup with an 11-3 record and a series of impressive wins, including a road win at Illinois and home wins against Iowa and Butler. Though Penn State was not yet ranked, it feels as if it’s only a matter of time.

Michigan’s 3-0 Big Ten record is good enough for 1st place in the Big Ten as the Wolverines head into the bulk of their conference schedule throughout January and February.

Michigan basketball downs Penn State, 79-69

Despite the Wolverines having a worse record than Penn State heading into the game, Vegas still favored Michigan by four points. Before the matchup, ESPN gave U-M a 55.7 percent chance of victory, which was likely due to Michigan’s recent win over Maryland and the Wolverines’ home-court advantage.

Just as it did against Maryland last weekend, Michigan came out swinging and stepped on the gas as much as possible throughout the game. Michigan’s 81-46 win over the Terrapins showed the fans and media that Juwan Howard’s squad was capable of this level of play, but seeing it on a consistent basis was always our biggest concern. In fact, one of the biggest issues with Howard’s teams appears to be the lack of consistency — this is not an issue exclusive to the 2022-23 season, either.

Michigan’s offense was led by junior center Hunter Dickinson, who posted 17 points, and Kobe Bufkin who had five assists. Overall, the Wolverines went 27/58 from the floor (46.6 percent) and 8/19 from 3-point-range (42.1 percent). On defense, Terrence Williams led the way with nine rebounds, no blocks, and one steal. If the Wolverines can get this kind of production on a consistent basis, Michigan will be in great shape come tournament time.

While the Wolverines’ 10-point win over Penn State will not be enough to get U-M ranked again, it is a step in the right direction toward appearing in the polls and winning the Big Ten.

What now?

We are officially in January, which means the bulk of Big Ten play (and important games) are underway. The Wolverines better have the kinks worked out by now, because these games are the ones that count. The Wolverines now have a small road trip before returning back to Ann Arbor to host Northwestern. This weekend, Michigan basketball plays at Michigan State and will follow the MSU game with a trip to Iowa next Thursday.

Both of these games will be challenging, but that is going to be the rest of the schedule. There are no “gimmes” in the Big Ten or in March, so get ready for a couple of crazy months, Michigan fans. That being said, the Wolverines are off to a hot start in 2023.