Penn State (PSU) returns home to face Purdue Fort Wayne after a one-game road trip. This matchup is only the second time these two teams have gone head-to-head.
PSU won the first matchup (19 years ago) 74-59. This game kicks off the Sunshine Slam, a three-game series that will wrap up in Daytona Beach, Fl., next week.
If Penn State wins, it will be its first 5-0 start since the 2019-20 season.
PENN STATE’S OUTLOOK
After Friday’s 86-64 win over Virginia Tech, Penn State earned four points in Monday’s Associated Press Poll.
Ace Baldwin Shines in Homecoming as Penn State Beats Virginia Tech
Penn State was the de-facto 40th-ranked team, and one can reason that one vote was accredited due to the Nittany Lions’ defense. Per KenPom’s efficiency rankings (adjusted for opponent quality), PSU boasts the 28th-best defense in the country.
Penn State has forced 21.5 turnovers per game (second nationally) and is scoring 26.5 points off said turnovers.
“We’re always going to contest every shot,” Mike Rhoades said after the win against Virginia Tech.
“We’re going to try to get deflections. We’re going to crowd the ball. We just want to deny, disrupt and have great discipline doing that. That’s just who we are.”
PURDUE FORT WAYNE (3-1, 0-0)
HEAD COACH
Jon Coffman (11th season, 182-143 record)
The 2021-22 Horizon League Coach of the Year, Coffman is the winningest coach in program history. During that 2021-22 season, Coffman led the Mastodons to the Horizon League regular season title with a 21-12 record. He also recruited and coached current Memphis Grizzlies player John Konchar from 2015-2019.
KEY PLAYERS/STATS
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Rasheed Bello, 6-foot, Guard
Bello is the leading scorer for the Mastodons, averaging 18.5 points per contest. He is one of three players averaging double figures for Purdue Fort Wayne, shooting 46 percent from the field and 42 percent from three. Bello was recently named Horizon League Player of the Week after averaging 24.5 points through two wins and setting a new career-high of 31 against Bethune-Cookman.
Jalen Jackson, 6-foot-2, Guard
Jackson is the other part of this two-headed monster for Purdue Fort Wayne. He comes into Wednesday’s bout averaging 17 points while shooting 42 percent from the field. He also is within the top three in average steals (2.3) in the Horizon League. He recently set a career-high against Southern Indiana with 29 points.
The Mastodons have given up the second-fewest total points (265) and points per game (66.3) in their league. This production stems from Purdue Fort Wayne’s ability to rack up steals (9.25/game) and turn their opponents over (16.5/game). Its opponents have also shot 40.5 percent from the field and 27 percent from deep (27/100).
That being said, Purdue Fort Wayne has the 156th-ranked defense (57th percentile) according to KenPom’s adjusted defensive rating.
METRICS
Penn State enters the first game of the Sunshine Slam as the 33rd-ranked team on kenpom.com. Purdue Fort Wayne meanwhile is 116th.
GAME TIME
Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside the Bryce Jordan Center. Penn State’s full schedule can be found here.
SPREAD
Penn State is favored by 15 points, per DraftKings Sportsbook. The over/under hovers around 159 while the Moneylines are Penn State -1100 and Purdue Fort Wayne +700.
TV
You can catch the game from home on B1G+.
