:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/photo_images/2197418/GYI0063975630.jpg)
Two of the best guards in the Big Ten Conference will square off Thursday, as the Penn St. Nittany Lions visit the No. 19 Michigan Wolverines in both programs league opener which will played at the Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor, MI (7:30 p.m. ET on BTN). Nittany Lions' junior point guard Tim Frazier, who leads his team in scoring (17.2 points per game), rebounds (5.8 per game), assists (7.2 per game) and steals (2.2 per game), will match up against the Wolverines' Tim Hardaway Jr., who's averaging a team-best 15.4 ppg.
Just a game after beating Cornell University and earning his 50th career victory, Penn State first-year head coach Patrick Chambers will get his first taste of Big Ten play. Chambers is trying to turn around a string of bad luck against Michigan, which has beaten the Nittany Lions in four of their last five meetings.
Currently, Michigan is on a five-game winning streak, which includes a solid 77-66 victory over Bradley, Dec. 22. Overall, Michigan is second in the Big Ten in 3-pointers made per game (8.9), which has led to an average of 71.7 ppg.