The Michigan Wolverines took a close and physical game from the Penn State Nittany Lions on Monday night. It was a game that head coach Dusty May felt came down to Michigan’s defensive intensity in a game where they were allowed to play physically.

After a two-year absence, Michigan is in strong position to return to the NCAA men’s basketball Tournament in 2025.

Michigan coach Dusty May was thoroughly impressed by the environment at Purdue's Mackey Arena on Friday night, calling it, 'more impressive' than he thought.

Purdue forward Trey Kaufman-Renn (4) reaches for the ball between the legs of Michigan center Vladislav Goldin (50) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in West Lafayette, Ind., Friday, Jan. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) AP

Point guard Tre Donaldson wouldn't call his game-winning final sequence a season-saver, but he did call it a morale "booster" for the team.

Dusty May had an interesting comparison for Michigan’s home crowd based on the intensity during the 76-72 win over Penn State. The Monday night win pushed the Wolverines’ record to 15-5 on the season,

Michigan coach Dusty May gave a lot of credit to Purdue's competitiveness on Friday night, saying the Boilermakers had a 'different look' vs. the Wolverines.

“We’ve got to fix some things,” May said. “We’ve got to find some solutions to the problems that we face.”

Tre Donaldson and Michigan will be back in action on Saturday as they will hit the road to take on Rutgers. The Wolverines and Scarlet Knights will tip at 3:30 ET from Jersey Mike's Arena in Piscataway, New Jersey, and the game will be airing on Fox.

Michigan basketball's Dusty May doesn't want any fines, but he was absolutely perplexed by the refereeing in Sunday's win vs. Northwestern.

May, when discussing the game, threw some big complements Painter's way as he previewed the matchup with the media.