Michigan has been a tough team to figure out through the first few weeks of the conference season. The Wolverines came back to beat a tough Penn State team at home despite trailing by as many as 14 in the second half, but then followed that up with a loss to Maryland in Ann Arbor.
The problem with this team is that there are no true scorers. Guys like Zak Irvin and Derrick Walton Jr. seem to disappear in order to get teammates involved, but the veteran leaders need to be the go-to guys on offense. Moritz Wagner is playing well as is D.J. Wilson, but this team might not have the depth in the post to contend. Are the Wolverines a tournament team? As of right now, probably not.
Why is Penn State ahead of Michigan despite losing to the Wolverines last week? Well, the Nittany Lions have looked more impressive in conference play and have a better win — Michigan State. The Nittany Lions are just 10-7 overall and Pat Chambers has to be worried about potentially missing the NCAA Tournament, but beating the Spartans on Saturday won’t be this team’s only upset victory of the season.
Penn State is talented. Led by junior guard Shep Garner, the Nittany Lions might just be the surprise of the conference this season. While Penn State isn’t the deepest team in the conference, the Nittany Lions are athletic and long in the post. Michigan State found that out the hard way Saturday at the Palestra.