Michigan Basketball: Grading the Wolverines win vs Penn State

Wings

Isaiah Livers: C

It wasn’t one of Livers’ better games as he was 1-of-7 shooting the ball from the field and failed to make a 3-point shot. Last year, it would have been hard for Michigan to win this game without Livers shooting well, but now, Livers doesn’t have to be the go-to guy. He’s the big-shot maker but the offense is running through Dickinson. Livers made all eight of his free throw attempts, including two at the end to wrap up the win. He also won’t shoot as poorly as he did Sunday on a regular basis.

Franz Wagner: C

Franz has been frustrating to watch this season and watching him on the floor, it seems as though he is frustrated too. Multiple times this year, he has committed silly fouls after missing a bucket or bulldozing his way into a charge. For whatever reason, he seems hesitant to pull the trigger on 3-point attempts and was just 2-of-5 from the field. Wagner did miss both of the deep shots he did take, but grabbed seven rebounds and dished out three assists. He’s making solid contributions in other areas, but his usage rate was 11 percent and he’s way, way too good to shot just five times.

Chaundee Brown: C

As with Wagner and Livers, I couldn’t bring myself to grade Brown at lower than a C, simply because of the effort he brought defensively. He only attempted two shots (missed both) and was the only player to have a lower usage rate than Franz.

While he forced one shot he probably shouldn’t have taken, other than that, Brown’s not a guy who needs the ball. He’s content being a cog in the system and he was very effective on the defensive end. His offense comes and goes and since he’s coming off the bench, when he gets hot, this team is dangerous.

But you also have to love that Michigan can win a conference game with Brown, Livers and Wagner scoring 16 points. Those guys need more if this team is going to reach its ceiling, but it’s good they aren’t dependent on those three.