How to watch Penn State basketball face Georgia Tech

Two story lines exist for Penn State as it seeks to build momentum. Set to take on Georgia Tech at Madison Square Garden (noon, BTN), the soft sciences are again in focus for a team that has not always responded to failure correctly, as described by head coach Mike Rhoades.

But, against a Yellow Jackets outfit that has so far knocked off Top 25 opponents Duke and Mississippi State, so too will rebounds. Currently tied for 327th nationally in rebounding margin this season, the outsized Nittany Lions will battle a Georgia Tech team 16th on the offensive glass, averaging 14.5 boards per game on that end of the floor.

And, Rhoades acknowledged the challenge at hand.

“We’re working on it. Sometimes it’s just complete grit. Sometimes it’s getting guys to go do a little bit more in the rotation or a little bit more from the backside,” he said, pointing out a key rebound for Kanye Clary late in the Nittany Lions’ win over Ohio State. “That’s what it’s gonna take. It’s gonna take a one on one on the backside or a great rotation and taking somebody out. And, it’s keeping the ball in front. It’s a huge, huge emphasis for us. And we got to find all different ways to rebound.”

“A long way to go”

Whether Penn State can manage an opponent determined to scrap, and parlay its success last week into more, remains to be seen.

“As a team, the way we respond to success; because we didn’t always respond to failure correctly so far this year,” he said. “I was very proud of our effort down at Maryland. We didn’t win the game, I said this is something where we raised the standard of our approach, especially on the road in the Big Ten. 

“Now can we follow through with that? We didn’t do a very good job in the first half here. But then in the second half, something changed. The guys took responsibility to fix it. And they did. I thought our approach coming in this week has been pretty good so far, so I like where we’re at. But we have a long way to go.”

Saturday afternoon in New York, the Nittany Lions will attempt to take their next step.

Check out our notebook previewing the matchup. And, listen to our podcast giving an updated evaluation of where the program stands coming off the Ohio State win.

Here is how to watch:

Game time, how to watch: Penn State (5-5, NET 133) vs. Georgia Tech (5-3, NET 159)

Venue: Madison Square Garden

Tip time: noon ET – Saturday, Dec. 16

TV: Big Ten Network 

Stream: Live stream on Fubo! For a limited time, new subscribers can save $20 on Fubo’s Pro, Elite and Premier plans for the first month!

On the call: Jason Horowitz (play by play) & Stephen Bardo (analyst)

Radio: Penn State Sports Network – Steve Jones (pxp) & Dick Jerardi (analyst)

National radio: SiriusXM Ch. 137 or 195 & SXM App Ch. 957

Live stats: Stats

Game Notes: Penn State

What is the Penn State-Georgia Tech spread?

The Nittany Lions are 2-point favorites against Georgia Tech on Saturday afternoon. And, the over/under betting total is 146 points. 

Penn State injury updates

• Penn State went without big men Demetrius Lilley and Favour Aire last Saturday, One is expected back this weekend while the other is still on the mend. For Lilley, Rhoades explained that the forward “had the flu like everybody else on the team. He tried to come in that day, but I told him to go home.”
  However, Rhoades said this week, Lilley “was back in practice on Monday, felt a lot better. Looked great (on Wednesday.) Yesterday was his birthday, so he was a happy guy.”
• Favour Aire, however, remains on the mend with a broken finger. “He’ll be able to start getting some contact here soon. Hopefully we will have him back sooner than later,” Rhoades said. “But an injury like that is day to day stuff now. So we’ll see how he feels.”
  Rhoades added that he anticipated that there will be a process of getting back into action for Aire, having missed every game thus far this season. “You got to figure out how to get back in and not mess up the flow of what we’re trying to do. To get on the court after an injury, you gotta have some really good practices, create trust with the staff and your teammates and, and then just keep working on finding the way you can help,” Rhoades said. “You got to build great reps in practice and build that trust with the staff and continue to find a way to get into the flow of everything. We’ll help him as we move along. But he’s got some time here to get in shape over break and get back into the flow of things.”
• Last up, shooting guard Jameel Brown continues to bounce back from an unspecified foot injury. “Jameel is still in the boot, but hopefully, we’ll just follow the doctor’s plans here,” Rhoades said this week. “So hopefully we’ll get him back sooner than later as well.”