B1G Super Saturday Pits U-M vs. PSU at MSG
1/28/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 28, 2016
» Michigan is looking for the season sweep of the Nittany Lions after prevailing, 79-56, on Jan. 2 at Crisler Center.
» U-M will play its 29th all-time game in Madison Square Garden and just the second conference game held at a neutral site.
• TV: Big Ten Network | BTN2Go | | Live Audio | Storify
• Complete Game Notes 
| Broadcast Information
The University of Michigan men's basketball team (16-5, 6-2 B1G) heads to the Big Apple and the World's Most Famous Arena for the inaugural B1G Super Saturday (Jan. 30) against Penn State (11-10, 2-6 B1G). In a unique doubleheader the Wolverines will play the Nittany Lions in basketball at noon on BTN, before the arena is converted for hockey. The U-M and PSU hockey teams will then close the day with a game at 7 p.m. on BTN.
THE COACHING MATCHUP
• Michigan: John Beilein (182-115 in ninth season at U-M | 733-343 in 38th season)
• Penn State: Patrick Chambers (67-85; fifth season at PSU | 109-113 in seventh season)
A LITTLE ABOUT PENN STATE
• Penn State has dropped its last two games and four of its last five to sit at 11-10 overall and 2-6 in Big Ten play. Saturday's game will be PSU's 12th game away from State College, Pennsylvania.
• Penn State is led by senior forward Brandon Taylor, who leads the Nittany Lions in points (16.0) and rebounds (5.8). Sophomore guard Shep Garner is averaging 13.5 points and a team-best 3.0 assists per game. He also has a team-best 43 (2.0) long-range baskets. Sophomore forward Payton Banks gives PSU three players averaging in double figures with his 10.7 points.
• Senior center Jordan Dickerson, a transfer from SMU, leads the team with 36 blocks (1.7 bpg).
• Penn State is averaging 65.7 points and 34.6 rebounds per game as a team while allowing 68.5 points and 35.6 rebounds. PSU is shooting 41.3 percent from the field and 29.9 percent from long range.
THE SERIES WITH PENN STATE
• The game will be the 45th all-time meeting; U-M leads 32-12 overall.
• Michigan has won the last four meeting in the series and nine of the last 10.
• U-M and PSU have met three times on a neutral floor -- all at the Big Ten Tournament. The Nittany Lions hold the 2-1 edge.
• The game is the second of two regular-season meetings. In Caris LeVert's first game sitting out with lower left leg injury, Zak Irvin and Mark Donnal each had 16 points to lead U-M to a 79-56 victory on Jan. 2. Making 10 of its 14 three-pointers in the first half, the Maize and Blue built a 21-point lead and did not look back. Aubrey Dawkins was perfect off the bench with 13 points in 14 minutes, going 5-for-5 from the floor (3-for-3 3FGA).
JUST U-M'S SECOND NEUTRAL B1G REGULAR-SEASON GAME EVER
• Michigan has played 1,458 total Big Ten regular-season games. Saturday' game will be just the second conference game held at a neutral site. The only other B1G regular-season neutral-site game was when the Maize and Blue hosted Wisconsin on March 4, 1967, at Cobo Arena in downtown Detroit, resulting in an 80-79 Wolverine loss.
MICHIGAN AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN
• Michigan will play its 29th all-time game in Madison Square Garden. The Wolverines hold a 17-11 all-time record in the World's Most Famous Arena.
• The last time U-M played at MSG was during the 2012 NIT Season Tip-Off. After defeating Pittsburg, 67-62, in the semifinal, the Wolverines had a 71-57 win over Kansas State in the championship game. U-M went on to play in the national title game that season.
DID YOU KNOW?
• Over his last four games, Zak Irvin has hauled in 35 rebounds (8.7 per game) -- with three eight-plus board games, including 11 against Minnesota (Jan. 20) and a career-best 12 against Rutgers (Jan. 27).
• In addition, Irvin has also had 21 total assists (7.0 per game) during this four-game stretch -- with three five-plus assist games and eight against Rutgers.
• Even better, Irvin has amassed 71 total assists in 20 games this season. During his first two seasons, he recorded a total of 62 assists (69 games).
• Michigan has had three straight games of 20-plus free throw attempts, going 56-for-66 (84.8 percent). Those tallies have helped the Wolverines move into second in the B1G and 26th nationally at 74.5 percent for the season.
• Derrick Walton Jr. is 21-for-23 from the free throw line over his last three games -- including a career-best 11-for-12 line against Minnesota (Jan. 20).
• Duncan Robinson has made at least two three-point field goals in his last 17 straight games.
• Robinson is fourth in the nation shooting 50.7 percent from long range (71-for-140). He needs 29 more three-pointers to become just the second Wolverine ever to reach 100 in a season.
• Michigan has 16 games with 10-plus three-pointers in a game. Overall, when U-M makes 10-plus it is 12-5. U-M set the program record with 17 against Bryant (Dec. 23).
• The Wolverines average 10.8 per game, which is tops in the B1G and sixth in the nation.
• Michigan has almost as many three-point field goals made (227) as free throws made this season (246).
• Over the last seven games, Michigan is getting an early snapshot of next year's roster as seniors Spike Albrecht (out for season; hips) and Caris LeVert (seven games; lower left leg) have been out with injury.
WHAT'S AHEAD?
• Following Michigan's neutral-site game vs. Penn State, the Wolverines return to Ann Arbor for a pair of home contests. First up is U-M's second ESPN "Super Tuesday" game as U-M faces Indiana (Tuesday, Feb. 2) at 9 p.m. The week closes with a matchup against instate rival Michigan State (Saturday, Feb. 6) on CBS at 2 p.m. Both games will be the only meetings of the regular season.
