Penn State vs. Iowa: College basketball game preview, TV schedule

After a disastrous performance for the conference as a whole in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, the reeling Big Ten will actually be playing official conference games against each other this weekend. Iowa and Penn State will both be looking to get off to a good start in conference play. Who gets to start out 1-0?

TV schedule: Saturday, Dec. 2, 5:00 p.m. ET. Big Ten Network

Arena: Carver Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa

The Penn State Nittany Lions (6-2) have been pegged as the up and coming team of the Big Ten and got off to a good start winning their first five games, including a 30+ blowout over Pitt. That momentum has halted with higher levels of competition, including an 85-78 loss to NC State on Wednesday.

Sophomore Tony Carr did his best to keep them in the game, scoring 29 points, which brings his average up to 21.3 ppg. The other key player is another sophomore in Lamar Stevens, a forward who averages 14.4 ppg and 6.9 rpg. This is a fairly young Penn State team, and, with the exception of senior Shep Garner, will return everyone else of importance for the next season.

They take on another young team in the Iowa Hawkeyes (4-3), whose youth has shown already in this early season. They struggled in the Cayman Islands Classic, including a pair of losses to Louisiana-Lafayette and South Dakota State. That was followed up by getting stomped by Virginia Tech, 79-55. Forward Tyler Cook had 16 points and nine boards, while Jordan Bohanon hit four three-pointers in the game. Along with Isaiah Moss, it’s been these three who’ve led the team in scoring, combining for 45 ppg between the three.

Iowa is even younger than Penn State, with the top eight scorers for the Hawkeyes all being underclassmen. They certainly have talent, but the youth and inexperience will lead to head-scratching losses like the ones from the Caymans.

Next: Cincy-Xavier by the positions

Because of the unique circumstances of the scheduling, there’s no telling how any of these early conference games will go. The opportunity for these teams to rebound after a tough loss is important to their continuing development. With the game being in Iowa, that should help give confidence for a young team that needs it.

Prediction: Iowa 77 – Penn State 73