Michigan Basketball: 3 things we learned from Penn State loss

Michigan basketball suffered a costly road loss at Penn State Tuesday night and here are three things we learned about the Wolverines.

Right before Michigan basketball and Penn State tipped off, the Wolverines got some great news. Purdue had just lost to Maryland, giving UM the opportunity to take sole possession of first place in the Big Ten.

At that point, it seemed inevitable. After all, the only thing Michigan basketball had to do was beat a Penn State team that was 8-15 overall and 1-11 in the Big Ten. Nothing too it right?

Wrong. So very wrong.

For those who study history, this loss wasn’t without precedent. Michigan basketball lost a game just like this back in 2013, the last time the Wolverines were ranked his high, this late in the season and that loss, like this one, could cost Michigan a chance at the Big Ten championship.

To be fair, the Wolverines control their own destiny despite the 75-69 loss in Happy Valley Tuesday, but with the grueling stretch of games to close, including two each against Michigan State and Maryland, two of the five teams within a game for first, it will be much tougher now than it would have been.

Now, the Wolverines have zero margin for error, starting with Maryland at home on Saturday. At the end of the day, all Michigan can do is learn from it and move on. However, at the same time, the loss revealed some ugly trends that have been popping up lately and with that focus in mind, here are three things we learned from the Penn State loss.