Meet The Opponent: The Red-Hot Penn State Nittany Lions
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. —Take a glance at the Big Ten basketball standings, and you almost have to a double take. Is that really Penn State sitting there at 8-4, a game out of first and ranked No. 13 in the country?
No. 13? That's usually where the Nittany Lions rank in the Big Ten. But this year that's all changed in Happy Valley. Pat Chambers has been putting things together little by little there, and now he has a team led by seniors — and they're really good. Really.
Purdue gets a first-hand look tonight at Mackey Arena. It's their first time seeing senior forward Lamar Stevens, who's just been on fire lately. He was the league's player of the week after beating Michigan State and Minnesota, and he scored a career-high 33 points against the Gophers.
“Lamar had that look in his eyes that a senior gets when you’re running out of games,” Chambers said after the Minnesota game. “He knew what he had to do.”
Here are the particulars on today's game:
- Who: Penn State Nittany Lions (18-5, 8-4 in the Big Ten) vs. Purdue Boilermakers (14-10, 7-6 in the Big Ten)
- When: 6:30 p.m., ET, Tuesday, Feb. 11
- Where: Mackey Arena, West Lafayette, Ind.
- Latest Line: Purdue is a 5-point favorite as of Tuesday afternoon, according to VegasInsiders.com.
- Poll rankings: Penn State is now No. 13 in the Associated Press, jumping nine spots last week after winning two games, and also sits at No. 13 in the Coaches poll. Purdue is receiving votes in both polls, and would be No, 31 in AP and No. 32 in the Coaches poll.
- Kenpom.com rankings: Penn State is No. 15, and Purdue is No. 14.
- TV: Big Ten Network
- Announcers: Kevin Kugler, Shon Morris
- Radio: Purdue Radio Network
- Announcers: Rob Blackman, Larry Clisby
Here are three things you need to know about the Penn State Nittany Lions:
1. Lamar Stevens really can do it all
It's obvious that Lamar Stevens wants his last season at Penn State to be a special one. During this current six-game winning streak, he's averaging 21.6 points and 6.7 rebounds a game. He's making a serious run at Big Ten Player of the YEAR.
“My mindset is just that I’m going to do whatever it takes to win. I was going to get the feel of the game and if I had to score, I had to score,” Stevens said. “If I had to get stops, I was just going to try to get stops. That was my main focus.”
2. Myreon Jones should be back tonight
Penn State guard Myreon Jones missed the weekend victory over Minnesota because of illness, and his status is still uncertain for Tuesday's matchup with Purdue. He did practice Monday, so plan on him being out there in some capacity. He's averaging 14.3 points per game and is shooting 41.3 percent from 3-point range.
Either way, Penn State keeps finding guys to rally, keeping this winning streak rolling. “All these experiences toughen us up, and it has shown that other guys need to step up and make impacts.” Chambers said.
3. Rariefied air high up in the national rankings
Penn State's nine-point jump in the rankings was their biggest ever in the AP Poll. It's also rare that they are winning this late into the Big Ten season. There are only two seasons in Penn State's Big Ten era — 2020 and 1996 — when the Nittany Lions have had a winning record after 12 conference games.
They've also been very good on the road in league play. Penn State is the only team in the Big Ten this season with a winning record on the road (4-3).
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STORIES
- ON FIRE: Aaron Wheeler snaps out of his slump at the right time. CLICK HERE
- PLAYER OF WEEK: Penn State's Lamar Stevens wins Big Ten award. CLICK HERE
- HOOSIERS GO DOWN: Purdue beats Indiana in Bloomington for the fourth year in a row. CLICK HERE
