Penn State Basketball: 3 key storylines for the Nittany Lions against NC State

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 29: Lamar Stevens #11 of the Penn State Nittany Lions shakes hands with head coach Pat Chambers of the Penn State Nittany Lions after finishing the game against the Utah Utes during the 2018 NIT Championship game at Madison Square Garden on March 29, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

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Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images /

3. Utilize Rasir Bolton in the rotation

The emergence of freshman guard Rasir Bolton has been interesting to witness. Since joining the team this season, Bolton has already cracked the starting rotation and is looking to make an impact right away.

Bolton is averaging 22.0 points per game and shooting 9-of-14 (64.3 percent) from 3-point range since being inserted into the starting lineup. He poured in a season-high seven made 3-pointers in the Nittany Lions recent win over the Colgate Raiders last Saturday.

In 2018-19, Bolton is averaging 13.6 points per game and shooting 42.9 percent from behind the arc. He’s averaging 2.3 3-pointers per contest and his production has gone up the more he’s been utilized in the rotation.

This is another game where Penn State will need a big game from him if they hope to get a victory. If he can emerge as the prolific scorer he’s been for them all season, an upset could be on the agenda on Saturday afternoon.

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