[Bryan Fuller/MGoBlog]
Michigan announced less than an hour before tipoff that Caris LeVert would miss the Penn State game with a lower leg injury. The Nittany Lions ran out to a 7-0 lead as the Wolverines struggled to even get a shot off in early going.
Instead of faltering, though, Michigan found their groove from beyond the arc, netting all of their first 18 points from beyond the arc. Duncan Robinson utilized his deadly pump fake to free up his own shot and assist on a couple others during that stretch, Zak Irvin got into rhythm, and a hot streak from Aubrey Dawkins turned a deficit into a rout.
Mark Donnal earned the start at center. After an inauspicious start—Donnal sat after one minute due to a foul—he picked up where he left off against Illinois, making his first seven shots on his way to a team-high 16 points and eight rebounds. The work of Robinson (six assists) and especially Irvin (seven) off the dribble left room for Donnal at the rim and he continued to look great catching and finishing off the high screen. His effort on the defensive end also stood out; in two games, Donnal has gone from odd man out to effective starter.
That couldn't have happened without a great team effort to move the ball around. Michigan assisted on 18 of their 29 made field goals, forcing Penn State to try an ill-advised switch to zone that had little positive effect. Dawkins took full advantage by slicing through the defense for a pair of layups and feeding off Robinson and Irvin to drill all three of his triples. He'd finish with 14 points, Irvin had 16 of his own—making 4/6 threes—and Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman posted 14 on 5/7 shooting.
It's dangerous to take too much away from a matchup against Penn State, which looked as listless as their football team. That said, it's hard to ignore the transformation of Donnal—and to a lesser extent Irvin and even Robinson—in the absence of Michigan's best player, especially when Derrick Walton had a rough day.
A trip to Purdue looms on Thursday. If LeVert returns while his supporting cast continues to display this level of in-season improvement, however, Michigan can put themselves right back into the conversation as one of the Big Ten's upper-echelon teams.