Drexel at Penn State 11/25/20 - College Basketball Picks & Predictions

By: Mike |

Last Updated: 11/24/2020 at 8:44 AM ET

The Drexel Dragons visit Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, Pennsylvania on Wednesday to play the Penn State Nittany Lions in the opening game of the regular season for both teams. Drexel was 14-19 overall and 6-12 in the Colonial Athletic Association last season. The Dragons finished in eighth place in the CAA. The Dragons lost eight of their last nine games and 11 of their final 13.

Drexel’s key players returning are Cam Wynter, Zach Walton and James Butler, while the biggest addition is junior college transfer Chuka Mekkam. Last season Drexel was loaded with underclassmen and this season with one year of experience under their belt the Dragons should play well in the CAA. Wynter scored an average of 15.7 points per game and handed out 5.1 assists per game last season. Wynter was named to the CAA second-team All-League. JUCO transfer Mekkam will inject scoring into the Drexel offense immediately. 

Penn State was 21-10 overall and 11-9 in the Big Ten last season. The Nittany Lions enjoyed a very successful season for the program and were on their way to playing in their first NCAA tournament since 2011 before the season was canceled. Former high scorer Lamar Stevens is no longer with the team but key returnees are Myreon Jones who averaged 13.3 points per game and Myles Dread, who averaged 8.6 points per game. Five other players on the roster including guard Jamari Wheeler return for the Nittany Lions.

Jones and Dread were last year's starting backcourt for the Nittany Lions and will be joined by Jamari Wheeler who started every game last season for Penn State. New faces for Penn State consists of five freshmen: guard Caleb Dorsey, guard DJ Gordon, guard Dallion Johnson, forward Patrick Kelly and forward Abdou Tsimbila. All five freshmen that joined the Nittany Lions are three-star recruits, but with the amount of experienced players returning from last season the freshman will not see much time on the court at the beginning of the season.

With the exception of Lamar Stevens, Penn State has most of its top scorers returning from last season including their entire three-player backcourt. Penn State has won 19 of its last 23 straight up at home. Drexler on the other hand has several new faces on the roster and the Dragons have failed to cover seven of their last eight on the road. Drexel will find it hard to score consistently against a tough Nittany Lions defense and Penn State will gradually pull away for a large double-digit victory. Final Score Prediction, Penn State Nittany Lions win and cover ATS 79-53.

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