Penn State basketball looks to keep run alive against Purdue | Preview, prediction
To keep its Big Ten Tournament run alive, Penn State basketball will need to make history.
Since the conference adopted its current tournament format in 2014-15, no team to play on the first day of the Big Ten Tournament has ever made it past day three.
The Nittany Lions will get their shot against third-seeded Purdue, with tipoff scheduled for approximately 9 p.m. Friday night on the Big Ten Network.
This game, of course, has the added layer of a teacher-versus-apprentice storyline.
Penn State hired first-year head coach Micah Shrewsberry away from Purdue, where he served as an assistant under Boilermakers head coach Matt Painter for four seasons.
Painter got the better of Shrewsberry in the first meeting between the two back in January — that seven-point defeat yet another in a long line of near misses the Nittany Lions hope are behind them.
“We’ve been through a lot this year,” Shrewsberry said. “We’ve had a lot of close losses and now we’re doing what we need to do to flip those losses to wins. All those close losses just made us battle-tested. We’re starting to find the right rhythm right now at the right time.”
Scouting the Boilermakers
Few teams in college basketball can boast one top talent at center.
The Boilermakers have two.
Zach Edey and Trevion Williams operate at almost an equal timeshare. The 7-foot-4 Edey claimed second-team All-Big Ten honors this season, while Williams followed on the third team. Edey averages 14.7 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, with Williams not far behind with 11.6 points and 7.3 boards.
On the outside, Purdue can go to first-team All-Big Ten guard Jaden Ivey, who scores at a clip of about 17.2 points per game.
All of those pieces combine to make the Boilermakers KenPom’s No. 14 team in the country. KenPom’s analytics have Purdue as the No. 1 offense nationally, but the Boilermakers can struggle defensively at times, ranking 100th — 11th in the Big Ten.
Top 10
- 1
Buckeyes roll to title game
Irish vs. Ohio State for it all
- 2
Ohio State vs. Notre Dame odds
Point spread released for National Championship
- 3Hot
Controversy
Late Texas penalty draws ire
- 4
Quinn Ewers
Directly answers portal rumors
- 5
Will Howard hand
Mysterious lump on OSU QB's hand
Get the On3 Top 10 to your inbox every morning
By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.
The Nittany Lions played Purdue tough at the Bryce Jordan Center in early January. Penn State took a 65-64 lead with 3:48 to go, but scored only twice for the rest of the game in a 74-67 defeat.
“The main thing is it was a close game,” Penn State guard Sam Sessoms said. “It came down to the last few possessions, so it’s a bright spot. Even though we lost, we know if one or two possessions goes our way we can win and that’s all I’m really looking forward to. I know all we did was really run our offense, we got what we want, we did what the coaches made us practice and we executed.”
RELATED: Mailbag: When can Penn State fans expect more commitments?
The Nittany Lions will be hard-pressed to get extra possessions against the Boilermakers and their size on the interior. Purdue collects offensive rebounds on 34.7 percent of its missed shots and allows them at only a 23.2 percent clip at the other end.
If there is a hole in the armor for Purdue, its 3-point defense. About 36 percent of the points they give up come from beyond the arc — which is the 37th-most nationally. The Nittany Lions have some capable shooters who struggled in the first two games of the tournament. To beat Purdue, that likely has to change.
Penn State vs Purdue Prediction
Purdue 75, Penn State 64
At this point, you start to have major concerns about fatigue for the Nittany Lions, who will be playing for a third consecutive day against a well-rested Purdue team. I’m not sure Penn State will have the energy it needs to defend in its usual way for 40 minutes, especially against Purdue’s size.
