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Preview: Marshall at Penn State
Marshall and host Penn State are both looking to snap two-game skids when they meet Saturday afternoon. Nittany Lions coach Patrick Chambers said his team was just a few plays away from winning tight games against Mississippi and undefeated Pittsburgh. “We’re really close to being 8-1,” Chambers told GoPSUSports.com. “A couple possessions here and there, a couple stops, a couple defensive rebounds, being in a better position, just little things.”
Marshall, which Chambers likened to Ole Miss, knows all about close games. The Thundering Herd have two overtimes games and a two-point defeat to Vanderbilt among its four losses. Marshall is led by returning starter Elijah Pittman and has nine newcomers after losing seven lettermen from last year’s squad.
TV: 4 p.m. ET, ESPN3
ABOUT MARSHALL (4-4): The 6-9 Pittman averages 22.9 points and leads the team in 3-point shooting, hitting 27-of-70 from the arc. Redshirt freshman point guard Kareem Canty adds 17.1 points per game and sophomore transfer Chris Thomas chips in 12.1. Marshall, playing its third straight road game, is 0-3 this season away from home after a second-half comeback fell short at Vanderbilt on Thursday.
ABOUT PENN STATE (6-3): Tim Frazier (19.4 points, seven assists, 4.4 rebounds) and D.J. Newbill (19.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists) make up one of the country’s top guard tandems. Brandon Taylor adds 11.6 points and Ross Travis contributes 10.6 points and a team-high eight rebounds per game. Penn State averages only 8.7 turnovers, among the best in the country, and is forcing 10.3.
TIP-INS
1. Frazier ranks fifth in the country in assists per game while Canty is tied for sixth at 6.9.
2. Penn State leads the series 5-0, but the teams haven’t meet since 1992.
3. Marshall is forcing 15.4 turnovers and turned 18 Vanderbilt turnovers into 29 points.
PREDICTION: Penn State 78, Marshall 70
