How to watch Penn State basketball vs. Purdue: Live stream, players to watch & key matchups
Penn State men’s basketball will restart its season Sunday when it takes on Purdue. The contest will be the Nittany Lions’ fourth Big Ten game and first matchup of 2021 after pausing basketball activities due to positive COVID-19 test results among Tier 1 personnel.
Here’s everything you need to know about the away matchup with the Boilermakers.
Player to watch
Penn State’s guards: Penn State interim head coach Jim Ferry would not comment on who would be available Sunday after the program had positive COVID-19 tests that forced a shutdown, so it’s difficult to pinpoint one player to watch. Instead, it’s the entire group of guards that deserve your attention. The Nittany Lions feature a group of guards that can score at will and are capable of leading the team in scoring in any given game. There are three juniors in particular who are averaging double figures that have proven especially adept at scoring this season: Sam Sessoms, Izaiah Brockington and Myreon Jones.
Brockington and Jones have led the team in scoring in games this season and Sessoms is the only Nittany Lion who has scored in double figures in all seven games. They’ll need to prove they can penetrate the Purdue defense and score Sunday for Penn State to knock off the Boilermakers.
Key matchup
Purdue’s post offense vs. Penn State’s centers: The unknown of who will be available complicates the key matchup against Purdue but senior John Harrar has been a focal point of the section this season and for good reason. Penn State has struggled mightily with rim protection and have been beaten handily by opposing big men at times.
And “big” might be an understatement for Sunday’s matchup. Freshman Zach Edey is listed at 7-foot-4, 285 pounds on Purdue’s team website and plays with every bit of that size. He dominates the glass with his size but isn’t the Boilermakers’ only threat down low.
Junior Trevion Williams is 6-foot-10 and weighs 265 pounds, and uses his strength to batter opponents on the interior. Williams and Edey are both threats regardless of who the Nittany Lions have on the court because they’re both bigger than any player on Penn State’s roster. In order to win, the Nittany Lions must slow down both big men in the post, and stop them from creating extra offensive opportunities on the glass. That’s an area Penn State has struggled with all season, and will need to implement new strategies to make it work against Purdue.
How to watch
Who: Penn State Nittany Lions (3-4) at Purdue Boilermakers (10-5)
When: 1 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 17 | Where: Mackey Arena
TV: Big Ten Network
Live stream: FoxSportsGo
Online radio stream: GoPSUSports (university-run)
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