Preseason tournaments haven't been kind to Penn State basketball over the years, but they'll press their luck once again in 2015-16, this time at the Las Vegas Classic on December 22 and 23. (Not to be confused with the Las Vegas Invitational). The consolation and championship games on the 23rd will be televised on Fox Sports 1, according to the release.
The tournament guarantees four games for each team, two of which will be "non-bracketed" games played off-site. In Penn State's case, the games will take place in State College. Logistically speaking, it seems likely that Hampton and Canisius are more likely to come to the BJC than Louisiana-Monroe and Nicholls State, though nothing is confirmed as of yet.
That leaves Kent State, Colorado and SMU (you guys ever heard of Larry Brown?) as the opponents Penn State could face in the main event at the Orleans Center. The Mustangs are the early favorites to take home the hardware, as the reigning AAC champs bring back conference player of the year Nic Moore. SMU finished the 2015 season 23rd in Ken Pomeroy's overall rankings. Colorado and Kent State both finished below Penn State in those rankings, sitting at 101 and 105, respectively.
Not much changes on our schedule predictor besides the inclusion of the four possible non-bracket game opponents. Four more opponents will be announced before the start of the season. Only five months until hoops!
Game | Date | Opponent | Type |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 11/13 | TBD | Guarantee |
2 | 11/17 or 11/18 | vs DePaul | Gavitt Games |
3 | 11/20 | at Duquesne (Consol Energy Center) | 4-yr Series |
4 | 11/? | vs Drexel (Palestra) | H-H Series |
5 | 11/? | TBD | Guarantee |
6 | 11/? | TBD | Guarantee |
7 | 12/2 | at Boston College | B1G/ACC Challenge |
8 | 12/5 | TBD | Guarantee |
9 | 12/8 | at George Washington | H-H Series |
10 | 12/? | Canisius/Hampton/Louisiana-Monroe/Nicholls St. | Las Vegas Classic (at PSU) |
11 | 12/? | Canisius/Hampton/Louisiana-Monroe/Nicholls St. | Las Vegas Classic (at PSU) |
12 | 12/22 | vs Kent State / SMU / Colorado | Las Vegas Classic |
13 | 12/23 | vs Kent State / SMU / Colorado | Las Vegas Classic |