How to watch Penn State vs. No. 12 Texas A&M basketball
The appetizers are over. For Mike Rhoades and the Penn State men’s basketball program, a literal Thanksgiving feast has arrived with the ESPN Events Invitational, set to begin Thursday.
Set to face No. 12 Texas A&M at noon, the Nittany Lions and Aggies will open up the annual event from the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Kissimmee, Fla. The pairing will mark a rematch of an NCAA Tournament Round of 64 tilt last year that ended with Penn State notching a 76-59 blowout win.
The two programs are in much different places this time around, though, as Rhoades acknowledged earlier this week.
During an offseason that saw Penn State see Micah Shrewsberry depart for Notre Dame, welcoming Rhoades in his place, the Aggies returned a significant portion of its roster from last year’s NCAA team. Considered one of the top teams in the country ahead of the season, the Aggies have opened the year with four wins, including a 73-66 decision at Ohio State on Nov. 10.
“They’re so much older there. They got vets, they’ve got guys that have played together, returning players a bunch of them, and some other guys as well. And they have an ever solidified culture, as I like to say. They know how they’re gonna play no matter who they play against and go about it their way. And they play extremely physical, extremely hard,” Rhoades said. “So they’re an established program. We’re not an established program, where we’re figuring out here on the fly to build an established culture and program. So that’s their advantage. But, still gotta play the game. It’s still a 40 minute game.”
Get ready for tip with essential links, time and TV info, and more below.
Game time, how to watch: Penn State vs. Texas A&M
Venue: ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Kissimmee, Fla.
Tip time: Noon ET
TV: ESPN
On the call: Dave O’Brien (play by play) & Cory Alexander (analyst)
Radio: Penn State Sports Network – Steve Jones (pxp) & Dick Jerardi (analyst)
National radio: SiriusXM Channel 372 & SXM App Big Ten Radio
Live stats: StatBroadcast
ESPN Events Invitational: Website | Bracket
Game notes: Penn State
What is the Penn State-Texas A&M spread?
The Nittany Lions are 7.5-point underdogs against the Aggies. And, the over/under betting total is 136.5.
Injury updates
After missing the first two games of the season, Puff Johnson has seen increasing minutes the past two games. He’s considered full go for this one.
“It’s great just to have them back and now his minutes are going to drastically go up which is great,” Rhoades said on Monday. “We need him. We need him for this trip. And I’m just glad he’s back and he felt great today. He was moving really well today. So really excited to have him back at full strength.”
Favour Aire, having broken a finger in preseason practice, is still on the mend. He’s not expected to play, per Rhoades, but will be involved from the jump once he’s available.
“I’m throwing him in there when he’s ready,” Rhoades said. “I have no clue when he’ll be back.”
