Penn State Meets Texas A&M in NCAA Tournament Rematch

The unbeaten Nittany Lions get their first test on Thanksgiving against the 17th-ranked Aggies.

Penn State men's basketball coach Mike Rhoades has said it a few times and isn't wrong: His team is punching up in weight this week after four tune-ups to open the season. The Nittany Lions (4-0) head to Florida for the ESPN Events Invitational, opening with No. 12 Texas A&M (4-0) on Thursday. The Aggies, who finished last season ranked 17th. are beginning to hit their stride under coach Buzz Williams.

“They have a solidified culture, as I like to say. They know how they're gonna play, no matter who they play against and go about it their way and they play extremely physical and extremely hard,” Rhoades said Monday. “They're an established program. We're not an established program. We're figuring out here on the fly how to build an established culture and program. That's their advantage. But still gotta play the game. Still a 40-minute game.”

A lot has changed, of course, but these two teams matched up in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Penn State won 76-59 to put a stamp on Micah Shrewsberry’s time in Happy Valley. Just five Nittany Lions (three of whom are scholarship players) return from that team, while Texas A&M brings back nine. Rhoades watched that game once over the summer and again two days ago, While he acknowledged the changes make this less of a grudge match, he’d be happy if the circumstances bring any extra juice Thursday.

“They'll be fired up, their coaches will use it. Coaches use everything they can for motivation and to get their team ready, so I'm sure they will use it,” Rhoades said. “We'll make sure our guys are aware of it, but I wasn't here. You guys keep writing about it, they'll enjoy it.”

Through the start of this season, Penn State sits 72nd in the KenPom rankings; Texas A&M is 17th. The Lions’ strength-of-schedule ranking (355) is among the lowest in Division I basketball so far. By all measures, the Aggies are more tested, more experienced and favored to win.

One of Texas A&M’s biggest strengths correlates to one of the Lions’ biggest weaknesses. The Aggies are plus-14 in rebounding margin and pull down 19.3 offensive rebounds per game. Penn State has let smaller teams hang around on the glass, something Rhoades addressed after the team's win over Saint Francis. The Lions have also shot below 30 percent from 3-point range, while the Aggies have held opponents to a similar mark.

“We shoot better in practice right now than we do in games. We have the right guys shooting the shots and games, we gotta shoot it better,” Rhoades said. “You can be great in rehearsal, but when you’re on the stage in a real game, you gotta be ready to knock them down. That’s the next step for us.”

Penn State’s strengths have been defensive, turning opponents over 21.5 times a game. Texas A&M has been sure-handed with the basketball, but Rhoades’ defensive tempo has been noteworthy for years and could be the recipe for an upset this week. Penn State also ran a ton of press against Morehead State, a bit of a new wrinkle for this team. Rhoades has pointed for a long time about the importance of defense for players to earn minutes.

“You can't get off the court in practice of a defensive drill until it's right. That's just the standard we have. I really appreciate the effort of the guys,” Rhoades said, highlighting the number of new players in his system.

“Today I was talking to Zach [Hicks] and I asked him, ‘How hard is it playing our style?’ He goes, ‘It’s really hard, coach. Even my dad says he’s never seen me play defense like this,’” Rhoades added. “I just really believe if you can defend different ways with great intensity and it becomes your standard, you always give yourself a chance.”

Penn State and Texas A&M tip off at noon on Thanksgiving on ESPN. The Lions will face either No. 19 FAU, a returning Final Four team, or Butler on Friday.

“I want to see us try to play our style and our way more than the opponent's way. I think that's really important,” Rhoades said. “When you have adversity, it reveals the true character of your team. There'll be a lot more adversity in the next three games than then in the last four games maybe. And that's great, because we're only going to learn from it and get better.”

Penn State Basketball Injury Report

North Carolina transfer and team captain Puff Johnson returned from injury last week but did not start in a game and played somewhat limited minutes when he did play. Rhoades said his starting lineup decisions will be fluid, but Johnson moved well in practice and will see his minutes increase “drastically.”

Miami transfer forward Favour Aire began the season injured, dealing with a break in his right hand — initially viewed as a four-to-six-week recovery. He recently had his cast removed, but Rhoades is unsure of when exactly they’ll have him back. Aire will play, though, as soon as he’s healthy.

“There’s no chance that I’m gonna have a 6’11” guy on our team sit on the bench,” Rhoades said. “He might foul out in two minutes, but I’m gonna throw him in the fire all year long to see the type of player we help him develop into.”

How to Watch Penn State Vs. Texas A&M

When: Noon ET Thursday

Where: ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Kissimmee, Florida

TV: ESPN

Streaming: FuboTV (Start your free trial)

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Max Ralph is a Penn State senior studying Broadcast Journalism with minors in sports studies and Japanese. He previously covered Penn State football for two years with The Daily Collegian and has reported with the Associated Press and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Follow him on Twitter (X) @maxralph_ and Instagram @mralph_59.

AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network.