Aug. 23, 2007
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA., AUG. 23, 2007 - The Penn State Nittany Lion basketball team will play eight home games and make trips away from the Bryce Jordan Center to play in the Old Spice Classic in Orlando, Fla., and at St. Joseph's during the 2007-08 non-conference season. Penn State's non-conference dates and opponents have been set with tip times and television arrangements to be announced when finalized.
Games vs. Virginia Tech on Wednesday, Nov. 28 and Seton Hall on Saturday, Dec. 8 highlight the home schedule, which will also include nine Big Ten home games for a total of 17 on the season. The Nittany Lions will take on the Hokies in the last game of the 2007 Big Ten/ACC Challenge in a 9:30 p.m. tip on ESPN2. The Nittany Lions and Hokies last met in 1979 and Virginia Tech, which reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season, holds a 4-0 lead in the series. The Nittany Lions own a 4-1 mark against Seton Hall as the Big East representative comes to the Jordan Center after downing the Nittany Lions, 69-59, last year in the Meadowlands.
"We have a very challenging schedule overall in the non-conference season and will be tested very early, so we'll have a great barometer for things we need to work on," Penn State coach Ed DeChellis said. "We are going to have the opportunity to play some outstanding teams and have some exciting games in the Jordan Center for our fans."
The Nittany Lions will open the season at home on Monday, Nov. 12 when they take on St. Francis (Pa.), one of seven teams on the non-conference slate Penn State holds a winning record against. Penn State downed the Red Flash, 88-74, in the last meeting in 2005 at the Jordan Center.
Canisius will come to town the following Friday, Nov. 16. The teams have met once previously with Penn State downing the Golden Griffs, 66-62, in the third place game of the 1995 NIT in Madison Square Garden.
Penn State will travel to Orlando, Fla., during the week of Thanksgiving to play three games in the Old Spice Classic at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex. Games will be played Thursday, Friday and Sunday (Nov. 22, 23 and 25) at the 5,000-seat Milk House and will be televised on ESPN2 and ESPNU. Penn State will play South Carolina in the opening game of the eight-team tournament on Thursday, Nov. 22 at 12:00 p.m. on ESPN2. The two schools last met in 1982 and the series stands 1-1. The tournament field also includes three teams that reached post-season play last season, Villanova (NCAA), Kansas State (NIT) and North Carolina State (NIT), as well as the University of Central Florida, George Mason (a 2006 Final Four participant) and Rider. Additional information on the Old Spice Classic can be found at www.oldspiceclassic.com.
"The Old Spice Classic is a great tournament," DeChellis said. "We'll have three high level games on national television. I wanted to expose our program on national television like that and we'll have the chance to play teams from the SEC, the Big East, Big 12 and perhaps the ACC. I think it will be a great experience for our players and our fans."
The Nittany Lions will return home to face Virginia Tech before hitting the road to face St. Joseph's on Saturday, Dec. 1 at the Palestra in Philadelphia. Penn State owns a 13-8 lead in the series and downed the Hawks, 65-61, in a thrilling game last year in the Jordan Center.
"We are looking forward to playing near our fans in the Philadelphia area and in a building with the storied tradition of the Palestra," DeChellis said. "We had a terrific game with St. Joe's at home last year and that will be a tough road test for us." Penn State will close out its remaining non-conference schedule at home with five dates in the Jordan Center to close out the month of December. The Nittany Lions will take on Seton Hall (Sat., Dec. 8), Princeton (Wed., Dec. 12), Denver (Sat., Dec. 15), Colgate (Sun., Dec. 23) and Lehigh (Mon., Dec. 31).
Penn State owns a 7-3 mark vs. Princeton having won the last meeting, 65-52, at the 2000 ECAC Holiday Classic in Madison Square Garden. The Nittany Lions lost their lone previous meeting with Denver falling, 58-50, at the Evansville Tournament in 1960. Penn State has a long history with both Colgate and Lehigh. The Nittany Lions have played the Raiders 73 times and own a 49-24 series lead, but this will be the first meeting since 1981. The Nittany Lions and Mountain Hawks have met 40 times with Penn State owning a 29-11 series lead. Penn State posted a 73-64 victory in the last meeting in 2004 in the Jordan Center.
Penn State returns four starters and its top three scorers and rebounders for 2007-08, including All-Big Ten honorees Geary Claxton and Jamelle Cornley.
Penn State season tickets are available by calling the Penn State Athletic Ticket Office at 814-863-1000 or visiting GoPSUsports.com. Single game tickets will go on sale on October 5th.
| Penn State Men's Basketball 2007-08 SCHEDULE | |||||
| Day | Date | Opponent | Time (ET) | TV | |
| NOVEMBER | |||||
| Mon | 12 | ST. FRANCIS (PA.) | TBA | ||
| Fri | 16 | CANISIUS | TBA | ||
| Old Spice Classic - Orlando, Fla. (Central Florida, George Mason, Kansas State, N.C. State, Penn State, Rider, South Carolina, Villanova) | |||||
| Thr | 22 | vs. South Carolina | 12:00 p.m. | ESPN2 | |
| Fri | 23 | TBA - Old Spice Classic (Rider/N.C. State) | 10:30/12:30 | ESPN2 | |
| Sun | 25 | TBA - Old Spice Classic | TBA | ESNPU/ESPN2 | |
| Big Ten/ACC Challenge | |||||
| Wed | 28 | VIRGINIA TECH (ESPN2) | 9:30 p.m. | ESPN2 | |
| DECEMBER | |||||
| Sat | 1 | at St. Joseph's (@ The Palestra) | TBA | ||
| Sat | 8 | SETON HALL | TBA | ||
| Wed | 12 | PRINCETON | TBA | ||
| Sat | 15 | DENVER | TBA | ||
| Sun | 23 | COLGATE | TBA | ||
| Mon | 31 | LEHIGH | TBA | ||
| JANUARY | |||||
| Wed | 2 | at Northwestern | 9:00 p.m. | ESPN2 | |
| Sun | 6 | at Illinois | 2:00 p.m. | BTN | |
| Sat | 12 | MINNESOTA | 2:00 p.m. | BTN | |
| Tue | 15 | WISCONSIN | 9:00 p.m. | BTN | |
| Sun | 20 | at Indiana | 2:00 p.m. | BTN | |
| Wed | 23 | PURDUE | 7:00 p.m. | BTN | |
| Sat | 26 | at Iowa | 6:00 p.m. | BTN | |
| Tue | 29 | OHIO STATE | 7:00 p.m. | ESPN | |
| FEBRUARY | |||||
| Sat | 2 | MICHIGAN STATE | 8:00 p.m. | BTN | |
| Tue | 5 | at Purdue | 9:00 p.m. | BTN | |
| Sat | 9 | at Michigan | 4:00 p.m. | BTN | |
| Sat | 16 | ILLINOIS | 7:00 p.m. | BTN | |
| Wed | 20 | at Michigan State | 7:00 p.m. | BTN | |
| Sun | 24 | at Minnesota | 2:00 p.m. | BTN | |
| Wed | 27 | IOWA | 7:00 p.m. | BTN | |
| MARCH | |||||
| Sat | 1 | MICHIGAN | 8:00 p.m. | BTN | |
| Wed | 5 | at Wisconsin | TBD | BTN | |
| Sat/Sun | 8/9 | INDIANA | TBD | Wildcard | |
| 2008 Big Ten Tournament - Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Ind. | |||||
| Thurs | 13 | First Round (ESPN, ESPN2) | 12, 2:30, 5:05 | ||
| Fri | 14 | Quarterfinals (ESPN, ESPN+) | 12, 2:30, 6:40, 9:10 | ||
| Sat | 15 | Semifinals (CBS) | 1:40, 4:05 | ||
| Sun | 16 | Championship (CBS) | 3:30 | ||
| All times Eastern | |||||