Penn State will look to rebound against the Buffalo Bulls after its first loss of the season to Clemson.
This is the ninth matchup between these two teams, with PSU holding a 6-2 advantage in the series. Buffalo pulled off a close 72-70 win in State College in 2004.
PENN STATE’S OUTLOOK
Penn State’s 6-0 start was its best opening record since the 1999-2000 season. Even with the loss though, Mike Rhoades believes some positives came out of the result.
“[You] have a [17-4 run in the first half] against a team like Clemson, who’s going to have a great year, you know you can do it against anyone,” Rhoades said postgame.
“And that’s a good sign.”
Unfortunately, the Nittany Lions “shot themselves in the foot” with a season-high 16 turnovers, many of which were unforced. Additionally, their 37.5 percent 3-point shooting (fourth in the Big Ten) plummeted to 22 percent.
Sunday will be a good chance for Penn State to play a cleaner, more efficient game before it takes on no. 12 Purdue on Thursday.
BUFFALO (4-3, 0-0)
HEAD COACH
George Halcovage III (second season, 8-30)
Halcovage III was named as head coach of the Bulls in March of 2023. He spent 15 years at Villanova, helping lead the Wildcats to two NCAA National Championships.
KEY PLAYERS
Ryan Sabol, 6-foot-3, Guard
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Sabol is in his second season with the Bulls, leading the Mid-American Conference (MAC) with 18.6 points per game. He is one of the best shooters in the country, as one of seven players with 25 made 3s on 48 percent shooting. He notched a career-high 28 points against Fredonia earlier this year, going 7-of-14 from deep.
Tyson Dunn, 6-foot-3, Guard
Dunn is in his first year with the Bulls, leading the MAC with 6.9 assists per contest. He is second on the team in points (13.3) and rebounds (6.1) as well. In the season opener against Old Dominion, Dunn scored 24 points and dished out 10 assists.
Ben Michaels, 6-foot-8, Forward
Michaels is third on the team in scoring (10.5) in his first year with the Bulls. He is top ten in field goal percentage (eighth, 55.8) and blocks per game (1.0) in the MAC. He has also connected on 40 percent of his 3s (8-of-20) this season. He scored a season-best 14 (4-of-7 from 3) against Notre Dame earlier this year.
Scoring Defense
Buffalo ranks 338 out of 364 schools in points allowed per game (80.7) and is eighth in allowed 3-point percentage (40.6).
METRICS
Penn State enters Sunday’s game with the 38th-best net rating, while Buffalo ranks 324th according to kenpom.com.
GAMETIME
Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. in the Bryce Jordan Center. Penn State’s full schedule can be found here.
SPREAD
Per DraftKings Sportsbook, Penn State is a 29-point favorite in Sunday’s game. The over/under is set around 162, while the PSU MoneyLine is -20000.
TV
Penn State-Buffalo will be on the Big Ten Network.
