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11/13 Big Ten Preview: Nebraska Debuts and Penn State Tries To Regroup

Preview the Big Ten’s matchups for Sunday afternoon, including a shot for Penn State to regroup.

NCAA Basketball: Albany at Penn State Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

The Big Ten will continue the 2016-’17 season with six games on Sunday afternoon and evening. There aren’t any marquee matchups, but Nebraska will tip off its season and Penn State will look to regroup after an opening night letdown.

Preview all the games below. All spreads are based on KenPom.

Big Ten Game of the Day:

-Duquesne at Penn State

  • Time/TV: 6:00PM ET - BTN
  • KenPom Spread: Penn State (-7)

Penn State had a disappointing performance in its opener on Friday night, falling at home to Albany. Many thought that it could be a tricky games for the Nittany Lions heading into the matchup, but it was still a disappointing loss in what many thought would be the start of a new chapter of Penn State basketball.

As a result of that loss, Penn State will now face Duquesne on Sunday seeking its first win this season. Duquesne is a step back from Albany, but has a young rotation and a backcourt that could matchup with Penn State’s backcourt. The key players to watch for Duquesne figure to be Isiah Mike and Tarin Smith.

  • Pick Against The Spread: Duquesne

The Rest:

-Northern Kentucky at Illinois

  • Time/TV: 6:00PM ET - BTN2Go
  • KenPom Spread: Illinois (-16)

Illinois rolled to an easy win on Friday night against Southeast Missouri State and figures to do the same thing on Sunday. While Northern Kentucky should be a tad more challenging, the Norse don’t have anyone who can matchup with players like Malcolm Hill. One thing to watch will be to see whether Mike Thorne can earn more minutes. He showed some signs that he was back on Friday, but Illinois still needs to see more.

  • Pick Against The Spread: Northern Kentucky

-Savannah State at Iowa

  • Time/TV: 3:30PM ET - BTN2Go
  • KenPom Spread: Iowa (-17)

Iowa got a nice win on Friday night thanks in large part to the play of Peter Jok and freshman Tyler Cook. Savannah State won’t bring a lot of new challenges to Iowa City, but the wing group could be an intriguing matchup for a young Iowa group. Watch for how Iowa defends Robert Kelly.

  • Pick Against The Spread: Iowa

-IUPUI at Michigan

  • Time/TV: 12:00PM ET - ESPNU
  • KenPom Spread: Michigan (-18)

Michigan started its season with a bit of a sloppy win over Howard and will now face a significantly better (but still bad) opponent in IUPUI. The key battle figures to be in the backcourt where the Wolverines will have to contain players like Darell Combs and Kellon Thomas. The defensive player of Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman and Derrick Walton will be key.

  • Pick Against The Spread: IUPUI

-Sacramento State at Nebraska

  • Time/TV: 8:00PM ET - BTN
  • KenPom Spread: Nebraska (-14)

Nebraska is the only Big Ten team that hasn’t played a game, but that will end on Sunday with a matchup against Sacramento State at home. Sacramento State is coming off a 14-17 season and shouldn’t pose too tough of a challenge for Nebraska, but the team generally controls the ball well and maximizes its possession. Nebraska will have to avoid sloppy turnovers, which will be a key challenge for Glynn Watson and Tai Webster.

  • Pick Against The Spread: Nebraska

-Drexel at Rutgers

  • Time/TV: 4:00PM ET - BTN
  • KenPom Spread: Rutgers (-9)

The Steve PIkiell era of Rutgers basketball began with an easy win over Molloy on Friday night. However, things are set to get far more challenging this time out with a matchup against Drexel. The Dragons aren’t necessarily outstanding, but have a player in Kurk Lee that should make an impact. One key area to watch will be how Rutgers performs on the boards against Lee and the rest of Drexel.

  • Pick Against The Spread: Rutgers

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Season Record vs The Spread: 6-6