Jan. 23, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - After going toe-to-toe on the road at Michigan State, the Nittany Lion basketball team (12-7, 0-6 Big Ten) team will kickoff a two-game homestand against Rutgers (10-10, 2-5) on Saturday at noon (ESPNU) inside the Bryce Jordan Center.
Following an agonizing overtime setback to Purdue last Saturday, it would have been easy for the Nittany Lions to feel the lingering effects of a tough outcome on the road at Michigan State. But Penn State competed for 40 minutes and again put itself in a position win.
"I thought the last couple games, we have really competed hard and done some really good things," Chambers said. "The ball hasn't really bounced our way, but I really like our level of competition and I really like our approach. We've got to take another step. For us to play that well at Michigan State after such a difficult loss shows something about our character and about our resolve and our perseverance."
The Nittany Lions have been in five-straight games that were one possession in the final four minutes. As Chambers has said, the ball hasn't bounced Penn State's way, but the Lions continue to be on the cusp of getting over the hump. And when they do, Chambers thinks the Lions will be a tough team to defend.
"We haven't played a 40-minute game yet, but we are getting close," Chambers said.
Offensively, senior guard D.J. Newbill has been tremendous in Big Ten play. In conference games alone, Newbill is averaging a Big Ten-leading 23.2 points per game. Newbill's ability to seemingly score, seemingly at will on dribble-drives and pull-up jumpers, has been fun to watch in conference play. What makes Newbilll's scoring so impressive is that he is shooting 47 percent from the field in Big Ten play and averaging 3.0 assists per game, all while the opponents are gameplanning to limit Newbill's output.
"With everybody, their gameplan is to stop D.J. Newbill," Chambers said. "It really hasn't worked all year. He's so efficient in his approach, his shot-making ability and his comfort zone. We need other guys to step up, no question about it. We need to continue to share the ball. We need to continue to put pressure on in the paint and get to the free throw line. I felt like we shot the ball well at Michigan State."
On the defensive end of the floor, the Nittany Lions have played well of late. Penn State held Michigan State to 66 points, 43 percent from the field and 31 percent from beyond the arc. The next step for Penn State is to become more consistent on the defensive glass. Purdue and Michigan State combined for 30 offensive rebounds during the last two games. Penn State has gotten the stops it needs, but needs to find a way to keep opponents off of the offensive glass.
"I like where our defense is going," said Chambers. "We've got to be able to rebound the ball much better on the defensive glass. I think that is hurting us a little bit right now. Again, we've got to get ourselves out of rotations and defending the ball so there are no blow-bys."
Penn State and Rutgers will be seeing one another for the second time in three weeks on Saturday. An ice-cold shooting night hindered the Nittany Lions in a 50-46 setback in Piscataway on Jan. 3. Rutgers made just four field goals in the second half, but the Lions were unable to overcome an 11-point halftime deficit.
Since the Nittany Lions played the Scarlet Knights, Rutgers has gone 1-4 in Big Ten play, which includes a 67-62 victory over No. 4 Wisconsin in the RAC. The Knights are on a three-game skid, but all three losses were decided by nine points or fewer.
Guard Myles Mack continues to lead Rutgers in scoring at 14.7 points per game. Forward Kadeem Jack, who scored 12 points against the Nittany Lions in the first meeting, is averaging 12.8 tallies on the season. Junior Etou is the team's top rebounder at 6.8 per game. As a team, Rutgers is ranked 14th in scoring offense at 59.7 points per game. The Knights are ranked sixth in the Big Ten in scoring defense at 62.3 points per game.
Rutgers last played in the Bryce Jordan Center on March 14, 2006 in a first round game of the NIT. This will be only the third meeting between the two border rivals since the BJC opened in 1996.