Penn State will continue the Sunshine Slam against Fordham, this time in the Sunshine State. This will be the sixth time these two programs have met with PSU holding a 3-2 advantage in the all-time series.
The last time the Nittany Lions and the Rams faced off was in 2014 when Penn State won 73-54 in the Bryce Jordan Center.
If Penn State wins, it will advance to 6-0 for the first time since the 1999-2000 season.
PENN STATE’S OUTLOOK
After a tightly contested win against Purdue-Fort Wayne, Mike Rhoades applauded his team’s resilience in the second half.
“We needed adversity,” Rhoades said postgame.
“We needed some things not to go our way… I thought the guys took the momentum into the locker room at halftime with the last two minutes, and then Ace got on the heater there to start the second half… So, [I’m] really proud of our second half. I think we have a long way to go, but I think we can get a lot better…”
Baldwin Leads Second Half Comeback Against Purdue-Fort Wayne
While Penn State forced a season-low in turnovers and tied a season-low in points off turnovers, it was the “cumulative effect” of its pressing defense that won out in the end.
“If we get to [a] fatigue game, we’re going to win,” Rhoades responded when asked about not forcing turnovers.
“Some days you’re going to turn people over. Some days it’s a tough shot at the end of beating pressure. [Sometimes it’s] a challenge at the rim against Yannick [Konan Niederhauser] or a hard floater on a run with someone running you down. It’s a cumulative effect.”
This theme of wearing the opposition out has been common through the first five games for the Nittany Lions.
Monday night, they’ll get another opportunity to showcase that defensive doggedness and maybe even get out on the break more against a Fordham team averaging nearly 13 turnovers a game.
FORDHAM (3-3,0-0)
HEAD COACH
Keith Urgo (Third Season, 41-31)
Urgo was elevated from associate head coach in April 2022 and immediately made an impact. In his first season, Fordham won its second most games in program history (25) and had the most successful season in its three-decade tenure in the A1o. Urgo took home Coach of the Year honors in 2022-23 and led the Rams to the A10 semifinals. Over his first two seasons, he tallied the second most wins (38) in program history.
KEY PLAYERS/STATS
Jackie Johnson III, 5-foot-11, Guard
Johnson III is a senior transfer from UNLV. In his first season with Fordham, he leads the team in scoring (19.0, leads A10), three-point makes (16) and field goal makes (42). He’s coming off an 18-point outing against Drexel in which he went 3-for-7 from beyond the arc. Johnson III is shooting 47.7 percent from the field and 34.8 percent from three.
Japhet Medor, 6-foot, Guard
Medor is in his second season with the Rams and is averaging 10.5 points. He ranks second on the team in three-point makes (10) and is netting 41.7 percent of them. He scored a season-high 23 (6-of-8) against Manhattan earlier this year.
Abdou Tsimbila, 6-foot-9, Forward
An A10 Preseason All-Defensive Team selection, Tsimbila is one of the best shot blockers in the country. His 1.8 blocks are tied for the fifth most in the A10 and rank 32nd in the country. Tsimbila leads the Rams with 6.3 rebounds per game and most recently posted a 10-point eight-rebound effort against Drexel.
3s and Steals
Fordham comes into Monday afternoon’s game with the second most made threes in the A10 (59, 35 3P%). Four Rams average at least 1.5 steals, making them one of 17 teams in the country to have made at least 59 3s, made at least 34.9 percent from deep and forced 90 total turnovers.
METRICS
Penn State is currently ranked 35th in KenPom’s net rating while Fordham is 184th.
GAMETIME
Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach. Penn State’s full schedule can be found here.
SPREAD
Per DraftKings Sportsbook, PSU is favored by 16 points. The over/under is set at 152 and you can take the Penn State Moneyline at -1600.
TV
This afternoon’s game will be aired on the CBS Sports Network.
