Basketball Opponent Pregame Glimpse: Penn State Nittany Lions
Penn State Nittany Lions 13-5 (3-4 in Big Ten)
Last Result: Penn State Nittany Lions 90, Ohio State Buckeyes 76
After losing three straight games to Rutgers, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, the Nittany Lions responded with a convincing win over the No. 21 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes in Happy Valley. Penn State did not trail the entire game after going up 6-4 on a Lamar Stevens three with 17:10 left in the first half. In fact, the Buckeyes never came within single digits the entire second half, as the Nittany Lions were in control almost the entire contest, leading by as many as 20. Penn State had five players with at least nine points in the game, which were forward Lamar Stevens who had 24, guard Myreon Jones who had 20, forward Seth Lundy who had 12, guard Myles Dread who had 10 and center Mike Watkins who had nine. The Penn State is usually really good averaging 77.9 points, which ranks 22nd best in college basketball, on Saturday, though, the Nittany Lion offense was outstanding, scoring at least 90 points for the first time in Big Ten play and shooting 53.7% from the field. The Nittany Lions were able to win the turnover and rebounding battles in the game. Penn State also accounted for seven blocks in the contest, which isn’t surprising, as they rank 8th best in the country in blocks per game at 6.1. Despite Buckeyes Duane Washington Jr. coming off the bench for a career high 20 points, the Buckeyes never were really able to make this game competitive, as the Nittany Lions picked up a huge win.
Penn State’s Last Matchup Against Michigan:
February 4th, 2019: Penn State Nittany Lions 75, Michigan Wolverines 69
Last time the Wolverines played the Nittany Lions was in Happy Valley, and it wasn’t such a happy outing for Michigan. The No. 6 Wolverines got handed their third loss of the season, which ended in Penn State fans storming the court. The Nittany Lions were led by Lamar Stevens who had 26 points and Myles Dread who had five threes in the contest. After a dominating first half by Penn State, in which they led by 13 heading into the break, John Beilein picked up two technical fouls, getting ejected for the first time as the Michigan head coach, before heading into the locker room. Therefore Michigan started the second half down 16. The Wolverines cut the deficit to as little as four points on multiple occasions; however, they could never pull closer. Their comeback effort fell short despite Charles Mathews 24 points on 8-for-11 shooting. Michigan was not helped by the fact that one of their best players Ignas Brazdeikis was in foul trouble most of the game, which only allowed him to play 17 minutes in the contest. Brazdeikis and Zavier Simpson both finished the game with four fouls and Mathews even fouled out in the contest, while the Nittany Lions had no players finish the game with more than three fouls. That led to the huge discrepancy in free throw attempts, as Penn State attempted 34 compared to the Wolverines 16, which was part of the reason Beilein was arguing with the refs before heading into the locker room.
Players to Watch:
Lamar Stevens, Forward, Senior
Lamar Stevens has scored double digit points in each of his last 32 games dating back to last season. To some people's surprise, Stevens decided not to enter the NBA draft after last season and come back for his senior season. The Nittany Lions 6-8 forward is averaging 16.6 points per game, which ranks 4th highest in the Big Ten, and also adds 6.9 rebounds per contest. Stevens averages 12.9 shots per game and is shooting a solid 45.9% from the field. The forward out of Philadelphia has been struggling behind the arc, though, shooting just 25.5% from three. Therefore don’t be surprised if the Wolverines dare Stevens to shoot and just try to contain him off the dribble, as he has a solid mid-range game and is good around the basket. Recently foul trouble has been sort of an issue for Stevens, as he has finished with at least three fouls in five of his last six games. If the Nittany Lions want to pull off the upset in Ann Arbor, Stevens will have to have a very solid game and stay out of foul trouble.
Myreon Jones, Guard, Sophomore
In his second season, Jones has gone from an average bench player to a starting guard that has played an immense role in the Nittany Lion’s success. The 6-3 guard is averaging 14.2 points on 44.8% from the field, 2.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. Jones is an outside threat, as he shoots an average of 5.7 threes per game and makes 39.8% of them. Like Stevens, Jones will have to play well for Penn State to be able to keep up with the Wolverines, considering how tough it is to win on the road in the Big Ten.
How do you see tonight's game going? Can the Wolverines keep Lamar Stevens in check and get a win? Comment below!!!
