The Penn State men’s basketball team got experience playing power five competition last week in Florida, with games against LSU and Oregon State in the Emerald Coast Classic.
They’ll continue to be tested this week, with a game against Miami tonight and Sunday night’s conference opener against Ohio State, both games at the Bryce Jordan Center.
The Hurricanes will come from Florida to State College with a 4-3 record. Miami’s losses are to Central Florida, Dayton and No. 16 Alabama, the last of which by 32-points.
The Hurricanes get most of their offensive production from their backcourt. Guards Cameran McGusty (17.6 PPG) and Isaiah Wong (15.6 PPG) lead Miami in scoring, and guard Charlie Moore (10.7 PPG) also averages double figures. The Hurricanes also have formidable size in the backcourt, as McGusty is 6-5 and another guard, Jordan Miller, is 6-7.
Penn State has been in a groove defensive. The Nittany Lions held LSU to 68 points in an overtime loss and held Oregon State to 45 points. A key for Penn State, as December begins, will be to get guard Sam Sessoms back on track. Sessoms scored just two points on 1-5 shooting in Saturday’s win over Oregon State. He and forward Seth Lundy are tied for Penn State’s scoring lead, averaging 15.3 points per game.
Tipoff is at 9:15. The game can be seen on the ESPNU Network or listened to at any of these affiliates. Steve Jones and Dick Jerardi will be on the call.
