Michigan @ Penn St. preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 3, 2019 ) Penn St. 55, Michigan 68

Seventh-ranked Michigan looks to continue its push for its first Big Ten regular-season title since 2014 when it visits Penn State on Tuesday. The Wolverines beat No. 23 Wisconsin 61-52 on Saturday to avenge their first loss of the season to the Badgers while extending their home winning streak to 21 games, and hope to remain on top of the conference standings by downing the Nittany Lions for the ninth consecutive time.

Michigan, which has an half-game lead over 11th-ranked Purdue in a tight Big Ten race, is ranked second nationally in scoring defense (57.3) and has held three of its last five opponents to fewer than 53 points. Penn State continues to come up short in tight games as it dropped a 74-70 decision to Ohio State on Thursday. Three of the Nittany Lions' last four losses have come by four points or fewer, and they hope to turn their fortunes around by knocking off a Top 10 team at home for the second time in as many seasons following a 79-56 win against then-No. 8 Ohio State on Feb. 15, 2018. "We'll learn from this, but obviously we're not happy with losing," Penn State coach Patrick Chambers told reporters. "There are no moral victories, but I feel like we're getting better."

TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network

ABOUT MICHIGAN (22-2, 11-2 Big Ten): Charles Matthews scored 16 of his team-high 18 points in the second half, including several clutch jumpers down the stretch, in the win against Wisconsin. Jon Teske continues to improve in leaps and bounds as he equaled his career high with 17 points and 12 rebounds to record his third double-double of the season while making several key defensive stops against Badgers' All-American power forward Ethan Happ. Jordan Poole added 10 points and nine rebounds while Iggy Brazdeikis, who leads the Wolverines in scoring at 15 points per game, was held to two points on 1-of-9 shooting from the floor.

ABOUT PENN STATE (8-15, 1-11): Junior forward Lamar Stevens scored 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds against Ohio State to finish with at least 20 points for the fourth time in the last five games while registering the ninth double-double of his career. Josh Reaves also tallied 20 points to go along with five steals, but the Nittany Lions couldn't hold onto a 70-69 lead with 1:32 remaining against the Buckeyes. "We had our chances," Chambers said. "We have to learn how to play hard and together without fouling and then we have to be able to finish games."

TIP-INS

1. Michigan has won 13 of the last 14 meetings with Penn State.

2. The Nittany Lions are 1-8 in Big Ten games decided by seven or fewer points.

3. The Wolverines have held 13 opponents to less than 60 points this season.

PREDICTION: Michigan 69, Penn State 65