YAY HOOPS: Lions Look for Another Sweep

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The Flaming Bus is on its way to Iowa City in search of another road win

Here’s the thing about the flaming bus. You just can’t ever escape watching it nearly careen off a cliff in a fireball to somehow steady itself and give you a nice enjoyable, carefree ride. That was the case over the weekend as Penn State took control of a home game against IU and despite a couple of late Hoosier runs, the Lions came away with a second-straight conference win to even their overall record at 14-14.

That win also likely gave Penn State its first season sweep of Indiana since 2009 - when the Nittany Lions went 3-0 against the Hoosiers. Well, the Lions have another chance at a regular season sweep of a conference opponent on Tuesday when they travel to the heart of Hawkeye country for another matchup against Iowa. Earlier this month, Penn State knocked off Iowa 89-79 behind Ace Baldwin’s 22 point, six assist, and four steal effort.

Feel free to use this as Tuesday night’s game thread with all the typical things holding true - be respectful in all ways. But also, look below to read more about the Hawkeyes.

Scouting the Opposition

Much like Penn State, Iowa has ridden quite the roller coaster in conference play - which is why they find themselves with identical B1G records. The Hawkeyes had a pair of nice wins in the past 10 days, knocking off Wisconsin 88-86 at home and going on the road to the Breslin Center to beat Michigan State. The win streak was stopped over the weekend, however, as Illinois beat Iowa by 10 at home.

Iowa has four players that average in double figures - and that makes sense for a team that averages 83.5 points per game. Payton Sandfort leads at 15.4 points per game and he’s a high volume 3-point shooter, accounting for close to three 3-point makes per game. Ben Krikke, who averages 14.3 points per game, went for 22 points on 10-of-18 shooting in the first matchup between the teams.

What to Watch For

• Defending Without Fouling

Penn State ranks amongst the best teams in the league in defending the 3-point linea, something that would historically mean big things against an Iowa program that has been renowned for its 3-point shooting. But this year is a little different for the Hawkeyes, who made just four 3-pointers in the loss at the BJC earlier this month, but who went to the foul line 30 times in a recent four-point win against Wisconsin at home. Penn State has been great at running shooters off the line, but can they keep from fouling against an Iowa squad that typically gets a few calls at home.

• Baldwin vs. Perkins, Part 2

Baldwin and Iowa’s Tony Perkins have played very well in the conference season. They have their second matchup, one that Baldwin got the best of earlier this season. Your best players have to play great to come away with road wins - so Baldwin winning this matchup again is critical for the Lions to have a shot at the Vegas upset.

• A House of Horrors

Penn State has won just once in Iowa City since 2001 - and that came all the way back in 2017. For those keeping count, Iowa has won 15 of its last 16 in the series at home. Penn State will be fighting the ghost of Jake Kelly’s banked 3-pointers to even its mark in Big Ten play.

Prediction

I wrote this before the Michigan State game in this ssame space: “With a win here, I think it’s fair to start at least peaking at potential “what ifs” for postseason play. But, unfortunately, I don’t think there’s a win happening here.”

Same goes for tonight.

Iowa 83, Penn State 72

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By: Bennett765
Title: YAY HOOPS: Lions Look for Another Sweep
Sourced From: www.blackshoediaries.com/2024/2/27/24084517/penn-state-iowa-basketball-preview-february-2024-sweep
Published Date: Tue, 27 Feb 2024 15:16:41 +0000

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