GAME PREVIEW: Getting to know Penn State

NC State basketball got a much-needed rest over the past week and is set to take on Penn State tonight in the Big Ten/ACC challenge. (7:15pm on ESPNU).

The Nittany Lions come in 6-1 with an 11-point loss to #16 Texas A&M and an insane 31 point win over Pitt. So who is this team and what type of matchup can we expect?

Tony Carr is a 6’5 sophomore who was named to the Big-Ten All-Freshman team last year is back and their defacto leader. He’s a highly efficient scorer who can do it all. He’s averaging 20 ppg, shooting 50% from the floor and knocking down 65% of his 3s. He is basically Allonzo Trier lite. Trier (Arizona’s leading scorer) came in with eye-popping scoring and efficiency stats just slightly better than Carr and NC State focused on taking him out of his game. They were successful early on, limiting to 3 first-half points. Al Freeman will likely once again be faced with the same task in this one. Slow down Carr and don’t let him get off. Doing this will be a deciding factor in this ball game.

Lamar Stevens is a 6’8 sophomore forward who is this team’s second-leading scorer. He’s putting up 14 points and 7 boards per game. He’s a versatile big who is pretty bouncy, however, at only 226lbs, he isn’t really that tough to move around.

From there it’s kind of a team effort for Penns State. They have three guys in the 10ppg range, but none of them are really prolific scorers, wow you with assists or rack up the rebounds. Check out these highlights of Penn State’s loss to #16 Texas A&M.

Watching some Penn State video will show you that they aren’t the most disciplined team out there. It’s not so much their guards, either. They haven’t done a bad job at taking care of the ball. It’s been their defense in the paint. When challenged with bigger, stronger guys, they have struggled. Against A&M they were outrebounded by 13.

Where the Nittany Lions really can match up with the Pack is by creating turnovers. They rank 2nd in steals (in the Power 5), while State sits at 6th. So you’re looking at two elite teams in that category.

Overall, this is a young Penn State team, but also an experienced one. They returned 5 of their top 6 scorers from last year, but all of their big time players are sophomores.

Expect a fast-paced chaotic game when these two teams meet.