Assuming I can dig out of the snow, I am very excited to go to the game tomorrow. This will be my first trip to the Pete. Walked and driven past it many times since it opened, but will be my first time inside (Pat, you did get those tickets from your brother-in-law, right?). For some reason, trips to the ‘Burgh for basketball games have just fallen through or simply not materialized. The added bonus is going with my dad — while the wife, kid and my mom go to a museum or something. Should be fun.
The game notes for both Pitt and Penn State (PDFs) are available. This will be the 145th meeting of the two schools. As in football it is Penn State’s longest running series, and Pitt’s second longest after WVU.
Pitt has won the last 4 meetings and is looking to go 7-0 on the season. Penn State, on the otherhand, is 3-2 coming off a come-from-behind victory over University of Missouri-Kansas City, 75-71. Penn State has made it a habit of getting off to slow starts this season.
Starting slow is a trend for the Lions recently, trailing by 19 at halftime of the Clemson game, 15 at halftime of A&M game and 15-0 after 10 minutes on Wednesday. These slow starts are often accompanied by turnover binges, something Penn State Ed DeChellis said the Lions couldn’t afford vs. a quality opponent like Pitt.
“We gotta go in there ready to take care of the basketball and play well early,” DeChellis said Wednesday. “If you let a team like Pitt get up 12, 15-0 like this tonight, that’s a little bit different story. If they smell blood, they’ll come after you.”
Pitt only beat 1-4 Duquesne by 11 points, but did hand Auburn a 37-point drubbing on Dec. 3. DeChellis said the Panthers will play 40 minutes of man-to-man defense and play aggressively — a stark contrast to the zone defense UMKC presented, allowing the Lions to get shots off and stage a comeback win.
Clemson and Texas A&M also played especially aggressive defense, so it will be a test to see how the Lions adjust, and if they can avoid getting down early.
This is a Penn State team picked — once again — for last in the Big 11. They set modest goals for this season:
[Sophomore guard, Mike] Walker said the Lions can still, for the most part, achieve their goal of going undefeated at home against non-conference competition. Though they have already dropped one to Clemson, he said they need to stay focused.
So how can they meet that goal if they already lost a game at home in the non-con? Must be the new math. Ah, the value of a Penn State education.
