HOKIES HOOPS CENTRAL: PENN STATE (4-0) VS VIRGINIA TECH HOKIES (4-0) 12PM ESPN2

HOKIES HOOPS CENTRAL: PENN STATE (4-0) VS VIRGINIA TECH HOKIES (4-0) 12PM ESPN2

GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Friday, Nov. 18 | Noon ET
TD Arena (Charleston, S.C.)
vs. Penn State
Series: VT leads 6-4

TV Broadcast
ESPN2

Play-by-Play: Derek Jones
Analyst: Perry Clark

Local Radio
Virginia Tech Sports Network
Play-by-Play: Zach Mackey
Analyst: Mike Burnop

GoPSUSports.com
Play By Play: Steve Jones
Color: Dick Jerardi
SIRIUS/XM: TBA

Current Spread: Hokies -1.5
Over/Under: 139

PSU: Nittany Lions are 5-0-1 ATS in their last 6 games following an ATS win
VT: Hokies are 12-4 ATS in their last 16 Friday games

There can be only one....
The Hokies (36th in AP Poll) moved to the second round of the Shriners Children's Charleston Classic with a matchup against Penn State. Both teams in this matchup are undefeated. The Hokies are 6-4 against Penn State but have lost the previous three meetings. The Hokies lost the previous meeting with Penn State 75-55 decision on Dec. 8, 2020. The Hokies are coming off a 75-71 win over Old Dominion yesterday afternoon.

The Nittany Lions are coached by Micah Shrewsberry, who began his college coaching career at Wabash as an assistant coach in 1999. Penn State is his second college head coaching job. He coached IU South Bend from 2005-2007. He took over the Penn State position in 2021 and has a 18-17 overall record guiding the Nittany Lions. He also previously was an assistant coach for the Boston Celtics. Last season the Nittany Lions were 14-17.

The Nittany Lions are 4-0 to start the season after wins over Winthrop, Butler, Loyola and escaped Furman yesterday very similar to the Hokies and ODU. The Nittany Lions had only two players in double figures yesterday with very little contribution outside the starters.

The Nittany Lions come into this season with five new Freshman. Only Forward Kebba Njie appears to factor into the Nittany Lions strategy this season of the bench. This is a very seasoned roster with eight Seniors and three Juniors. Surprisingly the roster has no sophomores at all. The team is led by Guard Jalen Pickett and Forward Seth Lundy, who each had 20 points against Furman.

Other returning Seniors that will impact this game are Guards Camren Wynter and Andrew Funk who both average double digit scoring so far.

Defensively, Coach Shrewsberry's motto is "Gritty, Not Pretty" which is a man-to-man defense focused on clogging the lane and getting defensive rebounds. Coach Reed drills into his players the situational approach of his zones. The intent is to limit second chance opportunities but the weakness is it is vulnerable to a skilled perimeter shooting team. They have held opponents under 50% from the floor and only 32% from the perimeter. The Furman game was the first time this season they had been outrebounded.

Offensively, Coach Reed uses the Motion Screen Offense almost exactly like ODU yesterday which tries to create mismatches of personnel utilizing speed to separate either to create dribble penetration openings or open looks on cuts to the basket. The biggest difference between ODU and Penn State is that Penn State comes in shooting the ball better from the perimeter than even the Hokies. They have hit 46% of their threes on 55-119 shooting. This will force the Hokies to defend all the way to the perimeter which will give the Penn State bigs room to operate. The Hokies can ill afford a repeat of yesterday interior performance or the result will be an ugly loss.

The Nittany Lions Backcourt
Jalen Pickett (#22, SR, G, 6-4, 202lbs) 15.8 Pts, 5.5 Reb, 8.5 Ast
Camren Wynter (#11, SR, G, 6-2, 175lbs) 11.3 Pts, 3.3 Reb, 3.0 Ast
Andrew Funk (#10, SR, G, 6-5, 188lbs) 10.5 Pts, 2.5 Reb, 2.0 Ast
Myles Dread (#2, SR, G, 6-4, 220lbs) 9.8 Pts, 2.5 Reb, 1.5 Ast
Caleb Dorsey (#4, JR, G, 6-7, 230lbs) 6.0 Pts, 4.5 Reb, 1.3 Ast

The Nittany Lions Frontcourt
Seth Lundy (#1, SR, F, 6-6, 219lbs) 12.5 Pts, 5.3 Reb, 1.5 Ast
Kebba Njie (#3, FR, F, 6-10, 237lbs) 6.5 Pts, 4.8 Reb, 0.8 Ast
Michael Henn (#24, SR, F, 6-8, 225lbs) 3.0 Pts, 0.0 Reb, 0.5 Ast
Evan Mahaffey (#12, FR, F, 6-6, 200lbs) .0 Pts, 1.0 Reb, 0.0 As

What to expect from Penn State?
As a team the Nittany Lions scoring focus is centered more on speed and transition opportunities. Half court set offense tends to lean to perimeter shooting. A large part of this is the size of the roster. While it is fast, its not large. Outside of a 6'10 center the remaining starters are all 6'6 or below.

Penn State focuses on defensive rebounds so while they play a man-to-man style it usually in a four-man shell around the lane to prevent second chance opportunities.

Coach Jones team plays very disciplined defense, rarely fouling. They are only averaging 11 free throw attempts per game by opponents. This is a significant impact area, especially for the limited size on the roster. Penn State cannot afford foul trouble to their bigs.

The Hokies
The Hokies need their bigs to take on a much larger role in this game. Mutts, Kidd and Basile should all be near double-digit scoring for the Hokies to be successful. These same players need to turn in a banner day rebounding defensively. They allowed a much smaller ODU squad to bully them yesterday but fortunately that team was less adept at converting. Penn State will convert if they enjoy the same success inside.

The biggest shortfalls yesterday against ODU were lane positioning defensively and interior shooting. The Hokies allowed ODU 34 points in the paint and 15 second chance points. The interior shooting for the Hokies was an abysmal 44% against a much smaller roster. The Hokies only got 28 points in the paint, their lowest output of the season.

The Hokies need to put their best defenders on Pickett and Lundy. Disrupt those two on offense and it significantly alters Penn State's ability to stay in the game. Mutts should cover Lundy and I believe Cattoor is best suited to cover Pickett.

Pedulla continues to create offense for his teammates by dribble penetration. It will force Penn State defenders into decision points on shell defense or staying with their man. Basile and Cattoor are the two that get the open looks in this situation.

Highlight of the ODU game
Hokies actually beat ODU at something...

In Closing
The Hokies must perform in the interior much better in this game on both ends of the floor. The guards need to be able to focus on forcing Penn State off the perimeter which will leave space inside.

This game is a case of both teams seeing their best opponent so far in this early season and who executes the little things best will come away with the victory. Penn State prefers close games where they can change the outcome with a few breaks their way. Last season two thirds of their games were decided by 6 points or less. Hokies must find a way to play a complete game. They cannot afford a drop-off in the final ten minutes like we have seen in several games this season.

The Hokies will need to score on primary possessions and not count on second chance or free throws to buffer their scoring margin. The Nittany Lions, similar to ODU, are a consistent rebounding team and do not commit an abundance of fouls.

Hokies struggle in the middle but finish strong. 68-63 win for W #5.

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Never Forget #1 Overall Seed UVA 54, #64 UMBC 74

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Bob: What would ya say ya do here?

Brad: I already told you! I iron out the minutiae so Justin doesn't have to. I have people skills dammit! What the hell is wrong with you people?

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Hey! It goes beyond big brother in the sky
Beyond the threat of martial law, No Horus eye
No one came to cuff you they just handed you the chain
Blind follows the blind and now the one-eyed man is king

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This is my school
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Doesn't matter if it's cake or pie as long as it's chocolate.

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I seldom speak to loluva grads, but when I do, I tell them I want large fries.

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We put the K in Kwality

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Bob: What would ya say ya do here?

Brad: I already told you! I iron out the minutiae so Justin doesn't have to. I have people skills dammit! What the hell is wrong with you people?

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I seldom speak to loluva grads, but when I do, I tell them I want large fries.

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This is my school
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I seldom speak to loluva grads, but when I do, I tell them I want large fries.

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"Runs up the hill! Into the Tech student section! Here in Charlottesville!"

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"Runs up the hill! Into the Tech student section! Here in Charlottesville!"

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