Penn State Lions vs Buffalo Bulls Picks and Predictions December 1st 2024

Penn State Looks to Regroup Against Improved Buffalo

Penn State Aims to Bounce Back

For the first time this season, Penn State coach Mike Rhoades will learn how his team reacts to adversity. After their first loss of the season, the Nittany Lions host Buffalo on Sunday in University Park, Pa., in their final nonconference game before Big Ten play begins.

Penn State (6-1) had cruised through its first six games, all won by double digits, before falling to Clemson 75-67 on Tuesday. Ace Baldwin Jr. led the Nittany Lions with 20 points and 11 assists, but the team struggled to keep pace with the Tigers.

“He’s just a warrior,” Rhoades said of Baldwin to the Penn State Sports Network. “But we needed other guys to help him in other areas. We had a lot of open 3s today that we didn’t make that we’ve been making all year. But I think (Clemson’s) physicality and their length had something to do with that.”

Shooting Struggles and Turnovers Plague Nittany Lions

The Nittany Lions shot just 4 of 18 from 3-point range against Clemson and committed 17 turnovers. While Yanic Konan Niederhauser chipped in 14 points, Penn State’s other three starters combined for just 20 points on 9-of-23 shooting.

“We’ve got to learn from it,” Rhoades emphasized. “If we can play a team like this like we did tonight and take care of some stuff and get more contributions from others, we’re going to be better and better.”

Baldwin continues to lead Penn State offensively, averaging 16.3 points per game. He is supported by Zach Hicks, who averages 14.6 points, and Niederhauser, who contributes 12.4 points and a team-high 7.0 rebounds per game.

Buffalo Making Strides

Buffalo (4-3) enters Sunday’s matchup on a two-game winning streak, including a dramatic one-point victory over North Carolina A&T on Monday. Tyson Dunn sank the decisive free throws with 8 seconds remaining, while Ryan Sabol led the way with 22 points.

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“Every guy that got in stepped up for us in different ways,” Buffalo coach George Halcovage III said. “In the end, we just had enough and got it done.”

The Bulls are showing significant improvement under Halcovage, already matching last season’s win total of four games (4-27). Sabol leads the team with 18.6 points per game, followed by Dunn at 13.3. Noah Batchelor is the Bulls’ top rebounder, averaging 6.8 boards per game.

Series History

Penn State leads the all-time series 6-2, but the teams haven’t met since 2004, when Buffalo earned a narrow 72-70 victory in University Park. Both teams will look to continue building momentum as they prepare for the next phase of their seasons.