Game Preview: Penn State vs. Maryland Eastern Shore

Audio/Story posted November 5, 2019 in CommRadio, Sports by Ben Mooney

Connor Griffin, Jack McCune and Ben Geller break down the Nittany Lions’ matchup with the Hawks of Maryland Eastern Shore in men’s basketball.

The Penn State Nittany Lions open up their season Tuesday at home against the Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks. This season holds high expectations for the Nittany Lions as many experts are predicting them to be a tournament team. Anything but a birth into the big dance may be seen as a letdown for a team with such high aspirations.

Things to watch

Senior Lamar Stevens will look to start off his season the right way. The 6-foot-8 forward was second in points per game last year in the Big Ten, only behind now Boston Celtic Carsen Edwards. Stevens led Penn State in scoring by a long shot, as the next best scorer had only 11.6 points per game.

Stevens struggled from beyond the arc though as he shot only 22 percent from 3-point range. Look for Stevens to try and get his shot in rhythm this game to hopefully carry on and space the floor for the entire season.

With only three players averaging double digits in scoring for the Nittany Lions, they are in need of help scoring the basketball this season if they hope to be a true contender. In comes Izaiah Brockington, a 6-foot-4 guard transfer from St. Bonaventure University that sat out last season due to transfer rules.

In his one season with the Bonnies, Brockington not only got NCAA tournament experience, but averaged 14.8 points off the bench and shot 41 percent from 3-point range. As the bulk of Penn States scoring comes from the inside, expect Brockington to get open looks as well as maybe pull a defender from the inside.

Keys to the game

For Penn State, getting a big lead early will almost certainly take the Hawks out of the game. If they allow the Hawks a chance to stick around, a mistake or two could flip the game and an upset may be on alert.

If Penn State is able to get out to an early lead, it is key for them to try and find what kind of team they want to be this season. The more depth a team has, the farther of a run they have seems to be a new trend in college basketball and in a game like this, the Nittany Lions need to find out just how much depth they have.

For Maryland Eastern Shore, they need to capitalize on every opportunity given to them to have a chance to stay in the game. They will also need to create turnovers and force Penn State to make mental errors if they want a chance to pull off the upset.

Final analysis

The Nittany Lions are looking at an easy home opener if they come to play. Not having bad possessions offensively and playing tough defense from the start, will hopefully set the tone for the game and the season.

Prediction: Penn State 77, Maryland Eastern Shore 45
 

 

Ben Mooney is a freshman majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email bpm5502@psu.edu.

About the Contributors

Jack McCune's photo

Jack McCune

Senior / Broadcast Journalism

Jack McCune is a senior majoring in broadcast journalism from Yardley, Pennsylvania, which is outside of Philly and just across the Delaware River from New Jersey. He attended Pennsbury High School in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania. He’s a huge fan of the Eagles, Phillies, 76ers, Penn State football and Penn State basketball. He’s a sports anchor and multimedia reporter for the Centre County Report. He’s a Football Insider for CommRadio. His talk show, Broad Street Bros, airs Thursday nights at 5:45, as he talks about Philly and Penn State sports. He hopes to some day become a play-by-play announcer for football, basketball and/or baseball, and he is also interested in becoming a bartender.

Connor Griffin's photo

Connor Griffin

Junior / Broadcast Journalism

Connor is a junior from Horsham, Pennsylvania. This is his second year working with CommRadio, and he currently serves as one of the station’s two production directors. In addition to his managerial role, he calls play-by-play for Penn State sports and co-hosts No Boundaries with Zach Donaldson. On the weekends, he is a student reporter on the Unrivaled Pregame Show for Penn State Athletics. You can contact him at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Ben Mooney's photo

Ben Mooney

Freshman / Broadcast Journalism

Ben is a freshman from Franklinville, NY and this is his first year with Comm Radio. His focus is primarily on sports. He hopes to one day do play-by-play for a major sports network. For now though, Ben is an analyst on podcasts and a writer. He can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)