Following Saturday’s 87-43 demolition of New Haven on the road, Penn State basketball returns to the Bryce Jordan Center to take on the Navy Midshipmen.
How to Watch
Who: Navy Midshipmen When: Tuesday, November 11 Where:
Bryce Jordan Center, State College, PA Time: 6:30pm TV: Big Ten Network Radio: Penn State Sports Network
Scouting the Opposition
Jon Perry is in his first season as Navy’s head coach after former Penn State head coach Ed DeChellis retired from coaching. This will be the first meeting between Penn State and Navy since 1985. The Midshipmen are 1-1 to start the season with a 76-55 win over Presbyterian and a horrifying 97-68 loss at home to Yale.
Senior Austin Benigni is the biggest scoring threat on the roster. He had 18.8 points per game and 4.3 assists per game a year ago and is off to a solid start this season (12.5 PPG, 4.5 APG). Aidan Kehoe (8.9 rebounds per game in 2024-25) could give Penn State’s small ball lineup problems on the interior.
Navy does not shoot a ton of threes, with just 29 attempts through 2 games. This is a Midshipmen team that wants to attack Penn State inside. The interior defense will need to be better than it was against Fairfield for Penn State to win this one.
What to Watch For
- Turnovers- Navy averages 13.5 turnovers per game, and its turnover rate is No. 221 in the NCAA. Look for Penn State’s defense to pressure early and often.
- Foul Trouble- Navy has averaged 26 free throw attempts per game through its first two games. The Nittany Lions will need to play clean defense and avoid giving the Midshipmen too many free chances to score.
Prediction
The team’s execution on both sides of the ball was better against New Haven than it was in the season opener against Fairfield. I still have concerns about rebounding and interior defense. This will almost certainly be more difficult than Saturday’s game, but Penn State should prevail at home.
Penn State 81, Navy 73
