How to watch and what to know about Penn State men’s basketball in the next week
Penn State men’s basketball will play its final two games of the regular season in the next week, taking on two teams in road matchups.
The Nittany Lions will first play the No. 20 Illinois Fighting Illini Thursday night. The Illini are 20-8 on the season and 13-5 in the Big Ten. They have yet to face Penn State this season.
Then the Lions will head to Piscataway for a Sunday matchup with the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. The Scarlet Knights are 16-12 overall and 10-8 in conference play. The two teams faced off earlier this season in the Bryce Jordan Center, with Penn State winning 66-49 on Jan. 11.
Here’s everything you need to know about the matchups.
How to watch — Illinois
Who: Penn State Nittany Lions (12-14, 7-11) at Illinois Fighting Illini (20-8, 13-5)
When: 7 p.m. (ET), Thursday, March 3 | Where: State Farm Center
TV: Fox Sports 1 | Livestream: FoxSportsGo
Online radio stream: GoPSUSports (university-run)
How to watch — Rutgers
Who: Penn State Nittany Lions (12-14, 7-11) at Rutgers Scarlet Knights (16-12, 10-8)
When: Noon (ET), Sunday, March 6 | Where: Jersey Mike’s Arena
TV: Big Ten Network | Livestream: FoxSportsGo
Online radio stream: GoPSUSports (university-run)
Player to watch
Senior guard Jalen Pickett: Penn State is going to need to play at its own pace over the next two games, much like it has all season, in order to get back on track. Nebraska was able to speed the tempo up Sunday night and it put the Nittany Lions in a hole they couldn’t crawl out of on either end of the court. There is no better player to get the pace back where Penn State wants it to be than Pickett. The senior guard moves methodically on offense, manipulating the defense with his off beat dribbling and uncanny ability to get most places he wants on the court. He’s one of the few ball handlers on the team’s roster and is by far the best at controlling the Nittany Lion offense and getting it where head coach Micah Shrewsberry wants it to be.
Matchup to watch
Penn State vs. Illinois center Kofi Cockburn: There are few forces in the Big Ten more difficult to match up with than Cockburn. The 7-foot, 285-pound center is immovable on both ends of the court but is particularly dangerous on offense. He can move defenders with his strength but has the skill and touch to finish around the rim. He’s averaging 21.5 points per game along with 10.7 rebounds and few teams have had an answer for his play all season. He’s an efficient offensive player that requires length and strength to defend. Penn State has the latter in senior center John Harrar, but even he doesn’t have the length to contend with Cockburn’s moves around the rim. The Lions will have to find a way to slow him down if they want any chance at an upset of the Illini Thursday night.
Quotables
Penn State head coach Micah Shrewsberry on Sunday’s 93-70 loss to Nebraska and why it hurt:
“I don’t really love accepting anything, right? When you put everything you have out there and you do your best and you get beat, you can be OK with the results. I don’t feel like we gave our best. That’s why that game hurt me. We didn’t put our best foot out there. We didn’t show ourselves in the right way. For it to be our last home game, and some of these may never get an opportunity to play out here again, you want to be at your best. We didn’t bring it. We didn’t have it. But that happens at times throughout the year. It happens to everybody. The one thing that happens when you’re a coach, this is a lonely seat. You win a game and there’s 80 text messages on my phone at the end when I get up to my office. You lose a game? It’s like two.”
