Overview
- Michigan State beat Penn State 76-72 on the road Dec. 13 to move to 9-1 overall and 2-0 in the Big Ten.
- Tom Izzo started Divine Ugochukwu at shooting guard for the first time, and the sophomore delivered a career-high 23 points on 5-for-5 three-point shooting.
- The Spartans closed on a 12-5 run but exposed concerns with a season-high 17 turnovers that fueled 23 Penn State points and strained MSU’s rotation.
- Michigan routed Maryland 101-83 the same night, with Yaxel Lendeborg posting 29 points, eight rebounds and nine assists and Aday May adding 18.
- The Wolverines improved to 10-0 (2-0 Big Ten) and entered the weekend ranked No. 1 in NET and the Coaches Poll and No. 2 in the AP Top 25.