Wolverines Look to Continue Home Success Wednesday vs. Nittany Lions

» Michigan takes on Penn State in the teams' only regular-season meeting of the season.
» The Wolverines hold a 36-13 all-time record against the Nittany Lions.
» Zavier Simpson leads the nation with 148 total assists and an 8.7 per game average -- a career-best average by nearly +2.5.
» Jon Teske leads U-M in scoring (14.3), rebounding (7.6), blocks (2.1) and steals (1.2).
» In his last five games, Franz Wagner has produced four double-figure scoring games, averaging 12.8 points and 4.8 rebounds.

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The University of Michigan men's basketball team (11-6, 2-4 Big Ten) returns home for two games starting with Penn State on Wednesday (Jan. 22) at Crisler Center. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. tipoff with Kevin Kugler (p-by-p) and Shon Morris (analyst) as the BTN broadcast crew.

What You Need to Know for Wednesday's Game

• Wednesday's game is the first and only regular-season meeting between U-M and Penn State.
• Michigan restarted Big Ten play three of four games on the road. The Wolverines will now play two straight in Ann Arbor, starting with the Nittany Lions (Jan. 22) followed by a rematch against Illinois (Jan. 25).
• After restarting the Big Ten season, the ranking of Michigan's regular-season schedule has vaulted to one of the best in the nation -- 2nd (ESPN's BPI), 2nd (Sagarin) and 4th (KenPom).
• Zavier Simpson leads the nation with 148 total assists and an 8.7 per game average -- a career-best average by nearly +2.5. He is adding a career-best 12.2 points per game.
• Simpson (579 assists) moved into the second spot on U-M's all-time list, passing Rumeal Robinson (575) after six assists at Iowa (Jan. 17). Simpson needs 21 assists to become just the second Wolverine to reach 600 assists -- only trailing Gary Grant's U-M record of 731.
• Jon Teske leads U-M in scoring (14.3), rebounding (7.6), blocks (2.1) and steals (1.2).
• It's not just Simpson dishing assists. With a career-best seven assists at Iowa (Jan. 17), Teske produced a third of his season total -- 21 dimes -- in Iowa City. He also tied a career best with four steals against the Hawkeyes and added two three-pointers and two blocks.
• With the double-overtime victory against Purdue (Jan. 9), Simpson and Teske recorded the 100th win in their four-year careers. The duo is two of 10 Wolverines to reach the century mark for victories with the Maize and Blue. The all-time record is 104 held by four Wolverines.
• With Isaiah Livers (groin injury) sidelined the last five games, Franz Wagner has produced four double-figure scoring games, averaging 12.8 points and 4.8 rebounds and knocking down 11 of his 21 total three-pointers during the stretch.
• Wagner has shot 11-for-29 (37.9%) from long range over his last four games. In his nine previous games he was 10-for-34 (29.4%). He now gives U-M five double-figure scorers with his 10.2 points per game.
• Eli Brooks posted his third 20+ point game of the season at Iowa (Jan. 17) with a career-best 25 points. He tied a career best with nine field goals and had a career-high five three-pointers.
• Brandon Johns Jr. has started the last five games in Livers' absence. He has averaged 6.6 points and 2.8 rebounds during the stretch, including tying his career best with 12 points at Michigan State (Jan. 5).

Who are the Penn State Nittany Lions?

• Penn State comes to Ann Arbor with a 13-5 overall record, including a 3-4 mark in Big Ten play after defeating Ohio State, 90-76, last time out (Jan. 18) in State College, Pennsylvania.
• Like most Big Ten teams, Penn State is having more success in conference games at home (2-1) than on the road (0-3).
• Penn State has four players scoring in double figures, led by 16.6 points per game from senior forward Lamar Stevens. Sophomore guard Myreon Jones adds 14.2 points per contest, senior center Mike Watkins chips in 10.1 points and a team-best 8.1 rebounds per game, while sophomore guard Izaiah Brockington is also scoring 10.1 points per game.
• Jones leads the Nittany Lions with 41 three-pointers, while sophomore guard Myles Dread has 31. The duo combines for 72 of Penn State's 143 total three-pointers.
• The Nittany Lions average a league-best 8.6 steals per contest. Junior guard Jamari Wheeler is tied for the Big Ten lead, along with Rutgers' Geo Baker, with 1.7 steals per game.
• Penn State leads the Big Ten and ranks ninth nationally with 6.1 blocks per game. Watkins leads the Big Ten with 3.1 blocks per contest -- sixth in the nation.
• Pat Chambers is in his ninth season as head coach at Penn State. Prior to taking over in State College, Chambers was the head coach at Boston University for two seasons (2009-11), guiding the Terriers to the NCAA Tournament in 2011.

The All-Time Series with Penn State

• Wednesday's game will be the 50th all-time meeting between Michigan and Penn State. U-M leads the series, 36-13. Penn State snapped Michigan's eight-game series winning streak with a 75-69 win last season (Feb. 12, 2019) in State College.
• Michigan has nine games (6-3) against Penn State vacated by the Wolverines due to NCAA sanctions.
• U-M holds a 21-2 record in Ann Arbor and has won the last seven meetings at Crisler Center. U-M holds a 13-9 record in State College, splitting the last four games (2-2). U-M is an even 2-2 record in neutral-site games -- with three games at the Big Ten Tournament and one in the B1G Super Saturday match-up at MSG in NYC.
• There have been six games decided by three or fewer points, with U-M owning a 4-2 edge in those contests. The last time a game was decided by three or fewer points was a three-point U-M win (72-69) at Crisler Center on Jan. 4, 2017.
• There has been only one overtime game in the all-time series. U-M picked up an 89-87 overtime win at Crisler on Feb. 19, 2000.
• Longest U-M win streak: 11 games (Jan, 2, 2002 to Feb. 9, 2008).
• Longest U-M losing streak: 3 games (March 9, 2000 to March 8, 2001)
• Largest U-M Victory: +23 (79-56) at U-M on Jan. 2, 2016 and +23 (76-53) at U-M on Feb. 18, 2004
• Largest U-M Loss: -18 (70-52) at Penn State on Jan. 2, 1999
• U-M Victories by 10+ Points: 17 | U-M Losses by 10+ Points: 6
• U-M's average margin of wins: +10.7 | U-M's average margin of losses: -10.5
• All-Time U-M Points: 3431 (70.0) | All-Time Penn State Points: 3147 (64.2)

Drawing Ever Closer to U-M's All-Time Wins Leaders

• With U-M's double-overtime win against Purdue (Jan. 9), Zavier Simpson and Jon Teske picked up the 100th win of their Wolverine careers. The duo is currently 100-33.
• Simpson and Teske have three straight NCAA Sweet 16 appearances, including a 2018 Final Four and national title game visit. They were part of back-to-back Big Ten Tournament titles (2017, '18) as well as three straight Big Ten Tournament championship game appearances.
• Overall the duo has helped U-M produce two of its five 30-win seasons in U-M history, including a program-best 33 wins in 2017-18.
• U-M's all-time record is 104 wins held by Glen Rice (1986-89), J.P. Oosterbann (1986-89), Mark Hughes (1986-89) and Jordan Morgan (2011-14).
• In total, nine Wolverines have won 100 games in their careers. In addition to those Wolverines listed above, the remaining three are Gary Grant (1985-88), Steve Stoyko (1985-88) and Rob Pelinka (1989, '91-93), who each have 100 victories to their credit.
• For record keeping, if a player redshirts or transfers in, U-M does not count that season's record toward a player's career. Austin Davis redshirted his freshman season, so he is listed with 74 wins.

Closing in on a Historical Achievement

• Zavier Simpson is closing in on a unique U-M achievement as he could become the first Wolverine to record 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists.
• He needs 106 points to reach 1,000 (894)
• He needs 85 rebounds to reach 500 (415)
• He already has passed 500 assists (579)
• Below is a list of some of U-M's all-time great guards and their career totals:

Gary Grant (2,222 points, 455 rebounds, 731 assists)
Rumeal Robinson (1,446 points, 353 rebounds, 575 assists)
Derrick Walton Jr. (1,471 points, 562 rebounds, 499 assists)
Zavier Simpson (894 points, 415 rebounds, 579 assists)

One More Rung Up the Assist Ladder

• With 579 assists, Zavier Simpson has moved into second on U-M's all-time assist list.
• He needs 21 assists to become just the second Wolverine to reach 600 in a career.
• He needs 121 assists to become just the second Wolverine to reach 700 in a career.
• He needs 153 for the U-M all-time record, held by Gary Grant (731).
• At his current rate of 8.7 per game, Simpson could collect 121 more assists before postseason play.
• In U-M's history there are 10 Wolverines with 400+ assists and four with 500+.

U-M's Career Assists Leaders
1) Gary Grant (1985-88), 731
2) Zavier Simpson (2017-present), 579
3) Rumeal Robinson (1988-90), 575
4) Antoine Joubert (1984-87), 539
5) Derrick Walton Jr. (2014-17), 499