No. 4 Michigan (13-1, 8-1) vs. Penn State (5-6, 2-5)
Bryce Jordan Center, University Park, Pennsylvania; Wednesday, 7 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: No. 4 Michigan presents a tough challenge for Penn State. Penn State has won one of its three games against ranked opponents this season. Michigan has moved up to No. 4 in the latest AP rankings following wins over Maryland and Purdue last week.
SQUAD LEADERS: The Wolverines are led by Hunter Dickinson and Isaiah Livers. Dickinson has averaged 15.1 points and 7.2 rebounds while Livers has put up 14.6 points and six rebounds per game. The Nittany Lions have been led by juniors Myreon Jones and Izaiah Brockington, who are scoring 15.9 and 14.7 per game, respectively.
CLAMPING DOWN: The Wolverines have allowed just 63.1 points per game to Big Ten opponents so far, an improvement from the 69.4 per game they allowed against non-conference opponents.MIGHTY MYREON: Jones has connected on 41.2 percent of the 68 3-pointers he’s attempted and has gone 17 for 34 over the last five games. He’s also made 81.6 percent of his free throws this season.
THREAT FROM DISTANCE: Michigan’s Livers has attempted 74 3-pointers and connected on 44.6 percent of them, and is 10 for 17 over his last three games.
ACCOUNTING FOR ASSISTS: The Wolverines have recently converted baskets via assists more often than the Nittany Lions. Penn State has 36 assists on 74 field goals (48.6 percent) across its past three contests while Michigan has assists on 50 of 75 field goals (66.7 percent) during its past three games.
DID YOU KNOW: The stout Michigan defense has held opposing offenses to a field goal percentage of 37.4 percent, the fourth-best mark in the country. Penn State has allowed opponents to shoot 46.9 percent from the field through 11 games (ranked 298th).
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This was generated by Automated Insights, http://www.automatedinsights.com/ap, using data from STATS LLC, https://www.stats.com
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