Penn State, Butler set for early season litmus test

Micah Shrewsberry, now in his second season at Penn State, is off to a 2-0 start to the 2022-23 campaign. The Nittany Lions’ Gavitt Tipoff Games guest, the Butler Bulldogs, are also unbeaten just one game into the year.

Monday night, set to square off for an 8:30 p.m. tip at the Bryce Jordan Center, both programs will learn more about themselves, and each other, from what they know coming into it.

With the Nittany Lions having cruised to high-scoring wins against Winthrop (93-68) and Loyola Maryland (90-65), and the Bulldogs topping New Orleans (89-53) a week ago, what should the two teams expect to see from each other? Here’s a look at what we know so far and how that question is part of the problem for the Nittany Lions in particular:

Penn State can shoot it

The numbers will inevitably level out, but through two games, Penn State has established its reality for the season. These guys can shoot it, and these guys can score, and the options for doing both are voluminous.

Understanding the limited sample size of two games, that Penn State eclipsed its previous program record for single-game 3-point makes should be indicative of what’s in store this season. So should the words of Micah Shrewsberry, who was asked after the Loyola win if he had any concerns about relying too much on shooting from beyond the arc.

“Nope,” he said. “Three is more than two. We got dudes that can shoot it, and shoot a bunch of them. And, not just one. If people are going to leave us open, we’re going to shoot as many as possible.”

New Orleans only took 16 shots from deep last week, hitting on 37.5 percent of its attempts. A component of Penn State’s attack that could fluctuate from game to game, within reason, the expectation Monday night is that Butler cannot completely stymie the Nittany Lions’ 3-point barrage. 

And, per Shrewsberry, if the Bulldogs want to go in that direction, other options open up for the Nittany Lions, as presently designed. 

The counter to Penn State’s shot-making is Butler’s apparent inability to do the same. The Bulldogs connected on just 4-of-24 3-point attempts in their opener, with Jayden Taylor and Simas Lukosius finishing a combined 1-of-13. 

Chuck Harris, Manny Bates, and Eric Hunter Jr. can play

Penn State isn’t the only program blending transfers and talented veterans this season. 

Guard Chuck Harris is a Big East All-Freshman selection entering his junior year in the program and has been Butler’s leading scorer in each of the past two years. He’s not a lights-out shooter, consistency being an issue as he connected at just 29.8 percent from deep last season, but he can get to the bucket. 

Now, he’s got two big weapons joining him this season in N.C. State transfer big man Manny Bates and Purdue transfer point guard Eric Hunter Jr.

Hunter scored 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting against New Orleans while Bates led all scorers with 25 points on 12-of-15 shooting. Importantly, 10 of Bates’ 12 makes in the opener were layups or dunks. He’s not going to burn you with skill, but his athleticism and size (6-11, 240 pounds) are going to be a matchup concern for Penn State.

More important than the points from Bates, though, is the challenge he represents as a rebounder. Penn State has understood all offseason the need for team-wide rebounding to shine through. In the first two games of the season, the Nittany Lions have finished with the edge in that column, limiting their two opponents to 8 combined second-chance points.

Managing to keep Butler from earning repeated looks on trips down the floor will be crucial. 

Making adjustments

Players win games, but in this particular matchup, in-game recognition and adjustments are going to play a key role in the outcome.

The bottom line is that knowing who and what exactly Thad Matta will do in his second game back as a head coach, with five years separating the end of his lengthy stint at Ohio State from taking the gig with the Bulldogs, is going to be a challenge. This is a two-time Final Four coach with five Big Ten regular season crowns, and Butler hired him to bring the same to a program that hasn’t been back to the NCAA Tournament since 2018. 

Boasting the trio mentioned above, the Bulldogs are otherwise short on established, returning contributors. The other starters, Taylor and Lukosius, are something of a mixed bag, with potential in both directions depending on the game. Taylor shot 27.3 percent on 11 attempts in the opener. And Lukosius scored 11 points on 5-of-12 shooting with a team-high five assists after getting bopped in the face, shaving some minutes from his stat line. 

With Matta back on the bench, and just one game of film to work with, Shrewsberry’s read on his team could very much come into play on Monday night. As he was pleased to see midway through the first half against Loyola, the maturity and experience of his veteran group shined through – and may need to again – in its ability to make corrections quickly. 

“They know when they’re not at their highest ability and they can self-correct it pretty quickly,” Shrewsberry said. 

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Butler and Penn State will tip at 8:30 p.m. at the BJC. The game will air on FS1.