STATE COLLEGE — In the midst of a decade’s worth of mediocrity, the Michigan basketball team has recently seen some of the program’s highest highs in a long time.
Somehow, it seems only fitting that the Wolverines’ lowest point so far this year took place in a valley.
“We’re just struggling in so many areas,” Michigan coach John Beilein said. “Today, I don’t think from the beginning to the end, it was one of our better performances.”
Whether it was the Wolverines’ fatigue from playing its fourth Big Ten game in 11 days or the shock of CBS personality and NCAA Tournament regular Gus Johnson providing commentary for the Big Ten Network, Michigan lost its third straight game in a frustrating 73-58 defeat to Penn State.
“(We’re) pretty down right now,” fifth-year senior David Merritt said. “Didn’t come out and give a good effort tonight. We’re not defending, we’re not shooting.”
Although the two teams came into the matchup in a statistical deadlock, it was the Nittany Lions that clearly dominated the contest. Penn State shot 9-of-17 from behind the arc as the Nittany Lions’ guards penetrated Michigan’s defense with ease and found open shooters. And if Penn State wasn’t scoring from the outside, forward Jamelle Cornley was dominating the interior.
“Cornley was going bananas in the first half,” Merritt said.
The forward scored 11 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the first frame. He finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
The Wolverines had their worst 3-point shooting game of the season, converting on just five of 30 attempts.
Sophomore Manny Harris tied a career low with four points on just 1-of-9 shooting. And aside from junior DeShawn Sims (21 points) and freshman Stu Douglass (three 3-pointers), no other Wolverine made more than two field goals.
Sims was also the only Michigan player to score in double figures.
“I can’t really say,” Harris said when asked about Michigan’s shooting woes. “We shoot enough in practice. Maybe we need to shoot even more.”
Beilein partially attributed the poor shooting night to the Wolverines’ inability to find a rhythm on the road.
“An important part of this game was establishing a tempo, and we did not,” Beilein said. “You don’t see me get that upset with my team at the beginning of the game. It was ‘my turn’ and ‘your turn.’ “
The Wolverines were 2-for-16 from behind the arc in the first half, and it was the sixth straight half that Michigan shot less than 50 percent from the field.
Despite another forgettable first half, Michigan trailed by just seven going into the break. But a quick 8-2 Penn State run early in the second half put the contest out of reach. The Nittany Lions made it ugly by extending their lead to as much as 26 in the second stanza.
Beilein even shook up the lineup in the first half to try to find someone who would play with poise. He put in senior Jevohn Shepherd, who hasn’t played significant minutes since Dec. 29 against North Carolina Central, while playing Harris for just 12 minutes.
In the next month, the schedule only gets harder for the Wolverines. And for a team that relies heavily on 3-pointers, shooting 26 percent from behind the arc during the past three games won’t cut it for the Wolverines.
Beilein said his teams at West Virginia suffered through similar slumps and that a shooting drought, like the ones the Wolverines saw last night, can end in an instant.
“One or two shots go in, and then all of a sudden, it absolutely turns around,” Beilein said.
And the Wolverines need a turnaround soon to have a realistic shot at playing in the postseason.