Pennsylvania State Nittany Lions Preview

Date: Tuesday, February 19th

Time: 6:00pm CST

Location: Happy Valley, PA

TV: FS1

2018-19 Record: 9-16 (2-12 Big Ten Conference)

Last Meeting: January 10th - Nebraska 70 Penn State 64

Penn State is currently sitting at the bottom of the Big Ten. Nebraska’s last opponent, Northwestern, sits right above them. This will be Nebraska’s last chance for an “easier” win before the end of the season.

Since we last saw the Nittany Lions they have gone 2-7 with wins over Northwestern and a 75-69 upset over #6 Michigan at home in Happy Valley a week ago. As they say, every dog has their day and for Penn State it was Michigan.

Lamar Steven is still leading this squad with 19.2 points, 8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game. In their loss to Nebraska he had 13 points and 9 rebounds. He held his own in the paint back January against the Huskers and I would expect nothing less when Nebraska comes to town.

Senior guard Josh Reaves game has been up and down the past few games. Having a season low of two points in the win against Northwestern and then turning around and having 20 against Ohio State. He is currently averaging 10 points, 4.4 rebounds, and a team leading 3.1 assists per game. Against Nebraska in January he had a team high of 20 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals. Expect Isaiah Roby to play him tight this game and not have what happened last time the two met.

Prediction

As I stated above, this is Nebraska’s last chance for an easier win. After this the Huskers play #15 Purdue in Lincoln, #7 Michigan in Ann Arbor, #10 Michigan State in East Lansing, and #21 Iowa in Lincoln. A win against Penn State on the road would do a lot. Not just for their record but also the team’s psyche going into the final four game stretch.

Penn State out rebounded the Huskers last time out and Nebraska is not known for their ability to pull off the boards. Nebraska needs to go into this game ready to defend the paint and make as few mistakes as possible. Penn State has lost a lot of game this year but many were by single digits. That is with shooting 40% from the floor this year and making them dead last in the Big Ten. They’re not an offensive power by an means which could bode well from the hot and cold Huskers. The Nittany Lions are not a great team as a whole, but they can beat you.

On top of it, the Huskers have not won in Happy Valley since 2012. It’s not the most intimidating venue but for some reason Nebraska has struggled there over the past few meetings. With that said, I do like Nebraska’s chance this year.

University of Nebraska 63 Pennsylvania State University 58