What to expect from Wisconsin vs. Penn State

Looking to start the week fresh after a rough home loss, the Wisconsin Badgers take on the Penn State Nittany Lions on Sunday evening out in State College, Pa.

Wisconsin (10-4, 2-1 Big Ten) hopes to record its third road victory of the 2018-19 season. This after a home loss to Minnesota on Thursday where the team dug itself into a hole by scoring only 14 points in the first half en route to a 59-52 loss.

For Penn State (7-7, 0-3), it will be without head coach Pat Chambers, who was suspended one game for pushing freshman guard Myles Dread in a loss to No. 2 Michigan on Thursday night. Associate head coach Keith Urgo will take over duties for Sunday night’s match-up.

Based on the KenPom statistics below, the Nittany Lions look to be solid defensively, yet the numbers also show a struggling squad on the offensive end.

Here are some key stats and players to watch from the Nittany Lions.

Penn State team stats

• Points per game: 69.3
• Opponents’ points per game: 66.4
• Field goal percentage: 41.7
• Opponent field goal percentage: 44.3
• Three-point percentage: 32.1
• Free throw percentage: 67.7
• Turnovers per game: 13.2
• NCAA NET ranking: 72

Key KenPom.com stats

• Team rank: 49
• Adjusted offensive efficiency: 105.7 (128th in the nation)
• Adjusted defensive efficiency: 92.6 (14th in the nation)
• Offensive effective field goal percentage: 47.8 (267th in nation)
• Defensive effective field goal percentage: 49.8 (146th in nation)
• Defensive turnover percentage: 21.1 (79th in nation)
• Offensive rebound percentage: 31.5 (86th in the nation)
• Defensive rebound percentage: 24.8 (45th in the nation)
• Offensive free throws attempted/Field goals attempted: 30.5 (256th in the nation)
• Three-point percentage: 32.1 (249th in nation)
• Free-throw percentage: 67.7 (249th in nation)
• Defensive steal percentage: 11.9 (26th in nation)
• Best win: 63-62 win vs. Virginia Tech (No. 8 currently in KenPom)
• Worst loss: 59-56 loss vs. Bradley (No. 188 currently in KenPom)

Potential Nittany Lions starters

• Junior forward Lamar Stevens: 18.7 points per game, 8.4 rebounds per game; six double-doubles this season
• Sophomore forward: John Harrar: 3.7 points per game, 4.4 rebounds per game
• Sophomore forward Trent Buttrick: 2.8 points per game, 1.5 rebounds per game
• Freshman guard Rasir Bolton: 13.6 points per game, 2.3 rebounds per game
• Senior guard Josh Reaves: 9.7 points, 4.9 rebounds per game

Note: In 14 regular-season games, Penn State has used six different starting lineups.