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Penn State Basketball: Previewing and Predicting the 2019-20 season

By Dylan Burd

ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN - JANUARY 03: Lamar Stevens #11 of the Penn State Nittany Lions reacts in the second half while playing the Michigan Wolverines at Crisler Arena on January 03, 2019 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan won the game 68-55. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN - JANUARY 03: Lamar Stevens #11 of the Penn State Nittany Lions reacts in the second half while playing the Michigan Wolverines at Crisler Arena on January 03, 2019 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan won the game 68-55. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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NEWARK, NJ – DECEMBER 10: Mike Watkins #24 of the Penn State Nittany Lions battles Cameron Johnson #23 of the Pittsburgh Panthers for a loose ball during the second half of a college basketball game at Prudential Center on December 10, 2016 in Newark, New Jersey. Pitt defeated Penn State 81-73. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
NEWARK, NJ – DECEMBER 10: Mike Watkins #24 of the Penn State Nittany Lions battles Cameron Johnson #23 of the Pittsburgh Panthers for a loose ball during the second half of a college basketball game at Prudential Center on December 10, 2016 in Newark, New Jersey. Pitt defeated Penn State 81-73. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /

Out-of-Conference Schedule

Here is Penn State’s out-of-conference schedule and each teams KenPom rank:

  • 11/5/19 – vs. Maryland Eastern Shore (349)
  • 11/9/19 – vs. Wagner (335)
  • 11/14/19 – at Georgetown (56)
  • 11/19/19 – vs. Bucknell (143)
  • 11/23/19 – vs. Yale (146)
  • 11/27/19 – vs. Ole Miss (60) (Barclays Center)
  • 11/29/19 – vs. Oklahoma State or Syracuse (40 or 52) (Barclays Center)
  • 12/4/19 – vs. Wake Forest (79)
  • 12/14/19 – vs. Alabama (70)
  • 12/20/19 – vs. Central Connecticut State (345)
  • 12/29.19 – vs. Cornell (297)

Penn State doesn’t play an easy out-of-conference schedule this season at all. They play five opponents in the top-80 of KenPom. They’re ranked better than every one of those teams except Oklahoma State, but those are still going to be tough games.

In the last two seasons, Penn State couldn’t take care of business out-of-conference, and it hurt them tremendously in the long run. Last season, the Nittany Lions lost to DePaul and Bradley, and the year before that, they lost to Rider. In both those seasons, they also lost close games to NC State.

In college basketball, you need to win games you’re supposed to win if you want to make the tournament. You also need to win some of the games that could go either way. Penn State needs to take advantage of these 11 non-conference games and win eight or nine of them.

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