Feb. 9, 2011
Follow the Gameday Blog from Michigan State and Watch the Next Game Primer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; Feb. 9, 2011 - Penn State (12-10; 5-6 Big Ten) will look to pull of the season sweep of Michigan State (13-10; 5-6 Big Ten) and log its second win ever in East Lansing, Mich. Thursday in a 7:00 p.m. (ET) tip on the Big Ten Network.
The game can be seen live on the Big Ten Network and heard live on the Penn State Sports Network, 1450 AM locally, and on Sirius channel 122 and XM radio channel 143.
Both teams entered the week tied for fifth place in the Big Ten standings and needing to pile up some wins in the final seven regular season games to garner a bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Nittany Lions downed the Spartans, 66-62, earlier this season in State College marking the first of three wins over ranked opponents for Penn State on the year and a run of four wins in six very well played games for the Lions.
Penn State will hope for the return of second leading scorer and leading rebounder Jeff Brooks on Thursday, though the 6-8 forward is listed as day-to-day as he recovers from a dislocated right shoulder suffered in the first half of a loss at Illinois last Tuesday. Penn State has lost two games with Brooks out of the line-up.
Talor Battle will enter Thursday's game just 10 points shy of passing Joe Crispin (1,986) for second all-time on the Nittany Lions career scoring charts and needing 23 points to become the 22nd Big Ten player and second Nittany Lion to record 2,000 points. Battle, who has started in 62 consecutive games, will also have a chance to equal the Penn State career starts record set by DeRon Hayes in 1993 with his 120th career start in East Lansing Thursday. Battle stands second in the Big Ten in scoring on the year (20.5 ppg) and is on pace for the highest season scoring average at Penn State since Earl Hoffman logged 21.7 ppg in 1963. Battle could become the only Lion in the last 50 years to average better than 20 ppg for a season.
The Spartans have fallen out of the Top 25 and won three of their last eight games (all in overtime) since falling to Penn State in State College on Jan. 8. They are coming off 20-point road losses at Iowa (72-52) and Wisconsin (82-56) in their last two games, but are 9-2 at home on the year with victories over Wisconsin (61-61, OT), Northwestern (71-67, OT) and Indiana (84-83, OT). Kalin Lucas leads the team posting 15.8 ppg. Durrell Summers (13.4) and Draymond Green (13.2) join him in double-figures for a Spartan team that shoots 43.7 percent and averages 70.8 ppg.
Penn State will try to post its second win in East Lansing in program history. The Lions logged their first on "Super Bowl Sunday" 2009 with a 72-68 victory behind 29 points from Battle. The Spartans are 17-1 all-time in East Lansing vs. Penn State. Michigan State leads the series 28-6, but Penn State won 66-62 in the State College on Jan. 8 behind 17 points and 12 rebounds from Brooks and has won two of the last four meetings dating to the 2009 victory. Penn State will look to avoid its first three-game losing skid of the season and log its second road win of the year (1-6) and in the conference after opening the Big Ten season with a victory at Indiana.
Nittany Lion Basketball single-game tickets can be purchased by calling the ticket office at 814-865-5555, visiting GoPSUsports.com or through Ticketmaster. Single-game tickets are $18 for the lower bowl and $15 for upper level tickets for adults. Youth tickets (18 and under) are $7 for the lower bowl and $5 for upper level seating, while Penn State student tickets (University Park or branch campus) are $5 for each of the 19 home contests.
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.
-NITTANY LIONS-