How to watch Penn State basketball vs. Minnesota in THON game
Mike Rhoades and the Nittany Lions have been there. Welcoming Minnesota to the Bryce Jordan Center on Saturday (6:30 p.m., BTN), Penn State basketball understands the Gophers’ frustrations of four consecutive losses.
And, the Nittany Lions understand the heightened sense of urgency that comes with it.
“When you lose like that, and they’ve had some close ones, you’re mad. You’re frustrated. You can’t wait to play the next game. When you lose a few, you can become a wounded animal. A wounded animal becomes dangerous, too,” Rhoades said. “We got to respect that because we went through it, too. This league makes that happen a lot. And to good teams, too. So you got to respect whoever we play.”
Having dropped five games spanning November and December, Penn State is intimately familiar with Minnesota’s situation. But, the Gophers can also claim wins over Nebraska and Michigan this season.
“They’re a very talented team. They’re bigger than us, they’re stronger than us. So we know we have our hands full,” said Rhoades. “I don’t look at (their losing streak) as much as the way we match up with them, and what we have to do. But I know they’ll be excited to play that. After the last couple of games, they want to get in here and they want to go get a road win in the Big Ten, so we got to be ready to go.”
Scouting Minnesota
Minnesota’s Big Ten wins are over Nebraska at home, Michigan away, and Maryland at home. And, their performance through eight games offers a window into the sale the Gophers play, particularly against conference opponents.
Thus far, the Gophers are 12th in Big Ten in scoring in conference games at 69.0 per game. They’re 13th in 3 point percentage at 29.6 and aren’t particularly ball secure, second-most in the league with 103 in eight games. Defensively, they’re giving up 72.4 ppg (6th) and are middle of the pack rebounding.
“We got to do a good job of guarding the ball and making them over dribble against our pressure. We got to be in the gaps and we can’t be out of position. Because if you’re out of position and that ball gets moving, that’s where you give up a three, that’s where you give up a dump off,” Rhoades said. “We got to do a really good job of keeping the ball in front of us and pressure them. I think we got to do a really good job of being ready for kickouts, being ready for one mores, quick reversals to run guys off the line.
“It’s easier said than done. But when you have a team that really keeps that ball hot and passes it, you’ve got to be in perfect position, perfect tail position and have great awareness for what could be the next play. And you do that, then you can pressure the ball, it slows the ball down. Now the ball is not as hot. Now the ball sticks a little bit. That’s what you hope for and we’ll practice that here getting ready for these guys.”
Game time, how to watch: Penn State (9-10 overall, 3-5 B1G, NET 119) vs. Minnesota (12-7, 3-5 B1G, NET 97)
Venue: Bryce Jordan Center
Tip time: 6:30 p.m. ET – Saturday, Jan. 27
TV: Big Ten Network – Mike Hall (pxp) & Dane Fife (analyst)
RADIO: Penn State Sports Network – Steve Jones (pxp) & Dick Jerardi (analyst)
NATIONAL RADIO: SiriusXM Ch. 384 & SXM App Ch. 974
LIVE STATS: StatBroadcast | Live Stats
GAME NOTES: Penn State
What is the Penn State-Minnesota spread?
The Nittany Lions are 2.5-point favorites over Minnesota on Saturday evening. And, the over/under betting total is 149.5 points.
