Penn State basketball preview: Greg Lee gives Lions new dimension as they host Rutgers
Greg Lee’s path to a rhythm in Penn State basketball’s system is not yet complete, head coach Micah Shrewsberry feels. But after three starts, it’s clear that Lee’s presence is already paying dividends for the Nittany Lions.
Penn State is 2-1 with Lee in the starting five — the lone loss against No. 3 Purdue. Coming off a lower-body injury, the 6-foot-9 Western Michigan transfer returned to come off the bench on December 11 against Michigan State with a strict minutes restriction.
In three starts since, he’s played 16, 28, and 30 minutes as Shrewsberry looks to ramp him up. Look for more of the same when the Nittany Lions take on Rutgers at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Bryce Jordan Center.
“He’s still getting into a rhythm offensively in terms of how he plays,” Shrewsberry said. “You see each game, he’s getting more and more comfortable.
“He’s getting there. I don’t think he’s complete yet.”
His presence is transformative for the Nittany Lions in terms of size and physicality. Between Lee, 6-foot-9 John Harrar and 6-foot-8 Jalanni White, Penn State can have two big men on the floor at almost all times, if that’s what Shrewsberry wants.
“Our halfcourt defense is a lot better,” Penn State forward Seth Lundy said. “He brings size, athleticism and stuff like that, and we rebound the ball way better with Greg in the lineup, so hopefully we keep that going.”
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Indeed, Penn State has outrebounded its opposition in two of the three games Lee has started. The exception came Saturday against Purdue, which outrebounded the Nittany Lions by a margin of one. With 7-foot-4 Zach Edey and plenty of other talented, lengthy players on that roster, it’s more than understandable.
Estimating that he’s between 90 and 95 percent physically, Lee averaged just over five rebounds in those three starts for Penn State. That’s far from his only impact, though. Lee is a talented scorer capable of stretching the floor. Against the Boilermakers, he shot 5-10 from the field for 11 points, hitting a pair of step-back, mid-range jumpers and also connecting from beyond the arc.
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“He’s comfortable stepping out and shooting from the perimeter, he’s comfortable scoring it around the rim, posting up,” Shrewsberry said. “He gives us another threat at the rim.
“He has the ability to really pass out from there as well — he threw two dynamic passes to Seth last game. Seth missed them, but those are great reads.”
Scouting the Scarlet Knights
Rutgers comes into this game riding a four-game win streak, with all of those victories coming at home.
The Scarlet Knights are 0-4 away from the RAC this year, with losses to DePaul, UMass, Ilinois and Seton Hall. They’ll surely be looking to rectify that against Penn State.
Steve Pikiell’s team is driven by star forward Ron Harper, who has averaged 16.3 points per game through 14 contests.
“We’re gonna guard him as hard as possible,” Shrewsberry said. “He needs to have more field goal attempts than points. If we’re doing that, then we’re probably doing a good job defending him.”
Penn State vs Rutgers line
Penn State is a 2.5-point favorite as of Tuesday morning according to Vegas Insider.
