Big Ten Basketball: Updated 2021-22 preseason rankings after NBA Draft decisions

Former Purdue assistant Micah Shrewsberry doesn’t have as brutal a roster to work with compared to Coach Johnson at Penn State. But still, the Nittany Lions still lost plenty of talent and production to the transfer portal this offseason, including double-digit scoring guards, Myreon Jones and Izaiah Brockington. All-Big Ten Defensive guard Jamari Wheeler left Penn State for conference rival Ohio State as well.

The good news is that the cupboard wasn’t left completely bare, as several rotational pieces from last season decided to stay on. Seth Lundy is the lone returning double-digit scorer at 10.1 ppg, while Sam Sessoms, John Harrar, and Myles Dread are back after averaging around 7-9 ppg.

Harrar taking a 5th year is important, as he was 4th in Big Ten Basketball with 8.8 rpg. There’s not much frontcourt depth for the Nittany Lions to work with, as Western Michigan transfer Greg Lee and Junior College transfer Jevonnie Scott are the only other true forwards on the roster.

Penn State also has a pair of key transfer guards coming in. Jaheam Cornwall was Gardner-Webb’s top player last year at 14.1 ppg and 3.8 apg, while former Siena star Jalen Pickett was a near triple-double threat in each game for the past three seasons. If these two can have a big impact then the Nittany Lions have a chance to be more competitive than expected in league play.