Michigan men's basketball has earned a lot of the great headlines, the awesome stories,

the praise that they have gotten over the first 13 games of the season. But oftentimes,

loss and all of that is the reality that road games in the Big Ten, no matter what the circumstance,

they have some unique curveballs to be thrown at you. Michigan experienced a little bit of that

for at least 30

minutes at Maryland back in December. This was truly Michigan's most befuddling, most frustrating,

and probably strictest test of the season so far. No Caden Mingo, and for a little while,

there might not have been a problem for Penn State. They hung around. They played harder in a lot of

ways than Michigan. They outrebounded the Wolverines. Michigan did find a way and you don't apologize

for wins, especially on the road in the Big Ten. But yeah, it's fun to talk about 100-point performances and

30-plus-point wins over-ranked teams. But when you go on the road, you just have to find a way to survive in

advance. The 2013 team that went to the national championship game, they lost at the Bryce

Jordan Center. The 2018-2019 team that has the record for best start in program history

17 and 0, they lost at Penn State, their third loss of the season. And this Michigan team,

for some stretches in this ballgame, felt like they could have lost this game. They found

away with some unusual suspects in unusual spots. L.J. Kaysen 14 in the first half. Trey

McKenney logging key minutes down the stretch. Mores Johnson Jr., the reigning Big Ten player of the week, he fouled out, only scored three points,

not nearly the factor he was in the final game of 2025 and the first game of 2026.

The locker room was frustrated, was borderline somber because Michigan did not play anywhere

close to standard.

In this one, it almost felt like it might be that Minnesota game from last year. The difference,

Michigan avoided the desperation three. They found a way to get a win. There will be plenty of

...