Princeton has had to wait a week to try to make amends for last week’s clunker at Evansville that sent the Tigers to their sixth-straight defeat. They’ll head to Happy Valley tonight as Brian and Dan Earl go up against each other as assistants on opposing benches.
Princeton (2-6) at Penn State (4-4) – 7:00 pm ET – ESPNU
GameTracker | Princeton audio | Penn State audio
Princeton is up against two trends this season being 0-5 away from Jadwin Gym and facing a Penn State team that is 4-0 at home. On paper, it doesn’t look like a great matchup for the Tigers. The Nittany Lions main defensive weakness lies on the defensive boards, and Princeton doesn’t do much offensive rebounding. Offensively, Penn State’s only real deficiency has been at the line, both in terms of drawing fouls and hitting its free throws. The Tigers may have to work to get open looks from beyond the arc, as Penn State opponents are shooting just 33.9 percent from three on the season. Sydney Johnson will need to find a way to stop Geary Claxton, who has athleticism and strength way beyond anything the Tigers have on their roster and is averaging 19.4 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.
Stat to watch: Free throws
Pomeroy says: Princeton 51, Penn State 67