Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1509432
N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 3 4 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M time, and the Nittany Lions understand that. It's also worth noting that the Lions' schedule wasn't necessarily complete as of early October. It was released on Sept. 19 after the Big Ten announced the league-wide conference slates. At that point, the Nittany Lions had 10 noncon- ference games lined up, one short of the 11 that teams are allowed to play. Penn State had originally been slated to take part in the Holiday Hoopsgiving event in Atlanta on Dec. 17 against an- other Power Five program, but that game did not appear on the schedule that was released in September. The gap between home games against Ohio State on Dec. 9 and Le Moyne on Dec. 21 leaves the Nit- tany Lions with an opening that could still be filled. This season's schedule is partly the making of Penn State's previous staff. Of the 10 nonconference games, six are car- ryovers from prior arrangements. That includes the ESPN Events Invita- tional, which will take place Nov. 23-26 in Kissimmee, Fla., and will begin with a first-round game against Texas A&M, the team that Penn State routed 76-59 in the NCAA Tournament last March. The Aggies finished No. 28 in the NET last year and return the most scoring production of any team in the SEC this season. The Nittany Lions will then face either Butler or Florida Atlantic on Day 2. A meeting with coach Thad Matta's team would mark the second consecutive sea- son in which the Bulldogs and Nittany Lions have battled. Last November, Penn State defeated Butler 68-62 at the BJC as part of the Gavitt Tipoff Games. Florida Atlantic was one of the big sto- ries at last season's NCAA Tournament. Making only the second appearance in the national tournament in school his- tory, the ninth-seeded Owls sprinted all the way to the Final Four before falling 72-71 to San Diego State in the semifi- nals. This year, coach Dusty May's squad is moving to the American Athletic Con- ference after having previously been in Conference USA. Depending on how the rest of the tournament plays out, Penn State's third game at the ESPN tournament could be against Boise State (34), Iowa State (25), Virginia Commonwealth (54) or Virginia Tech (75). The possibility of a game against VCU is intriguing in that Rhoades coached the Rams for five sea- sons before leaving for Penn State in March. No matter which of those opponents the Nittany Lions end up facing in their Nov. 26 finale, the tournament is certain to be the best preparation the team is going to see for the rigors of the 2023-24 Big Ten schedule. There has also been some buzz that the Nittany Lions will play a home game somewhere other than the BJC. While games in Hershey or Allentown were publicly floated by Rhoades this offsea- son, the likely locale is going to be across campus at Rec Hall. Big Ten Notes The Nittany Lions' two-game Big Ten appetizer in December against Maryland and Ohio State, while not as brutal as it could have been, is certain to pose some major early-season hurdles for a rebuilt PSU roster. The Terrapins have returning tal- ent and are difficult to beat at home, as Penn State found out last season in a 74- 68 loss in College Park. The Buckeyes, meanwhile, are welcoming back a bud- ding group of younger players who gave the Nittany Lions all they could handle in the lone matchup between the two teams last year, a 75-71 PSU victory in Columbus. Penn State will also have to play a number of Saturday away games. The Li- ons will travel to Purdue and Ohio State on successive weekends in January, then head to Bloomington the first weekend of February to face Indiana. The next weekend, the Nittany Lions are on the road at Northwestern for a Sunday tilt, then at Nebraska on Feb. 17. In March, Penn State also plays at Minnesota on a Saturday. All told, that's six weekend games on the road in the Big Ten. The good news for Penn State is that the league is returning the favor this year. Along with the Saturday home game against Ohio State in December, Penn State will also welcome Minnesota (Jan. 27), Indiana (Feb. 24) and Maryland (March 10) for true home weekend games in the Big Ten. Michigan at the Palestra in Philadelphia on Jan. 7 counts, too. For this program, which has frequently been deprived of the opportunity to host games on days when fans are best able to attend them, a six-to-five weekend Big Ten away/home ratio is about as good as any in recent memory. ■ P E N N S T A T E 2 0 2 3 - 2 4 M E N ' S B A S K E T B A L L S C H E D U L E Date Opponent Time/TV Oct. 27 at Robert Morris (exhib.) 7 p.m. Nov. 6 DELAWARE STATE 7 p.m./B1G+ Nov. 10 LEHIGH 7:30 p.m./B1G+ Nov. 14 ST. FRANCIS (Pa.) 7 p.m./BTN Nov. 17 MOREHEAD STATE 7 p.m./Peacock Nov. 23 Texas A&M* Noon/ESPN Nov. 24 Butler or FAU* TBA/ESPN2 or ESPN+ Nov. 26 TBD* TBA/ESPN2 or ESPN+ Dec. 2 BUCKNELL Noon/BTN Dec. 6 at Maryland 7 p.m./BTN Dec. 9 OHIO STATE 6 p.m./BTN Dec. 21 LE MOYNE 7 p.m./Peacock Dec. 29 RIDER 2 p.m./B1G+ Jan. 4 at Michigan State 7 p.m./Peacock Jan. 7 vs. MICHIGAN** Noon/BTN Jan. 10 NORTHWESTERN 6:30 p.m./BTN Jan. 13 at Purdue 2:15 p.m./BTN Jan. 16 WISCONSIN 9 p.m./BTN Jan. 20 at Ohio State Noon/BTN Jan. 27 MINNESOTA 6:30 p.m./BTN Jan. 31 at Rutgers 8:30 p.m./BTN Jan. 3 at Indiana Noon/FS1 Feb. 8 IOWA 7 p.m./BTN Feb. 11 at Northwestern 1 p.m./BTN Feb. 14 MICHIGAN STATE 6:30 p.m./BTN Feb. 17 at Nebraska Noon/BTN Feb. 21 ILLINOIS 6:30 p.m./BTN Feb. 24 INDIANA Noon/BTN Feb. 27 at Iowa 9 p.m./BTN Mar. 2 at Minnesota 3:15 p.m./BTN Mar. 10 MARYLAND 7:30 p.m./BTN Mar. 13 Big Ten Tournament^ TBA/BTN, CBS * ESPN Events Invitational at Kissimmee, Fla. ** at Philadelphia (Palestra) ^ at Minneapolis (Target Center)