Feb. 19, 2011
Read 5 Keys to the Game for Penn State
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; Feb. 19, 2011 - Penn State (14-11; 7-7) will look to post its fourth victory over a Top 25 ranked opponent on the season Sunday when it takes on No. 10-ranked Wisconsin (19-6; 9-4 Big Ten) at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisc. in a 6:00 p.m. (ET) tip on the Big Ten Network.
The game can also be heard live on the Penn State Sports Network, 1450 AM locally, and on Sirius channel 121 and XM radio channel 141.
To avoid forecast high winds in State College on Saturday that might deter air travel, Penn State bused to Pittsburgh Friday night and will leave from there by plane to Madison on Saturday. The Nittany Lions will be looking for their eighth Big Ten win of the season Sunday in Madison, a mark that would tie the fourth best Big Ten win total in program history. To do that, Penn State will have to break a string of 13-straight losses in Madison and post a victory there for the first time since 1995. It would also mark the first season sweep of the Badgers since 1995 for Penn State, which upset then No. 15 Wisconsin, 56-52, at the Jordan Center on Jan. 29 of this year.
Talor Battle had 22 points in that game and comes into Sunday having posted 28 points on a career-high tying seven threes in Penn State's victory over Minnesota on Thursday. It was Battle's Big Ten leading eighth game of 25 points or more on the season. He enters Sunday's game needing just six assists to become the first Big Ten Player and just 10th in NCAA Division I history to log 2,000 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists. Battle logged 28 points last year in Madison as Penn State led by 16 with 11 minutes to play and by eight with two minutes remaining before falling in overtime, 79-71, to a Badger team led by 22 points from Trevon Hughes and 20 from Jordan Taylor.
Battle's backcourt mate Tim Frazier posted a career-best tying eight assists for the third time in Big Ten play this season with eight assists and eight points in the win over Minnesota. Frazier has 28 assists (7.0 apg) and just eight turnovers in his last four games for a 3.5 assist-to-turnover ratio and now stands second in the Big Ten in conference games with a 2.45 assist-to-turnover ratio.
The player Frazier trails is Wisconsin's Jordan Taylor who leads the nation with a 3.90 assist-to-turnover ratio and ranks third in Big Ten games scoring 20.4 ppg. Taylor was huge in the Badgers upset of No. 1 ranked Ohio State (71-67) in the Badger last appearance at the Kohl Center. The Badgers have won four of their last five games since falling in State College on Jan. 29. They are coming off a 70-62 loss at Purdue on Wednesday, but stand third in the Big Ten standings at 9-4 and lead the Big Ten in scoring defense (57.2), free throw percentage (82.5%) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.76). Taylor has been phenomenal in Big Ten play leading the team with 20.4 ppg and shooting 42.6 percent from three. Jon Leuer averages 19.2 ppg and 7.2 rpg on the year. The Badgers make 8.2 threes per game.
Penn State plays three of its final four Big Ten games on the road. Penn State is 1-14 all-time at Wisconsin and hasn't won there since 1995. The last two losses have come by four points or less or overtime. The Badgers have won 17-straight and 35 of their last 36 in Madison. The Lions posted a 56-52 victory over Wisconsin in State College on Jan. 29 behind 22 points from Battle and a career high tying 14 rebounds from Andrew Jones. Penn State lost in overtime in Madison last year, 79-71, after losing a 16-point lead with 11:14 left and an eight-point lead with 2:00 remaining. Battle had 28 in that game. Trevon Hughes had 22 and Jordan Taylor 20 for the Badgers. Penn State lost by just four, 65-61, in Madison in 2009.
For all the latest information, notes, pictures and related links on Penn State basketball follow Assistant Athletic Communications Director Brian Siegrist on Twitter (@PSUSTRETCH) and check GoPSUsports.com. The Nittany Lions are also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pennstatebasketball.
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