It was one of those games that both teams looked out of sync and struggled to get anything going offensively. However, it was a game Penn State had to have.

The Nittany Lions (14-7, 4-6 Big Ten) entered the game against Michigan knowing it needed to win if they had any ambition of keeping their NCAA Tournament hopes alive.

Despite going 3-for-17 from behind the arc, Penn State managed to play strong defense in the second half. The Lions also benefited by going to the foul line 19 more times than the Wolverines did. Penn State went 28-for-36 from the charity stripe, which proved to play a big factor in determining the outcome of game.

"It was big for us because we knew that we needed this game," Jon Crispin said. "Coming off a loss we were ready to play."

Throughout much of the game, Penn State could not find its stroke they had during the Illinois matchup one week ago.

While the win against Michigan does not guarantee anything for the Lions — they still sit in the bottom half of the Big Ten — it does eliminate some stress from their shoulders as they head into a bye week.

"We cannot lose anymore, we need to win almost every game we play from here on out," Crispin said.

In one of the toughest conferences in the country, the Lions will need to learn how to pull out the close games at home as well as on the road.

Two of Penn State's losses at home could have easily gone in their favor. The one-point loss to Iowa on Jan.6, and the overtime defeat to Indiana last Saturday, might play a factor in where they will end up down the stretch. The Lions will have to be able to fight off the rest of the Big Ten for the season to be successful.

Penn State's next couple of games will be key in figuring out what path the Lions are headed down. Penn State plays at Minnesota next week and then returns home to play Purdue next Saturday. After Purdue, the Lions will head out to Evanston, Ill. to play Northwestern on Feb.21.

In each of these games the Lions are expected to be favored to win.

Minnesota has played tough all season, but might be without senior forward John Blair-Bickerstaff who suffered a knee injury in the first half in the Golden Gophers' victory against Northwestern Tuesday.

If Bickerstaff is out, Minnesota will be down to seven men on their roster due in part to being hit with several NCAA violations last season. These violations have prevented them from performing in any postseason tournaments this season. The violations also took away three scholarships.

Since the Big Ten has been so tough on the road this season, no one team has had the opportunity to run away with the conference, which benefits the Lions.

"Its still wide open," Gyasi Cline-Heard said. "We're easily still in the hunt. I like our chances. We have a good team and were playing well right now."