Penn State will wrap up its two-game road trip at No. 21 Michigan. This will be the only meeting between these two programs this season and the first in Ann Arbor, Michigan, since Jan. 4, 2023. The Nittany Lions are 3-23 all-time when playing inside the Crisler Center.
PSU has won the three previous matchups against Michigan, with the most recent coming in the opening round of the Big Ten tournament last season.
PENN STATE’S OUTLOOK
Mike Rhoades coaching from the sidelines, (Penn State Athletics)
This season, Penn State is 1-4 on the road and is winless away from the Bryce Jordan Center in conference games. Michigan, meanwhile, is a perfect 9-0 at home and has won by an average of 23.4 points (against Big Ten opponents, that number is 7.3).
Monday’s game will be PSU’s eighth in January, with one final contest against Ohio State on Thursday in Rec Hall. When Penn State returns to take on the Buckeyes, it will have traveled a total of 4,143 miles in January, more than November and December combined (3,206 miles).
“I’ll be honest with you, in all my years, this is the craziest schedule,” Mike Rhoades said Wednesday.
“… It is what it is. I didn’t make it, so we got to go do it, but … I don’t understand the month of January for the Big Ten because of how many games you play, the lack of days off, the travel now that’s included in it. You know, the one thing you want to do in your league is have some awesome games, but also making sure that you protect all the teams too moving into March. But the month of January is ridiculous, from all of that.”
While Rhoades wants to be “protected” heading into March, his team will have to find success on the road at some point to be playing that deep into the season, whether that’s the conference tournament or the national.
MICHIGAN (14-5, 6-2)
HEAD COACH
Dusty May (first season, 14-5)
After spending six seasons at Florida Atlantic, May is in his first season with the Wolverines. In 2022-23, Florida Atlantic won a program record and Division I leading 35 games on its way to its first Final Four. The Owls made it to the NCAA Tournament in May’s final two seasons, winning a combined 70 games.
KEY PLAYERS
Vladislav Goldin, 7-foot-1, Center
Goldin spent three seasons at Florida Atlantic with May before transferring to Michigan. He is averaging a career-high and team-best 16.3 points per game while shooting 63.8% from the field (third in the Big Ten). Goldin’s efficiency is due to him being one of the best at-rim finishers in the country, converting on 72.4% of his attempts. The 7-foot Russian is tied for fourth in the Big Ten in blocks per game (1.7) and has stepped out behind the arc and made nine of his 18 attempts this season.
Tre Donaldson, 6-foot-3, Guard
Donaldson – a transfer from Auburn – is also having a career year, averaging 12.5 points per game and a team-high 4.1 assists. While the junior guard spends most of his time running pick-and-roll (27.2% of his possessions) he is lethal away from the ball, shooting 47.2% on catch-and-shoot 3s and 42.9% overall. In league play, Donaldson is averaging 11.9 points and 4.6 assists, shooting 43.6% from deep.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Danny Wolf, 7-foot, Center
Wolf is third in points for Michigan (12.1), first in rebounding (9.8, second in the Big Ten) and second in assists (3.9). The uniqueness of Wolf’s game is that, unlike most 7-footers, he is Michigan’s primary pick-and-roll operator, having run 57. When the transfer big from Yale isn’t running the break or spotting up from 3 (33.9% on 3s), he’s crashing the offensive glass, where he is one of the best in the Big Ten (tied for eighth with 2.2 offensive rebounds). In conference play, Wolf is averaging 13.5 points, 9.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists.
Vladislav Goldin (left) and Danny Wolf (right) are among the best front-court pairings in the Big Ten. They average a combined 28.4 points, 15.9 rebounds and 3.1 blocks. (Michigan Photography)
Roddy Gayle Jr., 6-foot-5, Guard
Gayle is a junior transfer from Ohio State. He is averaging 11.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists. He is shooting 48.4% from the field and 80.6% from the free-throw line. Gayle is not an efficient 3-point shooter (26.5%), but he has excelled around the rim, making 62.2% of his attempts. In seven games of Big Ten play, Gayle is averaging 10.9 points, four rebounds and 2.7 assists.
Nimari Burnett, 6-foot-5, Guard
Burnett rounds out the five double-digit scorers for the Wolverines with an average of 10.7 points per game. He is the leading 3-point shooter for Michigan and ranks in the top ten in the league netting 45.8% of his 4.4 attempts. On catch-and-shoot 3s, Burnett ranks in the 89th percentile in efficiency, converting at a 43.6% clip. In Big Ten action, the graduate guard is averaging 11.1 points and has made 44.1% of his long-range attempts.
KEY STAT: Offensive Juice
Michigan enters Monday night as the 15th-best offense per KenPom. That mark is the second-best for a team Penn State has played this season (Purdue being the best). Here are some of the Wolverines’ key offensive stats:
- Field Goal Percentage: 50 (second in Big Ten, seventh in DI)
- Effective Field Goal Percentage: 58.1 (second in Big Ten, sixth in DI)
- Transition Points: 326 (fourth in Big Ten, 76th in DI)
METRICS
Penn State enters Monday’s game ranked 45th on KenPom and 51st in the NCAA’s NET rankings. Michigan is 18th on KenPom and 20th in NET.
GAME TIME
Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at the Crisler Center. Penn State’s full schedule is available here.
SPREAD
Per DraftKings Sportsbook, the Nittany Lions are nine-point underdogs at Michigan. The Over-Under Total is 160 and the Penn State Moneyline is +310.
TV
Monday’s game will air on the Big Ten Network, and Dave Revsine and Shon Morris will be on the call.
