Penn State men’s basketball (14-7, 5-5 Big Ten) took care of business in a dominating fashion against Michigan (11-10, 5-5 Big Ten) by a final score of 83-61 on Sunday afternoon at the Bryce Jordan Center.

It was an all-around team effort for the Nittany Lions as four of the five starters eclipsed double-digit points. Jalen Pickett led the way with 25 and Seth Lundy followed closely behind with 22. Andrew Funk dropped 19 points and shot four-for-nine from deep, and first-time starter, Mikey Henn added 10 more for Penn State.

Jett Howard led the way for the Wolverines with 21 points. Michigan’s star big man Hunter Dickinson had a quiet night with just six points.

How It Happened

Head coach Micah Shrewsberry made some changes to the starting lineup with Caleb Dorsey back in the starting five and Mikey Henn opening the game for the first time all season.

Michigan won the tip but failed to score on its first possession. On the other side of the ball, Henn found a cutting Lundy who cashed in on a layup that started the scoring off. On the Nittany Lions’ next possession, Lundy saved a possession as he tapped the ball out to Jalen Pickett. The fifth-year guard bullied his way to the paint and hit a layup of his own.

Jett Howard responded with back-to-back threes for the Wolverines. However, three straight makes from Pickett, including a three, kept Penn State up by five at the first media timeout.

Dug McDaniel hit a floater coming out of the timeout for Michigan. On the other side of the court, Pickett found a wide-open Funk who nailed his first three of the game. After an empty possession for the Wolverines, Pickett sunk a step-back jumper but was quickly answered with back-to-back buckets from Howard.

Pickett and Howard traded threes and Funk sunk a floater before the second media timeout was called. At the midway point of the first half, Penn State held onto a 21-17 lead.

Kebba Njie and Kobe Bufkin traded dunks coming out of the timeout. After a couple of empty possessions, Pickett found an open hole, drove to the rim, and got the bucket and the foul. Hunter Dickinson found a favorable matchup with Camren Wynter and sunk his first bucket of the game. Then, Myles Dread heaved up a prayer from behind the arc as the shot clock expired and drilled it. However, Joey Baker hit an and-one jumper in response.

A combination of Howard threes and Dickinson layups brought the Wolverines within one. Then, Penn State caught fire. Henn drilled two threes and Lundy knocked down one of his own as Penn State held onto a 10-point lead with just under three minutes of action.

It was all Funk to end the first half. Funk drilled back-to-back balls from Steph Curry range and ended the half for Penn State with an and-one layup. Bufkin hit a jumper before the buzzer sounded, but the Nittany Lions led the Wolverines 49-32 at the end of the half.

Funk found Lundy in the corner for a three that started the second half. Moments later, Pickett faked out Michigan’s defense and bounced a pass to Henn for a wide-open layup. Dickinson’s size was too much for Henn as he drilled a hook shot. On the other side of the ball, Henn found Funk at the top of the key and he hit another three before Michigan called its first timeout of the half.

After a Dorsey steal, Pickett hit Lundy who splashed one from beyond the arc. Terrance Williams answered back with a deep two. On Penn State’s next possession, Lundy drove to the hoop, got the bucket, and the foul before the first media timeout of the second half was called.

Lundy missed his free throw, but got fouled and made two after the break. Howard responded immediately with a three-pointer. After a few empty possessions, Bufkin and Lundy traded layups. Lundy drilled one of his own shortly following a Michigan attempt. On Penn State’s next possession, Pickett dribbled his way out of a double team and into an and-one jumper.

At the midway point of the second half, the Nittany Lions held onto a 30-point lead.

Pickett and McDaniel traded free throws coming off the timeout. After nearly four minutes without a field goal, Pickett broke the spell with a jumper outside the paint. Then, Williams knocked down one of his own before the Wolverines called a timeout with just under eight minutes left of action.

Williams sunk back-to-back jumpers for the Wolverines after the timeout. The Nittany Lions were on a bit of a dry spell before Pickett hit a turn-around jumper as the shot clock expired. After a Michigan miss, Lundy drew a foul and sunk both as Penn State held onto a 29-point lead with four minutes left of the ball game.

Jace Howard drove in for a layup and splashed a three-pointer in back-to-back possession for Michigan. After a few more empty possessions, Will Tschetter drove to the lane and cashed in a layup. Then Wynter, Tschetter, Funk, and Tarris Reed Jr. all traded buckets in the paint.

Reed turned the ball over on Michigan’s final possession of the game. As the final buzzer sounded, the Nittany Lions walked away with an 83-61 win over the Wolverines.

Takeaways:

• Mikey Henn got the start tonight for the first time all season and he shined. He dropped 10 points with two rebounds through a season-high 24 minutes. Most notably, Henn held Hunter Dickinson to only six points all game.
• Not only did Penn State live by the three, but it also thrived by the three. Collectively, the team shot 43% from beyond the arc with Andrew Funk and Seth Lundy leading the way on 8-for-18 from three-point land.
• Honestly, this was just a beautiful display of basketball from Penn State today. Shots were falling, the defense was superb, and everything went right. It was quite a sight. If you’re a Penn State fan, you love to see this type of beatdown in a tight Big Ten conference.

What’s Next?

Penn State will travel to Indiana for a rematch against No. 1 Purdue on Wednesday, February 1. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. and will be broadcasted on the Big Ten Network.