Penn State got humbled on the road against Indiana, then nearly pulled the upset against Michigan State back home. They played exactly like a young team would, with high highs and low lows. Now, they get to face a much easier opponent in the Pitt Panthers, who have already lost to the likes of Quinnipiac and Hofstra, but did pull the upset against Ohio State. In essence, Pitt is a much more extreme version of Penn State, a team who can lose to anyone, and has, but also can beat anyone —and has.
As
will effectively be the case for the rest of the season, Pitt is a much older team than Penn State, at least in terms of eligibility. However, four players with freshman and sophomore eligibility get plenty of run, so it’s not as lopsided as it has been against other opponents. Their defense leaves a lot to be desired, so the Lions will need to have a good offensive effort to go along with the slowly improving defense. If Penn State can replicate what West Virginia, Texas A&M, and Villanova did, they should see similar results.
Scouting the Opposition
Pitt’s core lineup consists of senior Demarco Minor at point, sophomore Branding Cummings at the 2, sophomore Nojus Indrusaitis at the 3, senior Barry Dunning at the 4, and senior Cameron Corhen playing center. Omari Witherspoon and Roman Siulepa are the first two off the bench, and aside from them, only two ofter players see much playing time in Kieran Mullen and Macari Moore. Minor and Dunning are the sharp shooters of the team, but five of the guys in the rotation are shooting above 35 percent from beyond the arc. If the Lions want this game to be over soon, in a good way, they’ll need to guard the perimeter.
Luckily for the Lions, Pitt is horrible at both turning the ball over and forcing turnovers of their own, so Penn State should be able to eat in the transition game. They’re merely adequate at getting defensive rebounds, but are 54th in the country at offensive rebounding. Penn State cannot give Pitt extra opportunities on the glass if they hope to survive.
What to Watch For
Drive – Michigan State could serve as a catalyst in either direction. If they’re still dejected after coming close, this could snowball. If they use it as motivation, they could bury the Panthers in a minute. Which version will we see?
Rivalry – Pitt remains Penn State’s primary football rival, even if the teams have not played all that often in a long time. Does the same apply for basketball?
Prediction
Kenpom thinks this will be a close game. In fact, they predict a one-point victory. I’m a bit more confident than that. Penn State 83, Pitt 71
YAY HOOPS
Use this as your open thread. As always, open thread rules apply. Be nice, to each other, to the team, and the coaches, no illegal streams, not NSFW content, you get it.
Let’s get back to on the W column!
Game Info:
Time: Noon Eastern, Big Ten Network
Line: N/A
Kenpom: Penn State -1
