March 15, 2011
Penn State vs. Temple NCAA Tournament Central Closer Look
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Tenth-seeded Penn State (19-14; 9-9 Big Ten) will face a familiar foe Thursday when the Nittany Lions open play in the 2011 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship facing No. 7 seed and old rival Temple in Tucson, AZ. The game will tip at 2:10 (ET) and will air on TNT with Kevin Harlan, Reggie Miller, Dan Bonner and Sam Ryan covering the action.
The No. 10 seed in the West Region, Penn State will be playing its first NCAA Tournament game since falling to Temple, 84-72, in the 2001 NCAA Sweet Sixteen in Atlanta. The winner of the Penn State-Temple contest will face the winner of No. 2 seed San Diego State vs. No. 15 Northern Colorado, on Saturday in the University of Arizona's McKale Center.
Tickets for Second and Third round action in Tucson are available to the general public by calling 1-800-Nittany. Penn State students can purchase tickets by calling Joe Diamond (814-863-1000) in the Penn State Athletic Ticket Office. All-session tickets are $234 and single-session tickets are $81.
Penn State Athletics will host an NCAA Tournament Watch Party at the Alumni Hall in the HUB on Thursday. Doors will open for the event at 1:30 with tip-off at 2:10. Free popcorn will be provided and prizes awarded to fans.
Penn State will travel to Tucson on Tuesday. The Nittany Lions will practice Wednesday morning in Tucson before taking part in NCAA pre-tournament news conferences beginning at 2:20 (ET). Penn State will have the first Open Practice of the day at the McKale Center following the press conference from 3-3:40 (ET).
The Nittany Lions have won seven of their last 10 games entering the tournament, including a run of four-straight with a final regular season victory at Minnesota and three wins at the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis. The Nittany Lions reached their first-ever Big Ten Tournament Championship game behind the play of All-Tournament Team selection Talor Battle who posted game highs of 25 points and 24 points, respectively, in the Lions semifinal victory over Michigan State (61-48) and final loss to No. 1 Ohio State (71-60). Penn State will be seeking its 10th 20-win season in program history, fifth in the Big Ten era, and program record tying fifth victory over a Top 25 ranked team on the season. Temple ended the regular season ranked 25th in the final ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll.
A two-time All-Big Ten first-team selection, Battle played all 40 minutes in all four games of the tournament and in eight of his last nine games. Penn State's all-time leading scorer (2,190) and the second leading scorer in the Big Ten on the season (20.1), he brings 664 points (the second best season total in Penn State history) into the NCAA Tournament. Battle currently stands 11th all-time in the Big Ten is scoring and sixth in three-pointers (312) and has posted the second-best season three-point total (101) in Penn State history, just seven shy of Joe Crispin's season record of 108 posted in 2001.
Honorable mention all-conference selection Jeff Brooks brings a career-best 23 double-digit outings into the Tournament. Penn State is 5-0 on the year when Brooks scores 20 points or better and the 6-8 forward has posted a career-best 46 blocks on the year, the ninth best season total in Penn State history. Penn State was 7-3 during the final month of the season after Brooks returned to the starting line-up from a shoulder injury, with the only losses coming to No. 1 Ohio State (twice) and at No. 10 ranked Wisconsin.
Sophomore Guard Tim Frazier has averaged 9.5 points and 5.8 assists per game over the last 10 games while shooting 49.2 percent from the floor and 8-of-12 from three. Frazier posted career highs of 22 points and eight rebounds in the Lions' Big Ten Tournament semifinal win over Michigan State.
Penn State and Temple have met 92 times previously, most recently on Dec. 5, 2009, when the Owls won in Philadelphia, 45-42. Temple leads the series between the former Eastern 8 and Atlantic-10 Conference rivals, 59-32. The Owls have a 4-1 edge over the Nittany Lions in neutral site games, which includes an 84-72 win in the 2001 NCAA Tournament South Region semifinals, Penn State's last NCAA Tournament game.
Temple posted a 25-7 record on the year and went 14-2 in the Atlantic-10, but lost to Richmond in the Atlantic 10 Tournament. Owl coach Fran Dunphy will be making his 13 NCAA Tournament appearance. He is 1-12 in his previous games, most of which came leading Penn. The Owls finished the regular season on an11-1 run, with the one loss coming to West Region No. 1 seed Duke. Scootie Randall, was voted the A-10's most improved player and is expected to return from an injury that hampered him at the end of the year. Four-year starter Lavoy Allen is the leading rebounder in school history and is posting 11.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. Ramone Moore leads the Owls scoring 14.8 ppg and Juan Fernandez posts 10.5 ppg and 3.9 apg.
The Nittany Lions have a 9-10 all-time record in the NCAA Tournament. Led by first-team All-American Jesse Arnelle, Penn State advanced to the 1954 NCAA Final Four, beating USC for third place after losing to eventual national champion LaSalle in the semifinals. Penn State has appeared in the NCAA Tournament in: 1942, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1965, 1991, 1996, 2001 and 2011. Penn State is making its ninth NCAA Tournament appearance all-time and first since 2001, when the Nittany Lions advanced to the Sweet 16. That year, Penn State was a No. 7 seed in the South Region and defeated Providence (69-59) and No. 2 seed North Carolina (82-74) before falling to Temple in the Sweet Sixteen.
The Nittany Lions were 9-9 in Big Ten Conference play, finishing in a tie for fourth place. In the Big Ten Tournament, Penn State was the No. 6 seed and defeated Indiana, No. 13 Wisconsin and Michigan State before falling to Ohio State. Penn State has defeated four ranked teams, five RPI Top 50 teams and 10 Top 100 teams this season.
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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