The Wolverines are just five wins away from an NCAA Tournament berth!
Well, this could be the end of the season — or it could be the first of 11 wins on the way to a national title! Wednesday’s Big Ten Tournament opener for the last-seeded Michigan Wolverines begins the final chapter of this dreadful 2023-24 season, and it very well may turn out to be a one-page epilogue.
Michigan has drawn the No. 11 Penn State Nittany Lions , who sit under .500 as well. These two teams met just once this season, in the infamous Phil Martelli-take-the-reigns affair in Philadelphia. Though the Wolverines led by 10 at halftime at the Palestra, it was Penn State who took went home victorious that day.
The Big Ten Tournament has been a disaster for the Wolverines over the past couple seasons, blowing a 17-point lead against Indiana and then collapsing against Rutgers to lose any hope at a run to the NCAA Tournament last season. It will take a little luck to end this losing streak, though, as the Nittany Lions are favored by 6.5 per DraftKings on Wednesday night.
No. 14 Michigan Wolverines (8-23, 3-17) vs. No. 11 Penn State Nittany Lions (15-16, 9-11)
Date & Time: Wednesday, Mar. 13, 9 p.m. ET (pending previous game)
Location: Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
TV/Streaming: Peacock
DraftKings
Line: Michigan +6.5
The Nittany Lions ended the conference season 10th in both adjusted offense and defense, which tracks with their place in the standings. This team likes to play fast and hoist up a bunch of threes, but that does not necessarily lead to great offense. Point guard Ace Baldwin leads the way, averaging 14.3 points and 6.0 assists per game, but he is only slightly above average in terms of efficiency.
On the other side of the ball, Penn State gets dominated on the interior. No team gave up a higher percentage inside the arc in Big Ten play, and this defense had issues with fouls, rebounding, and allowing assists, an indicator that offenses can get all the looks they want. It is not a given that Tarris Reed, Will Tschetter, and Tray Jackson can actually take advantage, but that would be the ostensible path.
That first game was not a great (or terrible) performance from either team, with fairly average numbers from across the board. It was, however, another one of those patented second-half collapses, though those have mostly given way to traditional blowouts. Michigan was 18-for-28 on twos that game, including 7-for-11 from midrange; to pull off the minor upset, the Wolverines will again need to take advantage of this defense. Otherwise, the curtains close on this forgettable season.