Minnesota at Penn State (-2.5) - 5:00pm Pacific - Game #569-570

The Nittany Lions have been playing solid basketball under the radar for about a month.  They are just 3-5 in their last 8 games but four of the losses came against ranked teams and the fifth loss came on the road at previously ranked Wisconsin.  The loss at Wisconsin is the only game in the span that they were not competitive in.  In last three games PSU went down to the wire at #11 Michigan State (game was much closer than 9 point final margin), battled #22 Michigan down to the wire (lost by 6, one possession game in final minute), and in last game got a huge upset at #9 Illinois.  Sophomore wing Geary Claxton (15.7ppg, 7.1rpg) is one of the most underrated players in the country and is deserving of all conference consideration.  Junior point guard Ben Luber is a solid leader in his third year as a starter.  Senior forward Travis Parker plays much bigger than his size down low.  Penn State is very well coached and in recent weeks have made great strides in their zone defense.  Both factors help them overcome their lack of size.

 

Minnesota comes in with a very disappointing 1-7 record in Big 10 play.  This team showed promise in the preseason but just flat out has not gotten it done since the start of conference play.  Their triple overtime loss at Iowa three weeks ago was as deflating as they come.  Leading scorer Vincent Grier is shooting just .342 in Big 10 play.  Second leading scorer Maurice Hargrow has seen his minutes, shots, and points drop significantly in last two games.  Third leading scorer Adam Boone has made just 2 of his last 14 3-point shot attempts.  The Gophers are coming off a bad loss at Ohio State that would have been even worse if not for walk-on Jamal Abu-Shamala's career high 16 points.

 

Penn State will have stronger than normal fan support tonight following their huge win at Illinois.  This is a good match up for PSU as Minnesota's top three scorers do most of their damage from the perimeter where the Nittany Lions are solid and have depth.  This will be Penn State's easiest opponent since hosting Purdue here three weeks ago, a game they won by 20.  Penn State is a respectable 9-4 at home with three losses vs ranked teams and the fourth to Clemson.  Minnesota meanwhile has historically had much trouble winning on the road and this year is no different.  They are 0-4 on the road in conference play and 1-5 overall.  Minnesota's lone road win came early in the season at Arizona State in overtime.  Expect a solid home win from the Nittany Lions tonight.

 

RAS Official Play:  Penn State  1 UNIT