Penn State Basketball: Takeaways from Gavitt Games win over Georgetown

Penn State Basketball matched up well and never trailed against Georgetown taking home a road win. What did we learn about the Nittany Lions?

The final score would read Penn State 81, Georgetown 66. Penn State Basketball entered the Capital One Arena and played fast and loose, on the Hoyas’ home court. Sophomore guard Myreon Jones had a career night, draining 5/8 from three and finishing with 21 points, to lead the Lions’ scoring effort. Lamar Stevens had a quiet first half but finished the game with 14 points, nine rebounds, three assists, one block, and four steals. Stevens actively looked for the open man when he was double-teamed and that provided scoring opportunities for Jones and Myles Dread. Dread added four three-pointers of his own and finished the game with 14 points, as well.

The Hoyas were down by eight, at the end of the first half but were able to claw to within five points, in the second half. They used an effective full-court press forcing Penn State to make commit 20 turnovers, throughout the game. In the end, the Hoyas turned the ball over 21 times.

So, what did we learn about Penn State’s basketball team tonight?

Contributions from players not named Lamar Stevens

For the FS1 audience, most people tuned in to the game probably knew of Lamar Stevens. However, I’m pretty sure that hardly anyone outside of Penn State Basketball’s fan base knew of Myreon “Buckets” Jones. This young man torched the nets of Capital One Arena and scored the first 14 points, for Penn State.  Jones shot 46% from the field and converted 62.5% of his three-pointers. Just as important for Penn State moving forward, Jones was perfect from the free throw line. For Nittany Lions‘ fans, Jones’s stat line is a welcome revelation.

Jamari Wheeler uncharacteristically scored a “dagger” three-pointers that extended the Lion lead late in the second half. Last year, Wheeler attempted 13 treys and landed three of them, all year. Jamari has 3 three-pointers through the first three games of this season, so far. If Wheeler can score from deep at opportune times, it will help keep the defense honest and open the driving lanes. Speaking of driving lanes, Wheeler drove the lane effectively and looked for dish targets. He finished the night with five assists and four turnovers, for a positive Assist / Turnover ratio.

Mike Watkins set the defensive tone early, with four blocks that stymied any offensive run that Georgetown tried to impose. In addition to his four blocks, Watkins controlled the glass with eight rebounds and added eight points and a steal to his stat line. Watkins was smiling early and often, which is a good sign for the future of this Nittany Lions squad.

In my preview article, I mentioned that the role players around Stevens had to perform well. There were solid contributions off the bench from John Harrah and Izaiah Brockington. Additional players off the bench spelled the starters and received valuable minutes, in a Power Five game.

Penn State Basketball needs work on beating the press

Anyone scheming against Penn State for upcoming match-ups will undoubtedly notice that Penn State turned the ball over multiple times against the Hoyas’ full-court press. One benefit of this Gavitt Game contest is finding out your weaknesses and having enough time before conference play, to fix them. Pat Chambers’ staff needs to review the film and focus on how to beat the press if they want to reach their full potential this season. The benefit is Penn State walked out of the arena with a “W” and the game revealed areas that Penn State needs to improve upon. You have to like that!

Team Balance = Total Effort

In stark contrast to last year, the players around Lamar Stevens were able to contribute and keep the offense flowing even when their focal player wasn’t feeling it. Players were hustling for loose balls and battling for rebounds against Yurtseven, the Hoyas seven-foot center. The Lions also moved the ball extremely well around the perimeter. The extra pass found Jones or Dread for the open three and this type of ball movement was lacking last year. This team shares the ball. Even Lamar Stevens looks for the open man. Penn State Basketball fans have to like what they are seeing, so far this season.

Tonight, Penn State defeated a less talented Georgetown Hoyas’ squad. They did it on national television and they got a “W” for the Big Ten Conference, as well as themselves. The team kept fighting and never let up. Penn State fans can only hope that this type of effort continues throughout the season, into Big Ten play. Thank you for reading my article. You can find more of my material here. Please leave a comment, if you are so inclined.