Penn State didn’t get the result it wanted against Michigan, losing 74-72, but it did leave the night with kind words from some.
This was another game that shows how close this team is, even if the record doesn’t always show it yet. However, while being close might be a good thing, Penn State eventually has to start winning games.
While the Nittany Lions matched Michigan’s physicality and had chances late to steal a home win, they still didn’t, and that’s an issue.
However, the effort didn’t go unnoticed by Michigan head coach Dusty May, who gave credit to Penn State after his team won.
“I want to tip the cap. A lot of times coaches get up here in a game like this and talk about what they didn't do. Penn State was more physical than us. Their game plan was better than ours. They beat us to every 50-50 ball.
“It came down to two teams really battling and fortunately the last shot was off. Dilione had made big shot after big shot and luckily the clock ran out on that one, but they played well. I thought Juric was extremely effective, he was physical. I thought they played a smart, disciplined game and they capitalized on the mistakes that we made. Lucky to get out of here, much like another league game, we were very fortunate to get out of here finding a way to win. We have veteran guys, so we had a look that we were going to figure out a way to win.
For a young roster still learning how to close games in tough moments, the only way to do so is by playing games.
“This is part of the growth process. They have a lot of young guys that probably just don't have the experience in these moments. Games like this and the last couple they had, they're going to prove very beneficial in January, February, March for especially a young ball club. They're coming together. We knew how tough it was going to be,” he said, per 247.
Penn State also didn’t have Kayden Mingo, so perhaps it would’ve won if it did, though I don’t like to say that because Michigan won the game fair and square.