Ohio State has started the season perfectly, while Penn State has just the one loss to date. This Big Ten match-up should prove to be an entertaining one.
TV Schedule: Saturday, December 7, 2019. 12:00pm ET. Big Ten Network.
Location: Value City Arena in Columbus, OH.
This college basketball season so far has seen its fair amount of upsets and plenty of changes in terms of rankings. Ohio State currently sits as the #6 side in the nation. For a program that hasn’t been among the elite over recent years, this could’ve come as a surprise to a number of college hoops fans. Whether or not they deserve this ranking, however, isn’t an argument. The Buckeyes have started the year a perfect 8-0.
Their most recent victory came Wednesday night, as they tore #7 North Carolina apart on their own floor. The Buckeyes beat the Tar Heels at Chapel Hill to claim their eighth straight win on the year, and they did it with emphasis, winning the game by 25-points. This was a statement that Ohio State set, and the rest of the country will be fully aware that the Buckeyes are not just for real on the college football stage this season, but the basketball stage too.
As for Penn State, the Nittany Lions themselves have had a good start to the season. Their only loss came in a closely contested NIT Tip-Off game against Ole Miss. That was a game which was anybody’s for the taking, and you can’t really judge them based on that result. You can judge them though on the performance that followed. The Nittany Lions beat Syracuse in the tournament’s consolation game by obliterating the Orange zone defense and showed that they were a real offensive threat when tuned in. Wednesday night saw them give Wake Forest the same troubles, giving the Nittany Lions their seventh victory on the year.
Both teams in this one have played some decent opposition to start the year, and both teams have not just coped well, but got the results to go with the performances. With only the single loss between them through sixteen combined games, this game will have plenty of talent on show.
Junior Ohio State forward, Kaleb Wesson leads the Buckeyes in points per game (12.4) and rebounds per game (9.2) and carries a threat on both ends of the floor, also leading the team with 1.6 BPG. Duane Washington Jr. brings that perimeter threat, averaging 51.4% from beyond the arc. The Buckeye team is pretty deep and they’ve relied on their bench to play increased roles throughout the early parts of the year. D.J. Carton leads the Buckeye bench in scoring with 10.1 PPG, he’s been the leading figure of this second unit and with 3.0 APG, he’s able to get his teammates going, carrying on the starters’ intensity throughout the personnel change, which is huge for any team’s success.
Penn State will need to be wary of not just the offensive talent that Ohio State possesses, but their defensive stability too. The Buckeyes have the 4th best scoring defense in Division I basketball at this moment in time. The Nittany Lions have started off the year well on the offensive side of the game, but this will be their most trying test as of yet, and they’ll need to be better to have a shot of getting the upset here. Lamar Stevens will need to be at the top of his game for his side to have this shot. The lack of three-point shooting in the Nittany Lion line-up could take its toll here. They’re going to have to work the ball into areas that will give them better looks, and hope that they can get one of their better shooting nights, as a team.
However, even though both teams have started the year great, the Buckeyes are levels above Penn State and this game should only go one way. There’s always a chance for an upset in college basketball, but coming off a huge road win over UNC, the Buckeyes will be in a fantastic frame of mind and should be able to get their ninth win with ease.