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 /

1. Defend the Big Ten Conference

The Nittany Lions are already 0-2 in Big Ten play this season, with losses to the Maryland Terrapins and the Indiana Hoosiers. On the flip side, they’re 1-0 against ACC opponents this season after handing the Virginia Tech Hokies their first loss of the season, 63-62, back on Nov. 27.

Penn State has lost four games by a combined 14 points this season. Their record is 5-4 but they’ve lost in overtime by two points to the DePaul Blue Demons on the road and their two other losses are in early conference play. Other than a disappointing loss to the Bradley Braves, the Nittany Lions are a team that’s been a quality opponent to face in non-conference games.

Defending the Big Ten and winning big Power 5 games comes in handy when you’re a team on the bubble come March. If anything, that’s what the Nittany Lions are currently if questions were asked.

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A win here could give them a bit more confidence going forward. They still have three more games remaining in non-conference play and winning them would a big boost to team morale.

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