Penn State Basketball Preview: Nittany Lions vs. UMBC

Penn State Basketball Preview: Nittany Lions vs. UMBC

Penn State basketball is set to face UMBC as the Nittany Lions look to remain unbeaten. After an impressive offensive performance on Monday against Binghamton where Penn State took down some Cats, the Nittany Lions will continue facing down other members of the animal kingdom when the UMBC Retrievers come to the BJC tonight.

The teams combined for 203 points in their season-opening victories with UMBC’s win coming at the expense of a Penn State Commonwealth Campus, Penn State-York. UMBC lost their top scorer from last season, Dion Brown, to the transfer portal (Brown now attends Boston College). They were led in game one by preseason All-America East pick and senior guard Marcus Banks, Jr. Banks was the most accurate three-point shooter in the 95-66 victory over Penn State-York, hitting seven of his eleven attempts from deep and finishing with 27 points overall. The rest of the team made just three of their other sixteen attempts from downtown. Four other players reached double figures in the victory, with forward Josh Odunowo adding eight rebounds.

Penn State's Ace in the Hole

It’s hard to gain too much information from one victory against a severely overmatched team, but UMBC clearly relies on Banks to ignite the offense. Ace Baldwin is one of, if not the very best defender in the Big Ten. While Banks will most likely not be as successful as he was on Monday night, a strong effort is mandatory for UMBC to have a chance. Conversely, Baldwin entered the 2024-25 season with a chance to end up in the top 10 all-time for steals in a career.

Another Offensive Explosion?

Simply put, will the Nittany Lions have the same kind of offensive output that they did on Monday against UMBC’s conference foe, Binghamton? This game will give Penn State another chance to evaluate the majority of their squad, and get another look at newcomer center Yanic Konan Niederhauser, who no doubt will be key during the Big Ten portion of the schedule.

Time for the Freshmen to Show Out

Will freshmen Jahvin Carter and Dominick Stewart perform well? Carter was unable to score on Monday, while Stewart added 10 points. Tonight’s game should be a good opportunity for Carter to get over any opening game jitters and net the first points of his collegiate career. Yes, UMBC did score 95 points in their season opener, but this is a new class of opponent.

Penn State 90, UMBC 70