#16 R.P.I. Virginia Tech @ #81 R.P.I. Pennsylvania State: 

Virginia Tech men’s basketball returns to the court after doing you know hoo on the gridiron and after a truly smothering performance after that out on the hardwood.

The Hokies brought Bud Foster over and he coached Buzz’s D from the gangway up above. Or something like that, as holding an opponent to 37 point total shooting does real live wonders for your statistical stop-unit basis. As only one Flash was allowed to flash more than eight points. However, Buzz and Co. now face a tougher go out on the road with Big-10 Penn State in the 7 pm Tuesday night slot on ESPN’s made for T.V. A.c.c. vs. Big-10 Challange thingy. Nevertheless, you wanna know who will win, right? Read on to find, out!

Penn State Head Coach: Patrick Brian Chambers: age=46, 158-152 overall, and 116-124 at Penn State. Has a rep’ for: rebounding, defense, precision and concise offensive-set.
$900,000.oo

Born in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, baller Chambers played collegiate basketball at Philadelphia University. Despite joining the team without a scholarship, he left it as the starting point guard and the team record-holder in assists. He is currently 7th all-time in steals and led the team to four NCAA Division II Sweet 16 appearances and two Elite Eight finishes. Pretty good walk-on work if you can get it; ain’t it?

Coach Chambers took over for Dennis Wolff as the head coach at Boston University following the 2008–09 season. He was previously the associate head coach at Villanova University. He started at Villanova as director of operations in May 2004. He was promoted to assistant coach after one season and finally Associate Head Coach in June 2008. Prior to ‘Nova, Chambers was an assistant at Philadelphia University, Delaware Valley College and Episcopal Academy. In his first season at Bos’U, Chambers led the Terriers to a 21–14 overall record and an 11–5 mark in league play. The Terriers fell just short of an America East Tournament Championship after falling to University of Vermont 83–70 on March 13, 2010. The team did qualify for the 3rd annual College Basketball Invitational and won their first postseason game since 1959. They also hosted the first postseason game in program history, defeating Morehead State University in overtime at Case Gymnasium.

In Chambers’ second season at Boston University, he again led the Terriers to a 21–14 overall mark, including a 12–4 mark in conference play. They defeated Stony Brook University at Agganis Arena to win their sixth conference title and clinch an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. They received a #16 seed and fell to the #1 seed Kansas Jayhawks in the round of 64 by a score of 72–53. The game marked the Terriers’ first appearance in the NCAA tournament since 2002.

Penn State announced Chambers as the 12th head coach in Nittany Lion basketball history in June 2011. The best season Chambers has had at Penn State so far has been 2017 where the team finished 26-13 and their highest Big Ten finish in his tenure. The season was highlighted with 3 wins over Ohio State and an eventual 2017 NIT Championship. As coach Pat has authored four post-seasons as a nine-year big-whistle thus far.

Chambers and his wife Courtney have four children: Grace, Ryan, Caitlyn, and Patrick.

Penn State at a glance:

• 7th in contesting the 3 (22.9% allowed)!
• 59th in scoring D (64.3 ppg allowed).
• 88th in swipes (8.3 spg).
• 103rd in offensive rebounding (11.8 o-rpg).
• 141st in defensive FG percentage allowed (41.3%).
• 1 injury listed (Godspeed).
• Everything else pretty well +/- 1 standard deviation.

Lions Returning Starters=3

Penn State Strengths:

• Courting the alpha player on the floor? Yes, I’d say that counts as a strength… and so would one #11, Lamar Stevens his ownself. As a third-year 6′8″and, 233 -almost looks like he could add more (right-mass)- lbs. S/F, this 25 & 9 (ppg and rpg) baller is legit. Very. Truly. As Lamar -and his right-earring- will be one of the very best Forwards we face all year. Be yee FOX or CNN, those really are some most useful and productive digits to field. Now mix in 2 dimes dropped, 1.3 steals, and 293% more FT-attempts than anybody else (at 82% makes) and you see just how valuable this cat-Stevens is to all things roundball Nittany Lion. Because if Lamar only had credible 3-point range (26% from deep)— it would be almost, unfair. As the lanky looking Lamar was only the no. 100 recruit in the nation per ESPN. He was only the Keystone (and Philly city) Player of the Year and he only won one AAAA Pennsylvania state title in high school. In which he led the state in: scoring, rebounding and blocked shots for that very same championship post-season. That’s all, he sucks, cut him right now.

  

• Josh Reaves is a 6′5″ and 214 lb. Fairfax, Va. native Swing who now balls north of the Mason-Dixon line for P.s.u. Joshua is a Sr. year S/G-wing who (same as below) was named to the all-Big-10 1st-string defensive team last season. Where he only lead the Big Ten in steals and placed 14th in the nation in swipes (2.5 spg). Right now he is second in scoring for P.s.u. at 11.8 ppg and second on the glass with 6 caroms. Now add-in being the A-side in assists (3.4 apg) and the team lead from behind the 3-point line on 42% long and you have a pretty valuable if not a pretty dominant baller on your hands. Josh was a one time (St.Paul) state-champion and the no.74 recruit in America (per ESPN.com). He has a history of late-game heroics, end-game shooting, and post-season (59%) shooting. And, momo’, so don’t get too close although do mind the store here if this one is close down the stretch. And oh yes, Lindy’s only listed Reaves as their alpha Big-Ten defender this year.
• Off-G, 6′4″ and 215 lb. rookie or nugget year Myles Dread was the always lucrative 2018 Gatorade Player of the Year for Washington D.C. and he too got O&M away. Myles is thrid in scoring (11.8 ppg), this after running five more college basketball games than you or I. He also gets you 4 rebounds and nearly 2 swipes on 36% shooting from range. Although his clanky 50% from the charity-stripe could use some touch/reps. Dread was not dreadful as accruing scholastic hoopology honors went… as he won about everything you can win locally and regionally as a potent high school outburst scorer goes. Low 40’s in points were (semi) routine here and you have to wonder where this talented kid will be come 2021… if he is still at H.Valley that is?

P.S.U. Weaknesses:

• Mike Watkins is a 6′9″and now an all bulked-up 258 lb. r-Jr. year Four with the emphasis on power in P/F here. Last year the Philly native only managed 13 ppg and 9 boards so his low-post presence is sorely missed right now. Ditto his team-leading 2.7 bpg and tritto his team-pacing 69% from the floor last year. In addition to his previous all-Big-10 defensive 1st-team honors. As (unfortunately) the whispers say: “mental health” issues here. St.Xenia bless! Although the cop-shop scuttlebutt says: loose-canon: With one McDonald’s line-cutting patron knocked-out, one carlot window smashed-out and just one change of possession of marijuana. Mmmm-k… Watkins -who prolly does have overseas pro’ game- is officially listed as: “questionable” for this one and yes I’d have to… agree.
• All-Big-10 G, Tony Carr left early and so did his best individual P.s.u. hoopster game in years quite plural. Also gone is his 21 ppg on a mere 44% beyond the arc.
• The vibes say this years team is thin on depth and wants for 3-point shooters to boot.
• And this is nearly an all-rookie backcourt (not named: Reaves).

Nittany Lions Bench: (depth=3’ish)

6′2″ and 181 lb. t-Fr., Rasir Bolton is a first-year Pt.Guard fresh off of a perfected year National H.S. Championship bling campaign last year. He too is a Commonwealth escapee (Petersburg, Va.) with a lowly 57% shooting last year when dialing long-distance. That’s all. Right now he nets you 10.8 ppg on 31% on his 3-ball so far. Though his 30.4% shooting and/or shot-selection do need some work, the skillset for snipping marksman style and scoping out three-pointers seems (eventually) most willing indeed. As R.Bolt’s is said to be a versatile, multifaceted G who can play all 3-backcourt positions who his very own coach says: “will blow you away“. snap!

Sophomoric John Harrar is a 6′9″ and 243 lb. P/F who gives the N.Lions some relief in the paint at 4.6 ppg and a useful 4.9 rpg. P.s.u. did go .875 when this guy started last season… I’ma jus’ sayin’…

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Illation, conclusion(s) and OPT digits:

Number of Nit.Lions who could start @Tech=2.

the takeaway:
The takeaway here is… this is a nitty-gritty Nittany Lion hoops team at 3 up and 2 down— who may not be easy on the eye because they ain’t exactly trying to enter any catty beauty pageants per their pet style of play.

P.s.u. is +3 on rest and that prolly doesn’t hurt any hosting thing one iota. As our Hokiebird must fly 368 miles to get there and that’s prolly not helping anything 1ι, either.

 ***

You’ve prolly come to the right place.

The call…

When you study the Pennsylvania State box scores, you see that all-conference F Lamar Stevens has led the Nittany Lions in: scoring, rebounding, assisting or stealing 15 times in five games.

Or in other words… someone might wanna get in the shirt of #11 of P.s.u.

The thing is… he’s an awkward match-up for our small-ball line-up as you do not wanna waste many -if any- of K.Blackshear’s fouls checking him fulltime upfront. That tells me that this likely lowercase post-season bound Penn State hoops team will hang around a bit…

However, it does not tell me that P.s.u. has enough firepower to win at home here. In the meantime do not die of shock if the initial 20 minutes of hoops are played at a slower more scoreboard sobering pace before Buzzektball gets more comfortable and eventually gets loose to close the show in offensively superior style in the final 10-15 minutes of ball. As I have to like our dearth of backcourt experience to show out, eventually; Tuesday nite.

And I also like how this early 2018 Hokie hardwood club is doing a very sharp job of pushing out opposing perimeter ballers and forcing opponents to win an even longer {sic: range} game. Plus some added on the Pt.Guard on-the-ball pressure and there you go. Segueing… and mutually, if Bolton remains chilly/slumpy (17% in the last fortnight) our traveling odds go way-way up here.

Accordingly, and italicized foreshadowing intended, I do favor the Atlantic Coast Club here, although methinks that this A.c.c./Big-10 hoops ditty has been full of curveballs
in the past, to mix my sporting metaphor all the more.

i.e. take Tech, and take Tech larger later on.

(71% confidence interval)
Virginia Tech=74, Penn State=63

“LETS GO!”

“Hokies!”

 bourbonstreet**