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Penn State Basketball: Three important news stories for the week

By Evan Smith

Penn State Nittany Lions forward John Harrar (21) reaches for Purdue Boilermakers center Zach Edey (15) during the Big Ten tournament on Friday, March. 11, 2022, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Purdue Boilermakers defeated the Penn State Nittany Lions, 69-61.Ncaa Basketball Big10 Men S Tourney Purdue At Penn State Nittany Lions
Penn State Nittany Lions forward John Harrar (21) reaches for Purdue Boilermakers center Zach Edey (15) during the Big Ten tournament on Friday, March. 11, 2022, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Purdue Boilermakers defeated the Penn State Nittany Lions, 69-61.Ncaa Basketball Big10 Men S Tourney Purdue At Penn State Nittany Lions /
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Mar 3, 2022; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach Micah Shrewsberry directs his players during the first half against the Illinois Fighting Illini at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 3, 2022; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach Micah Shrewsberry directs his players during the first half against the Illinois Fighting Illini at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Scheduling Note

The first-round matchups for the 2022 Charleston Classic were announced earlier today and Penn State basketball drew the Paladins of Furman.

The Charleston Classic will be held Nov. 17-20 in the TD Arena in Charleston, South Carolina.  The field is highlighted by Virginia Tech and South Carolina and includes hometown favorites Charleston, Old Dominion, Furman, and Davidson.  Penn State last played in the Charleston Classic in 2014, where they finished 5th defeating Cornell and USC after losing to Charlotte.

Using KenPom, Furman finished 74th last year (compared to Penn State’s 88th place finish). Both Colorado State and Davidson finished in the top 50, so the Nittany Lions avoided the toughest potential opening-round opponent (admitting the limitations of using last year’s rankings). But both Charleston (No. 144) and Old Dominion (No. 194) may have given Penn State a better chance of winning that first game.

Furman finished the 2021-2022 season at 22-12, 12-6 in the Southern Conference.  They fell to regular season champion Chattanooga in the Southern Conference Tournament 64-63 in overtime, heartbreakingly ending their campaign.

Hopefully, the rest of the Nittany Lions’ 2022-2023 non-conference schedule will be released soon.

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