Eli Brooks is about this life.

With Michigan clinging for dear life to a two-point lead with 24 seconds to play, Penn State called a timeout to set up the game's most critical possession. Jim Ferry called an isolation for guard Sam Sessoms with four other shooters spreading the floor. This meant the defender would be on an island with no help at the rim, a scenario that hasn't gone well for the Wolverines this year.

Penn State chose the wrong defender.

Brooks mirrored Sessoms as they moved in tandem towards the basket, then got vertical to force a tough shot that barely caught iron. Isaiah Livers cleared the rebound and iced the game at the line.

Franz Wagner is also about this life. One possession earlier, he similarly stonewalled a drive by Izaiah Brockington, whom he'd been chirping with throughout what become an unexpectedly hard-fought victory. Unfortunately, situational substitute Terrance Williams missed two free throws to give PSU new life, only for Brooks to subsequently snuff them out.

lockdown [Campredon]

Hunter Dickinson appears more than ready for this life. In his first start for an injured Austin Davis, the freshman big man scored 20 points on 14 shooting possessions, pulled down seven boards, and blocked three* shots in a dominant 28 minutes. He saved his best for the end, an extremely promising sign for his conditioning. Michigan made only seven of their last 21 field goal attempts; Dickinson accounted for five of those makes, including the tying dunk and go-ahead layup in the final minutes, with a single miss in that stretch.

Chaundee Brown may be the most about this life. The ACC transfer was so at home in the Big Ten that he received an in-game highlight montage illuminating his terrific work on defense. Despite not scoring a point, he finished a team-best +7 in 20 minutes. Brandon Johns had his ups and downs but made some crucial plays on both ends of the floor while getting his most extensive time at center so far this year; he, too, finished +7, and while that was largely a product of being on the floor when Michigan got hot from three, his presence helped space the floor for that to happen.

It wasn't the prettiest of wins by any stretch, but when was the last time Penn State—which, remember, beat Michigan in Crisler last season—made anything easy? For a few minutes late in the first half it looked like this would be an exception, as a rapid 12-2 run bookended by Brooks three-pointers stretched M's lead out to 15 points.

Smith and Brooks combined for four three-pointers [Campredon]

Instead, the Nittany Lions embarked on a 16-2 run of their own that bridged the halftime gap; a short shot from center John Harrar gave PSU their first lead of the game with 16:36 remaining. The game would stay within a possession until four straight points from Wagner gave the Wolverines a tiny bit of breathing room that evaporated with another extended offensive drought. An and-one by Sessoms gave PSU a two-point lead with under three minutes to go.

That's when the other newcomer, point guard Mike Smith, stepped up to show he, too, is ready for this conference. After working his way into the paint off a screen, he wrapped a gorgeous pass around center Trent Buttrick to assist Dickinson's tying dunk, then split a double team before feeding Dickinson for the eventual winning points.

The win may not have gone how Juwan Howard would've drawn it up, but he has a team that's going to erase a lot of what the other team draws up, too. This afternoon, his senior point guards and freshman center were the players most responsible for Michigan hanging onto a critical conference win.

Come Christmas against Nebraska, Dickinson will probably play a starring role again, but who knows which players will step up around him. Livers and Wagner combined to shoot 3/12 from the field. Any time that happens and the Wolverines still win, they've got to feel good about the balance and depth of this team.

*Okay, yes, one of them was an obvious goaltend the refs missed. So it goes, suckers.

[Hit THE JUMP for the box score and full photo album.]

Full photo album from MG is up on Flickr.