How to watch and what to know about Penn State men’s basketball in the next week
The Penn State men’s basketball team has two games over the next week with teams it has already played, including a rematch with its most recent opponent.
The Nittany Lions will take on the Indiana Hoosiers on the road Wednesday night in a rematch of a game earlier this month that Penn State won at home. Then they’ll return to the Bryce Jordan Center Monday to take on Iowa, a team they lost to Saturday afternoon.
Here’s everything you need to know about the matchups.
How to watch — Indiana
Who: Penn State Nittany Lions (8-8, 3-5) at Indiana Hoosiers (14-5, 5-4)
When: 8:30 p.m. (ET), Wednesday, Jan. 26 | Where: Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall
TV: Big Ten Network | Livestream: FoxSportsGo
Online radio stream: GoPSUSports (university-run)
How to watch — Iowa
Who: Iowa Hawkeyes (14-5, 4-4) at Penn State Nittany Lions (8-8, 3-5)
When: 7 p.m. (ET), Monday, Jan. 31 | Where: Bryce Jordan Center
TV: Big Ten Network | Livestream: FoxSportsGo
Online radio stream: GoPSUSports (university-run)
Player to watch
Senior guard Jalen Pickett: Penn State’s two recent losses have been, in part, due to struggles offensively and one of the best ways to rectify that would be for the team’s best offensive player to reach another level on that end of the court. Pickett has been good all season for the Nittany Lions with his game kicking up a notch once he became comfortable playing in the Big Ten after beginning his career at Siena. His last two games, however, have been his lowest-scoring games since the team lost to Michigan State in the middle of December, with him putting up 11 points against Ohio State and 14 against Iowa. Those outputs aren’t anything to scoff at, but big performances this week would go a long way to getting the team going when it has the ball.
Matchup to watch
Penn State vs. Indiana forward Trayce Jackson-Davis: Penn State’s victory over Indiana on Jan. 2 was largely fueled by its efforts when the Hoosiers had the ball. The Nittany Lions held them to 58 points and held Jackson-Davis, the best player on the IU roster and one of the best big men in the conference, to a relatively inefficient night from the floor. He shot 44% on his 18 field goal attempts, scoring 20 points. Jackson-Davis is big and athletic, with the ability to score efficiently around the rim with his left hand. He’s been difficult to completely stop for most teams this year, but limiting him on offense would be a major plus for the Nittany Lions as they try to defeat Indiana for the second time this season.
Quotables
Penn State head coach Micah Shrewsberry on playing three straight road games:
“Yeah it stinks that we get three straight on the road, but nobody feels sorry for us. We can’t feel sorry for ourselves either. We got to prepare and go and win. If we play hard for 40 minutes, and we focus for 40 minutes, we can do it. We can go there and win on Wednesday. You have to be better than somebody on the road. You can’t just be average, you’ve gotta be better than them on the road. That’s what we need to do.”
Penn State guard Myles Dread on playing three straight road games:
“It’s difficult, playing at home, playing on the road, playing at all. But you’re missing class time, you’re away from sleeping in your own bed, it’s a new environment. Playing on the road in and of itself is hard. It’s difficult all around. Playing three back to back road games, you kind of miss the fans a little bit. You’re like, wow I want somebody to cheer positively when I do something good. But, you know, it’s all fun. It’s all part of the game.”
