[autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag] and the Nittany Lions are off to a hot start in State College, bringing a 4-0 record to the ESPN Events Invitational in Kissimmee, Florida. The Nittany Lions will play three games in four days, beginning with a rematch of last year’s NCAA Tournament first-round game against Texas A&M at noon on Thanksgiving.
Penn State has played its first four games at the Bryce Jordan Center, making this tournament the Nittany Lions’ first real challenge of the season. The 13th-ranked Aggies also hold a 4-0 record with wins over Ohio State and Oral Roberts. Texas A&M and Penn State have similar offensive numbers, averaging 76 and 77.5 points per game, respectively. Defensively, the Nittany Lions come into the game with the fourth-ranked scoring defense in the country, only allowing 53.5 ppg. The Aggies give up 61 ppg, albeit against more challenging opponents.
Early into this season, you can already tell this squad’s calling card is its defense and ability to create turnovers, with steal artist [autotag]Ace Baldwin Jr.[/autotag] leading the way. Penn State forces opponents into 21.5 turnovers per game, good for second in the country. Against Morehead State last week, the Nittany Lions forced a whopping 29 turnovers.
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A deciding factor for Penn State on Thursday will be on the glass, especially limiting the Aggies’ second-chance points. Texas A&M is one of the best rebounding teams in the country, averaging 47 per game (11th in the nation) and 19.3 offensive rebounds (2nd in the nation). [autotag]Qudus Wahab[/autotag] and Aggie center Henry Coleman III are both in the top 15, and whoever has the better afternoon might prove decisive.
The point guard battle between Ace Baldwin Jr. and Wade Taylor IV is a storyline to watch, with both guards being terrific defenders. On the offensive side of the ball, Penn State’s [autotag]Kanye Clary[/autotag] (17.5 ppg) and Tyrece Radford (15.5 ppg) are two scorers shooting better than 43% from the field and 35% from the 3-point line.
Another strength of the Nittany Lions’ is their 3-point defense, only allowing their opponents to shoot 19.7% (2nd in the nation) from behind the arc. The Aggies aren’t a great shooting team (29.6 3P%), but they are shutting down formidable shooters like Radford, and fellow guard Hayden Hefner will be critical.
To pull off the upset, Penn State must show up again on the defensive end, especially rebounding. Forwards [autotag]Puff Johnson[/autotag] and [autotag]Zach Hicks[/autotag] have struggled so far this season, and getting them going would be huge against Texas A&M.
The Nittany Lions will play Florida Atlantic or Butler on Friday, depending on the outcomes of both games. Penn State’s final game will be on Sunday, with the championship game being at 1 p.m. VCU, Iowa State, Boise State, and Virginia Tech make up the other half of the bracket. All games will air on ESPN’s network of stations.
Here is the full schedule for the 2023 ESPN Events Invitational.
