Feb. 17, 2015
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Nittany Lions face their third-consecutive ranked foe when it welcomes No. 5 Wisconsin to the Bryce Jordan Center for a 7 p.m. Wednesday matchup on BTN. Penn State opened Big Ten play with the then-No. 4 Badgers on New Years Eve, falling 89-72. D.J. Newbill had 29 points in the Kohl Center loss, a series-high scoring performance, and the team shot 53.7 percent from field (64 percent in the first half).
Penn State (15-11, 3-10 B1G) has faced No. 19 Maryland and No. 23 Ohio State over the last eight days with this being the fifth game vs. a ranked team at the time of meeting this season.
PROMO PLANS
- GIVEAWAY: Students will receive a Penn State basketball snapback hat while supplies last [IMAGE]
- KIDS EAT FREE: Kids 12 and under eat for free by selecting three items from a pre-determined menu.
- SUBWAY FULL COURT FOUR PACK: Fans can purchase four tickets, four drinks, and four subs for just $40
QUICK HITS
SCORING DEFENSE | In nine of 12 Big Ten games, Penn State has held its opponent below their season scoring average, including seven of the last eight by an average of 11.7 points. Maryland was the first opponent to score above its average (+5.4) since the Purdue game Jan. 17.
WISCONSIN | The Badgers are 23-2 overall and leading the Big Ten with an 11-1 record. They have won each of their last eight games by an average of more than 15 points.
SO CLOSE | Nine of Penn State's Big Ten games have been decided by single digits, most recently with a three-point loss to Maryland. The eight single-digit losses have been separated by an average of 5.0 points.
ALL CLASS | D.J. Newbill was named one of 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award, an accolade presented annually to the senior student-athlete with high accomplishments in all four areas of classroom, community, character and competition. VOTE: bit.ly/Vote4Newbill
HEY DJ, THAT'S MY DJ | Senior guard D.J. Newbill, the top scorer among Power 5 conference players and sixth in Division I, has paced Penn State throughout season with 20.8 ppg. The No. 4 scorer all-time at PSU, he also is just second player in PSU history to reach 500 points in three-consecutive seasons.
UP NEXT | Penn State faces Northwestern in at 3 p.m. ET Saturday on ESPNU before returning to the BJC for its final two home games: vs. Iowa Feb. 28 and Senior Night vs. Ohio State March 4.
THE MATCHUP
SCOUTING WISCONSIN
- The Badgers are ranked No. 5/4 in the country with a 23-2 overall record and 11-1 mark in the Big Ten. Their lone conference loss came on the road to Rutgers, 67-62, Jan. 11. Since then, they have defeated opponents by an average of 15.1 points.
- Wisconsin's scoring defense (55.9 ppg) is first in the leage and eighth in Division I. The Badgers have allowed 70 or more points just three times this season -- vs. Duke, Indiana and Penn State.
- Frank Kaminsky averages 17.6 ppg on the season (18.8 in league play), as well as 8.4 rpg, 2.5 apg and 1.6 bpg, leading the team in all four categories. He is the Big Ten player of the week after recording a pair of double-doubles in the team's wins last week over Nebraska and Illinois.
- Three players are averaging in double-figures for the Badgers with Sam Dekker (13.0) and Nigel Hayes (12.4) following Kaminsky's lead. All three are averaging higher figures in Big Ten action.
- The Badgers are coached by Chester, Pa., native Bo Ryan who recently was named a finalist to be considered for election in the Class of 2015 for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
SERIES HISTORY
- This is the 43rd meeting between the teams with Wisconsin holding a 32-10 advantage in the series and a 15-8 lead when playing in University Park.
- Seven of the last 11 games have been decided by single digits.
- Penn State has faced a Top 25 ranked Wisconsin team 22 times with three meetings taking place with Badgers in the Top 5.
- Penn State's last win over the Badgers came in the 2011 Big Ten Tournament en route to the tourney championship game, a 36-33 decision.
- The last win in the BJC was Jan. 29, 2011, a 56-52 victory for Penn State over then-No. 15 Wisconsin. Talor Battle had 22 points as the Nittany Lions knocked off their third ranked foe of the season at home.
LAST TIME VS. THE BADGERS
MADISON, Wis. (Dec. 31, 2014) - Frank Kaminsky had 18 points and 14 rebounds, Nigel Hayes scored 21 points and No. 4 Wisconsin shot a blistering 63 percent from the field to beat Penn State 89-72. D.J. Newbill scored 29 points for Penn State (12-2), which had its 10-game winning streak snapped. The Big Ten's leading scorer was 5-of-11 shooting in the second half after going 6 of 7 in the first. [MORE: Page 35]
14-15 NITTANY LIONS vs. THE BADGERS
D.J. Newbill is the leading scorer in the series with Wisconsin, producing 21.5 ppg through four meetings. He had a series-high 29 points in the New Year's Eve matchup in Madison. All active players on the current roster have faced the Badgers led by Ross Travis' six games. He is the leading rebounder with 6.6 rpg.
| PLAYER | GP-GS | PPG | RPG | MISC | POINTS HIGH |
| D.J. Newbill | 4-4 | 21.5 | 3.3 | 3.8 apg | 29, at WIS 12/31/14 |
| Shep Garner | 1-1 | 11 | 0 | 2.0 apg | 11, at WIS 12/31/14 |
| Geno Thorpe | 1-0 | 11 | 2 | 4-4FTs | 11, at WIS 12/31/14 |
| John Johnson | 2-0 | 6.5 | 4 | 1 steal | 8, vs WIS 3/2/14 |
| Brandon Taylor | 4-3 | 4.8 | 3.8 | 2 blocks | 9, vs WIS 3/2/14 |
| Ross Travis | 6-5 | 4.5 | 6.8 | 5.3 d-rpg | 10, vs WIS 3/2/14 |
| Donovon Jack | 2-0 | 2 | 2.5 | 1.0 apg | 4, vs WIS,3/2/14 |
| Julian Moore | 1-0 | 4 | 2 | 2-2FGs | 4, at WIS 12/31/14 |
| Jordan Dickerson | 2-2 | 2 | 2.5 | 2-3FGs | 2(2x), at WIS 12/31/14 |
| Kevin Montminy | 2-0 | 0 | 0 | 5 mins | -- |
| Alan Wisniewski | 1-0 | 0 | 0 | 0+ mins | -- |
| Payton Banks | 1-0 | 0 | 0 | 4 mins | -- |
| Devin Foster | 1-0 | 0 | 0 | 1 min | -- |
THREE NOTABALE GAMES
March 11, 2011 (PSU, 36-33): The Lions earned their fourth win over a Top 25 team with a defensive exhibition in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals, en route to their appearance in the finals. Talor Battle led Penn State with a whopping nine points as the teams shot a combined 31 percent (28-90)
Jan. 31, 2012 (WIS, 52-46): Tim Frazier had 21 points, including 17 of the team's 23 second-half points to keep Penn State within two with 3:36 to play. Jordan Taylor had 18 points for Wisconsin and hit 6-8 free throws in the final minute to seal the win.
Jan. 26, 1995 (PSU, 78-67): The highest combined point total (145) in the 41-game series came in fifth all-time meeting. It was Penn State's first of just two series wins in Madison.