Penn State men’s basketball is off to a red-hot start in Year 2 of the Mike Rhoades era. The Nittany Lions got to 4-0 on Friday night with a convincing 86-64 win over Virginia Tech at a neutral site in Baltimore.
Rhoades is known for his aggressive defensive style and Penn State is still strong on that end of the floor spear-headed by last year’s Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Ace Baldwin Jr. who followed his head coach from VCU to Happy Valley. However, the Nittany Lions are also lighting up the scoreboard with an up-tempo style. Rhoades’s team ranks fourth in college basketball in points per game, scoring 97.3 across their 4-0 start.
Baldwin and Zach Hicks lead the Nittany Lions in scoring, both around 15 points a game. Purdue Fort Wayne could have a tough time slowing down the balanced Penn State attack, which could mean another explosive night for one of the most exciting teams in the Big Ten. Rhoades’s group still has two weeks until it opens conference play against No. 6 Purdue, so he can continue to fine-tune things as a big home favorite in non-conference play.
If Penn State keeps winning before reaching the Big Ten opponents on its schedule, then the Nittany Lions could emerge as a dark-horse to win the entire 18-team conference, or at least compete for a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Here's how you can watch this matchup.
How to watch Purdue Fort Wayne vs. Penn State
- Date: Wednesday, November 20
- Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
- Venue: Bryce Jordan Center
- How to Watch (TV): Big Ten+
- Streaming: Big Ten+
- Penn State record: 4-0
- Purdue Fort Wayne record: 3-1