How to watch and what to know about Penn State men’s basketball this week
Penn State men’s basketball has two big games this week as it turns the corner into the early portion of conference play. The team’s first matchup will come as part of the Big Ten-ACC challenge when the Nittany Lions will take on the Miami Hurricanes Wednesday night.
Then they’ll have their conference opener Sunday night when they take on the Ohio State Buckeyes, as former Nittany Lion Jamari Wheeler makes his return to the Bryce Jordan Center for the first time since he transferred after last season.
Here’s everything you need to know about the two home matchups.
How to watch — Miami
Who: Miami Hurricanes (4-3) at Penn State Nittany Lions (4-2)
When: 9:15 p.m. (ET), Wednesday, Dec. 1 | Where: Bryce Jordan Center
TV: ESPNU | Livestream: WatchESPN
Online radio stream: GoPSUSports (university-run)
How to watch — Ohio State
Who: Ohio State Buckeyes (4-2) at Penn State Nittany Lions (4-2)
When: 7:30 p.m. (ET), Wednesday, Dec. 5 | Where: Bryce Jordan Center
TV: BTN | Livestream: FoxSportsGo
Online radio stream: GoPSUSports (university-run)
Player to watch
Senior guard Jalen Pickett: Penn State brought in several transfers this year but few were expected to have as big of an impact as Pickett was. The senior guard joined the program from Siena and was quickly pegged as a potential primary ball handler and potentially the team’s best player. His career as a Nittany Lion got off to a slow start as he adjusted to being at Penn State. Pickett failed to score in double figures in the team’s first three games and struggled mightily from beyond the arc in his first four games.
That has changed in the past week, with the senior taking on more ball handling duties offensively and generating offense at a much higher clip for both himself and his teammates. He’s made eight of his last 16 attempts from 3-point range and scored 14 points in each of Penn State’s weekend matchups at the Emerald Coast Classic against LSU and Oregon State. Pickett’s role is an important one as the Nittany Lions try to determine who they can successfully run their offense through the rest of the season.
Quotable
Penn State head coach Micah Shrewsberry on the week ahead
“This is a big week for us. The Big Ten-ACC Challenge is always big for your league. It helps you establish your footing in terms of where you need to be. ... I think this challenge is always beneficial for the Big Ten and our league. We want to put our best foot forward and help our league. Then we also have a league game following up after that. It’s another great week, two great tests for us. We’re looking forward to seeing where we are after this weekend, how we can use these couple days to get better, play a game, then use a couple more days to get better and be ready to go twice.”
