New Hampshire vs. Penn State Men’s Basketball Preview
After back-to-back home victories over Army and Delaware State, the Penn State Nittany Lions (6-4) look to extend their winning streak against the New Hampshire Wildcats (4-6) on Sunday at the Bryce Jordan Center.
New Hampshire is coming off a tight 61-59 overtime loss to Boston College, whom Penn State struggled mightily against in a 73-61 loss on November 28. UNH held Boston College to just 2-22 from 3 point land, which is a strong point in the New Hampshire defense; the Wildcats have held their last four opponents to a combined 14-76 from deep for an eye-popping 18%. UNH currently ranks second in the nation in total 3 point field goal defense.
The Nittany Lions have shot the three-ball well during their recent winning streak, connecting at a 38% clip over their past two games, sustained mostly by junior guard Jermaine Marshall who hit a clutch game-tying 3 in the waning moments of Saturday’s overtime win against DSU.
Penn State coach Pat Chambers is no stranger to UNH head coach Bill Herrion. The two squared off five times during Chamber’s tenure at Boston University, with the Terriers prevailing in four of the five matchups, including the America East Conference quarterfinal in 2011. Herrion enjoyed some NCAA Tournament success as the head coach at Drexel in the mid 90’s.
New Hampshire’s basketball struggles have become an annual tradition; the Wildcats went 13-16 last year and have not posted a winning record since the ’94-’95 season.
Penn State hopes to continue getting consistent contributions from freshman forward Brandon Taylor and junior forward Sasa Borovnjak. Taylor hit a pair of pressure-fueled free throws to seal a victory on Saturday, while Borovnjak chipped in a season-high 14 points.
Sophomore point guard D.J. Newbill will remain the focal point of Penn State’s offense as they continue to adjust to playing without all-conference star Tim Frazier. Newbill has answered the call admirably; the 6’4 Southern Mississippi transfer tied his season high with a 22 point effort against Delaware State, and continues to dish and rebound the ball at an impressive rate. He and Frazier could make for an impressive back court in 2013-2014.
The key to a Penn State victory on Sunday will be stopping New Hampshire senior Ferg Myrick, a Philadelphia native. The 6’6 forward has been on a tear as of late, recording 21 points, 8 rebounds and 5 steals against Boston College and a career-high 24 points and 11 boards on December 8th versus Yale.
Myrick says his team is relishing the opportunity to play on the Big Ten Network. “We can play with anybody no matter what level, what conference, says Myrick. We’re gonna try and bring the same intensity that we’ve been bringing in every game… We can play with anyone.”
Chris Pelcher, a 6’10 transfer from Elon, has averaged a solid 12.4 points and 7.6 rebounds for the Wildcats.
Though UNH boasts strong interior play, Penn State has stifled formidable big men all season long. The Lions held NBA lottery prospect C.J. Leslie to only 14 points, and halted Bucknell’s Mike Muscala and Penn’s budding star Fran Dougherty to just 10 and 7 points, respectively. They hope to have the same success against Myrick, though he says Penn State will get his team’s best effort. “We’re gonna take care of the ball, we’re gonna be aggressive, and we want to get out and run and open things up on transition”, says Myrick.
A win on Sunday would extend Penn State’s winning streak to three games, and they could be peaking at just the right time; the Lions tip off Big Ten conference play on January 3 when they travel to Madison to take on the Wisconsin Badgers.
Ben Morse is a senior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, e-mail bdm5145@psu.edu.
