Michigan Basketball: 3 takeaways from sluggish win over Penn State

2. Eli Brooks stepped up profoundly

It’s nice to mention someone other then Hunter Dickinson for once, and not that it’s a bad thing. Eli Brooks was that second option that needed to help Dickinson out and he did just that. The senior, not only made an impact with 16 points, but more importantly got praised for his defense when Penn State had the ball.

Not that it needs to be said again but if Michigan wants to crack the NCAA tournament, then they’ll need more players to step up like Brooks did in State College. Caleb Houstan and Moussa Diabate were rather quiet and the bench didn’t do much to aid either two of the stars of Michigan’s attack.

When the outcome of the affair was on the line Brooks iced it away at the charity stripe. He fearlessly drilled the final four free throws and six out of Michigan’s last eight points to formally neutralize Penn State’s threat. He may be on the verge of putting it all together with the way he has been working the past few outings.