Penn State Basketball: 2020-21 season preview for the Nittany Lions

Schedule

While the abrupt coaching change and roster woes are concerning issues enough, there is still one elephant in the room that must be addressed: the Big Ten.

Penn State has struggled to remain relevant in the Big Ten, particularly during Chambers’ tenure.  In his nine seasons, the Nittany Lions have finished tenth or worse in the Big Ten seven times.  Regrettably, for Penn State, there is a possibility of this happening yet again.

This is a conference that is loaded with talent – there are at least eight teams that could find themselves in the top 25 within the opening weeks of the season.  Illinois and Iowa are projected to be two of the best teams in the country, while Wisconsin, Michigan State, Ohio State, and Rutgers are top-25 locks.  Add Indiana and Purdue, both borderline top-25 squads, and the Big Ten will assuredly be the deepest conference in college basketball this season.

That leaves Penn State in the lower half of the Big Ten, where they are more than capable of competing with teams who are in similar situations.  Like the Nittany Lions, Minnesota and Maryland both lose their leading scorers.  Michigan loses nearly everyone but their leading scorer.  Nebraska and Northwestern will continue to endure growing pains after being the only B10 teams to not win double-digit games last season.

Not much is known regarding Penn State’s non-conference schedule outside of a Dec. 13th match-up against Florida.  If that game remains on, it will be a serviceable early test for the Nittany Lions against a squad projected to be a fringe top-25 selection, especially as a measurement of where Penn State is at talent-wise.