The Penn State Nittany Lions will face a ranked opponent for the first time under head coach Mike Rhoades on Thursday afternoon when they take on the Texas A&M Aggies at State Farm Field House in Kissimmee, Florida as part of the ESPN Events Invitational.
The Nittany Lions are 4-0 on the season after defeating Morehead State this past Friday 74-51. Texas A&M enters the invitational with a 4-0 record of their own with notable wins over Ohio State, SMU, and Oral Roberts so far this season.
The Nittany Lions and Aggies last met in last year's NCAA Tournament with Penn State picking up a 76-59 win in the first round. Outside of that win, Texas A&M has won each of the other four meetings including a 98-87 win in 2017 as part of the Progressive Classic.
Also a part of the 2023 ESPN Events Invitational which is set to take place between Thursday and Sunday is FAU, Butler, Iowa State, VCU, Boise State, and Virginia Tech.
WHERE, WHEN, HOW TO WATCH
WHEN: November 23, 2023 12:00 p.m. ET
WHERE: State Farm Field House (5,000) -- Kissimmee, Florida
TV/STREAM: ESPN
Radio: Penn State Sports Network – Steve Jones (pxp) & Dick Jerardi (analyst) / SiriusXM Ch. 372 & SXM App Big Ten Radio
The Nittany Lions and Aggies will kickoff the invitational on Thursday at noon with the rest of the schedule for Thursday being the following;
FAU vs Butler: 2:30 p.m. ET
Iowa State vs VCU: 5:30 p.m. ET
Boise State vs Virginia Tech: 8:00 p.m. ET
STAT COMPARISON
RANKINGS COMPARISON
Who is Penn State's projected starting five?
Who is Texas A&M's projected starting five?
Penn State vs Texas A&M Four Factors
Notably, Texas A&M's turnover percentage and offensive rebound percentage are among the elite in the country. Their 11.1% turnover percentage ranked sixth nationally and their offensive rebound % ranked second nationally.
PREDICTION
This is a great early-season test and measuring stick matchup for the Nittany Lions and it's going to be a tough one, to say the least. Texas A&M is ranked No. 12 in the country for a reason and the advanced stats back the Aggies being among the top teams in the country.
The Aggies are tremendous defensively which presents an intriguing matchup for the Nittany Lions. Penn State offensively this season has been led heavily by Kanye Clary, Ace Baldwin, and Qudus Wahab but there are some questions if the depth will be able to score enough in bigger games such as this.
The Penn State defense has been one of the best in the country this season but this will be a tougher test. Texas A&M offensively hasn't been great this season but their ability to dominate the boards especially offensively has been a huge key for them, the Nittany Lions, on the other hand, have allowed quite a bit of offensive rebounds this season, Qudus Wahab and the rest of the Nittany Lions will need to be aggressive on the boards in this one, especially on the defensive end of the court.
Expect Penn State to play this one close but this Texas A&M squad is shaping up to be a contender for a potential deep tournament run in March. They won't blow you away offensively but their defense is outstanding. Texas A&M 75 - Penn State 68
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