Wolverines Look for Revenge on Penn State

Michigan junior guard, Tim Hardaway
Jr. says the Wolverines will be ready
for Penn State on Thursday.

With an eleven point lead late in the second half, Michigan felt they could walk away with a nearly embarrassing loss, but the Nittany Lions had other plans. On February 27, Michigan made national headlines, but in the wrong way. Blowing a fifteen point lead with just eleven minutes remaining, the Wolverines were the first win for Penn State in the Big Ten this season. The 84-78 win for the Nittany Lions also broke an 18 game conference losing streak, and a 14 game conference skid this season.

Trey Burke and the Wolverines will look to rebound in the Big Ten tournament on Thursday, which they will enter as a five-seed. A loss on Thursday to the same Penn State team, could prove disastrous. With a good showing in the conference tournament, the Wolverines are looking squarely at a two-seed in the upcoming NCAA tournament. However, a win against Penn State on Thursday is just the beginning.

Michigan has a long and difficult path to the Big Ten championship, which will take place on Sunday, March 17 in Chicago. If Michigan were to move on against the worst team in the Big Ten on Thursday, they'd move on to play fourth-seed, Wisconsin, who defeated the Wolverines last month in overtime. The winner of that match-up will go head-to-head with the outright winners of the conference, Indiana, who beat Michigan on a heartbreaking 72-71 loss on Sunday.

Following that loss to Indiana on Sunday, Tim Hardaway Jr. claimed Michigan's preparedness for Penn State on Thursday, "We're going to be ready," he said, and what more does he have to say? Michigan didn't have a field goal in the last six and a half minutes against Penn State during the second half collapse. Collapses are not a strange word to John Beilein's Wolverines, doing it again on Sunday against Indiana. Maintaining a five point lead with under a minute remaining, the Wolverines went 1-4 from the free throw line, including misses from stars Tim Hardaway Jr. and Big Ten Player of the Year, Trey Burke. All we can do is wait and see if the Wolverines are a different team heading into the postseason.