| DATE | Tuesday, Jan. 6 |
| TIME | 7:06 p.m. ET |
| LOCATION | Bryce Jordan Center (University Park, Pa.) |
| WEB | BTN / BTN2Go: Kevin Kuglar (pxp), Stephen Bardo (analysis) |
| RADIO | Listen: Penn State Sports Network: Steve Jones (pxp), Dick Jerardi (analysis) |
| GAME NOTES | Penn State Notes | Michigan Notes |
| LIVE STATS | |
| TICKETS | Ticketmaster |
| BLOG | Basketball Blog: Video - Lions Looking to Remain Perfect at Home | Game Blog |
| SOCIAL MEDIA | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | #PSUMBB |
Jan. 5, 2015
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - After starting Big Ten play with back-to-back games on the road, the Penn State men's basketball team returns to the Bryce Jordan Center for its home league opener vs. Michigan at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The game will be broadcast on BTN with Kevin Kugler and Stephen Bardo on the call.
| PROMO PLANS |
- Giveaway: Fans will receive a 2015 Penn State men's basketball calendar while supplies last.
- Kids Eat Free: Kids 12 and under eat for free by selecting three items from a pre-determined menu.
| QUICK HITS |
THRU 15 | At 12-3, the Nittany Lions have tied their best 15-game start since going 14-1 in 1995-96. They also started the 2007-08 campaign with 12 wins in the first 15 games.
SUCCESS AT HOME | Penn State is 7-0 on the Bryce Jordan Center floor this season. Another win would tie the most wins to start a campaign in the arena's history.
HOME B1G OPENERS | The Nittany Lions are 8-14 in the first Big Ten home game of the season.
MICHIGAN | The Wolverines are 8-6 on the season and have split their first two conference games, defeating Illinois in overtime and falling to Purdue on the road.
| POSSIBLE STARTERS |
| THE MATCHUP |
SCOUTING MICHIGAN
- Michigan makes its first trip to the Bryce Jordan Center since the Nittany Lions knocked off the then-No. 4 ranked team in 2013. The 2014-15 Wolverines enter Tuesday with an 8-6 record after opening conference play with a split.
- They defeated Illinois in overtime in the opener before falling to Purdue over the weekend.
- Caris LeVert and Zak Irvin share the team lead in scoring with 14.6 ppg, while LeVert adds a team-high 5.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game to the mix.
- Derrick Walton is the third UM player to average in double figures with 10.2 ppg and 4.23 rpg.
- LeVert, Irvin and Kameron Chatman have started all 14 games with four others accounting for the other starts. Walton has made 13 starts, missing one game with a toe injury.
- As a team, Michigan is averaging just under 70 points per game with a 41.9 field-goal percentage. Opponents are hitting 44.2 percent of shots, a defensive low among Big Ten teams.
14-15 PLAYERS vs. MICHIGAN
D.J. Newbill leads all current players in scoring vs. Michigan, averaging 16.3 points per game with a personal-best 20 in the 2013 Big Ten tournament. Ross Travis has seen the Wolverines six times in his career and is third in scoring with just under 10 points per appearance.
| PLAYER | GP-GS | PPG | RPG | MISC. | POINTS HIGH |
| D.J. Newbill | 4-4 | 16.3 | 3.8 | 3.3 apg | 20, vs. MICH 3/14/13 |
| D. Jack | 1-1 | 12 | 6 | 1 block | 12, at MICH 1/14/14 |
| R. Travis | 6-5 | 9.8 | 7.5 | 4 blocks | 15, vs MICH 2/27/13 |
| J. Johnson | 1-0 | 7 | 1 | 21 mins | 7, at MICH 1/14/14 |
| B. Taylor | 4-0 | 4.5 | 1.8 | 11.8 mpg | 7, vs MICH 2/27/13 |
| G. Thorpe | 1-1 | 2 | 0 | 2-2 FTs | 2, at MICH 1/14/14 |
| J. Dickerson | 1-0 | 0 | 0 | 9 mins | -- |
| K. Montminy | 2-0 | 0 | 0.5 | 3.5 mpg | -- |
SERIES HISTORY
- Michigan holds a 30-12 advantage in the series, though just an 11-7 margin when playing in University Park.
- Penn State's last win in the series was Feb. 27, 2013, a 84-78 victory over then-fourth ranked Michigan in the Bryce Jordan Center. The Wolverines went on to the national championship game that season.
LAST TIME VS. MICHIGAN
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (Jan. 14, 2014) - D.J. Newbill and Tim Frazier scored 17 points apiece for Penn State, but those two backcourt standouts weren't enough against a balanced Michigan team. Nik Stauskas scored 13 of his 21 points in the second half, and Michigan remained unbeaten in Big Ten play with an 80-67 victory. The Wolverines led 47-45 when a 3-pointer by Stauskas started a 19-5 run that gave Michigan a comfortable advantage. Derrick Walton added 16 points for the Wolverines, and Glenn Robinson III scored 15.
NOTABLE GAMES IN THE SERIES
Feb. 27, 2013 (PSU, 84-78): Penn State outscored No. 4 Michigan 33-12 in the final 10 minutes and hit a season best 10-of-20 from three to knock off the Wolverines, 84-78, in the Bryce Jordan Center. A raucous crowd witnessed the highest ranked opponent to fall in the BJC and the second ranked foe to fall in Patrick Chambers PSU coaching tenure.
Feb. 20, 2010 (PSU, 55-51): Talor Battle did a little bit of everything for Penn State and Jeff Brooks hit one of the biggest shots of his Nittany Lion career as Penn State downed Michigan 55-51 in Ann Arbor. Brooks' big baseline jumper with 14 seconds to play broke a nearly eight-minute scoring drought for the Lions and put the seal on Penn State's first win in Ann Arbor since 1999 and just its second in 16 trips.
Feb. 19, 2000 (UM, 89-87 (ot)): Jarrett Stephens scored 33 points and grabbed 18 rebounds for the Lions as they fell 89-87 in overtime to the Wolverines in Ann Arbor. The point total has been matched or surpassed just twice since and the game stands as the only OT matchup in the series.
| BEFORE & AFTER |
LAST TIME OUT
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) - Despite trailing by as many as 14 in the first half and 11 at halftime, Penn State men's basketball rallied within one in the final minute of play, but could not complete the comeback in a 50-46 setback on the road at Rutgers Saturday evening.
D.J. Newbill scored 14 for the Nittany Lions (12-3, 0-2), who have dropped two straight. It was the second-lowest scoring output this season for Newbill, who entered the game with Big Ten-leading 21.9 average.
Myles Mack had 10 points and seven rebounds for the Scarlet Knights (9-6, 1-1 Big Ten), who gained their first Big Ten victory since joining the conference this season. [Recap]
UP NEXT
The Nittany Lions are off this weekend before traveling to Indiana for a 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 13 matchup at Indiana. The Hoosiers are 11-3 on the season and 1-0 in the Big Ten with a Monday game vs. Michigan State and Saturday meeting with Ohio State on the schedule before welcoming Penn State.
The game at Assembly Hall will be shown on BTN with Dave Revsine and Jim Jackson on the ball.
PSU was victorious in its last trip to Bloomington, Ind., after Tim Frazier scored on a driving layup with 6.1 seconds to go to give Penn State a 66-65 victory at Indiana.