BIG TEN TOURNAMENT - QUARTERFINAL ROUND
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MARCH 12, 2015
CHICAGO - Penn State, the 13-seed in the Big Ten Tournament, will take on fourth-seeded Purdue in the quarterfinal round of the league tourney at approximately 2:30 p.m. ET/1:30 CT Friday in Chicago's United Center. It is the second of four quarterfinal-round games and will be broadcast on ESPN. This is Penn State's first appearance on the primary ESPN network since 2011.
The Nittany Lions knocked off fifth-seeded Iowa, 67-58, in second-round action Thursday and Nebraska in the first-round game, 68-65, Wednesday. Three players are averaging in double figures over the last two games, led by D.J. Newbill's 22.0 ppg. Newbill's 26 points vs. Nebraska tied the PSU tourney record.
QUICK HITS
- Penn State also tied a record for points in a half with 48 in the win over the Hawkeyes Thursday. The Nittany Lions outscored them 48-31 in the second half, shooting 54 percent in the period compared to Iowa's 22 percent showing.
- As a team, Penn State tallied 16 blocks in the win over the Huskers Wednesday, an all-time program best and record for the Big Ten Tournament. Brandon Taylor produced five blocks, posting a career high and tying the PSU tourney record
- Penn State fell in overtime to Purdue in the lone regular-season meeting, 84-77, Jan. 17 in University Park. The Boilermakers did not lead in the second half, tying the game at the buzzer. They would outscore the Lions 17-10 in extra time.
- D.J. Newbill was selected by both coaches and media to the All-Big Ten Second Team Monday. He also was a second-team honoree a year ago and an honorable mention selection in 2012-13. He is the first player to lead the league in scoring and not be named to the first team since 2006.
- Penn State is 11-17 in the Big Ten Tournament since the event began in 1998. The Lions have one appearance in the championship game (2011). This is the first appearance in the quarterfinal since 2011 and fifth overall. PSU has a record of 3-2 in previous quarterfinal matchups.
- Twelve players on the 2014-15 roster have now seen action in the Big Ten Tournament, led by Ross Travis' five game appearances. D.J. Newbill has averaged 20.0 ppg in four tournament games and has the fifth-most points among PSU players all-time.
- D.J. Newbill passed both 600 (685) points on the season and 2,000 (2,086) for his career vs. Ohio State March 4. He has led the Big Ten in scoring since the season tipped off, averaging 20.8 ppg to lead all NCAA players from Power 5 conferences and own the No. 7 spot in Division I. He is fourth in Penn State career scoring, after three seasons, and owns two spots in singe-season scoring records. His 685 points are third all-time; he needs two to tie for second with Talor Battle (2011) and 46 to tie the record held by Jesse Arnelle since 1955.
- In the last six games, there are three players averaging in double figures. Newbill is producing 19.0 ppg with 10+ points of support from Shep Garner (11.7) and Geno Thorpe (11.0). Ross Travis is just .3 away from being a fourth (9.7).
- With an 18-15 record on the year, Penn State's 18 wins are a season-best under head coach Patrick Chambers and the most since 2011, topped only twice in the last decade and four times since 2000. A winning season is guaranteed for the fifth time since 2000 and first time since 2011.
THE MATCHUP
SCOUTING PURDUE
- The Boilermakers enter the tournament as the No. 4 seed, earning one of the four double byes. Their first game of the tourney will be Friday vs. the Nittany Lions.
- Purdue wrapped up its regular season with a 20-11 overall mark and 12-6 record in the conference, in a three-way tie for third place. The Boilers last played March 7 against Illinois, earning a 63-58 win.
- Since defeating Penn State in overtime Jan. 17, Purdue has gone 9-4 with two stretches of four-consecutive wins.
- Purdue had two players selected to the Big Ten All-Defensive Team: Rapheal Davis, the league's Defensive Player of the Year, and A.J. Hammons, a second-team selection.
- Purdue will compete in its 18th Big Ten Tournament this weekend. The Boilermakers are 9-16 overall, but are one of six teams to win a Big Ten Tournament title (2009).
SERIES HISTORY
- Purdue holds a 31-12 advantage in the all-time series and a 1-0 margin in Big Ten Tournament play. The Boilermakers defeated Penn State in overtime Jan. 17 in the lone meeting of the regular season.
- The only Big Ten Tournament matchup between the teams came in 2009. Penn State fell 79-65 in the quarterfinal, but win on to win the NIT that season.
LAST TIME VS. THE BOILERMAKERS
UNIVERSITY PARK (Jan. 17, 2015) - Despite 37 points from D.J. Newbill, Purdue slipped past Penn State for an 84-77 overtime victory Saturday afternoon at the Bryce Jordan Center.
Newbill's effort stands as the eighth-most points in a Penn State game all-time and is the most since 1965. Purdue's Kendall Stephens scored 22 points, including a game-tying 3-pointer that sent the game to overtime.
The Boilermakers trailed throughout the second half, save for one tie, but Stephens' shot from the left corner knotted the score before Purdue outscored Penn State 17-10 in overtime.
In overtime, Hammons drained a 6-footer and Octeus and Hammons each converted a pair of free throws to give the Boilermakers a 73-67 lead. In the interim, Penn State's Donovon Jack and Jordan Dickerson fouled out and Newbill missed a pair of short, open looks.
14-15 NITTANY LIONS VS. PURDUE
Thirteen players on the current roster have seen action vs. the Boilermakers, including 10 in the first meeting this season. D.J. Newbill leads all players with 19.8 ppg and after dropping 37 points Jan. 17 in the Bryce Jordan Center. The scoring mark stands as the most points scored by a Big Ten player this season.
| PLAYER | GP-GS | PPG | RPG | MISC | POINTS HIGH |
| D.J. Newbill | 5-5 | 19.8 | 5.8 | 4.2 apg | 37, vs PUR 1/17/15 |
| Brandon Taylor | 5-5 | 9 | 5.4 | 78 FT% | 15, vs PUR 2/2/14 |
| Payton Banks | 1-0 | 6 | 1 | 2-2 3FGs | 6, vs PUR 1/17/15 |
| Ross Travis | 7-4 | 5.4 | 5.7 | 75%FT | 8 (3x) |
| Donovon Jack | 4-3 | 5 | 2.3 | 6 blocks | 8, at PUR 1/18/14 |
| Shep Garner | 1-1 | 5 | 4 | 4.0 apg | 5, vs PUR 1/17/15 |
| Devin Foster | 1-0 | 3 | 0 | 4 mins | 3, vs PUR 1/17/15 |
| John Johnson | 2-0 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 1 block | 5, vs PUR 2/2/14 |
| Geno Thorpe | 2-0 | 2.5 | 0 | 2-2 FGs | 5, vs PUR 1/17/15 |
| Jordan Dickerson | 3-0 | 1 | 1.7 | 4 blocks | 2, vs PUR 2/2/14 |
| Alan Wisniewski | 5-0 | 0 | 0 | 9 mins | -- |
| Kevin Montminy | 3-0 | 0 | 0 | 1 block | -- |
| Julian Moore | 1-0 | 0 | 0 | 2 mins | -- |
THREE NOTABLE GAMES
Jan. 5, 2012 (PSU, 65-45): Penn State posted the first Big Ten victory of the Patrick Chambers era with an impressive 65-45 victory in the Bryce Jordan Center. The Nittany Lions were led by redshirt junior Billy Oliver, who posted a career-high 21 points on a personal-best 7-of-11 from three. Oliver's seven threes tied for the second-most for a Nittany Lion in a game Penn State history.
March 13, 2009 (PUR, 79-65): The Lions' last loss of the 2008-09 season came to Purdue, 79-65, in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament in Indianapolis. Jamelle Cornley had 20 points to lead four Lions in double-figures, but 24th-ranked Boilermakers shot 63 percent in the first half to fuel the win. They went on to win the B1G tourney, while the Lions bounced back to earn the NIT Championship, the program's first and only national title to date.
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Feb. 21, 1998 (PSU, 74-63): The Nittany Lions used Pete Lisicky's 19 points and Jarrett Stephens' 17 to upset No. 5 Purdue, 74-63, in the Bryce Jordan Center. The win was Penn State's first over a team ranked in the Top 5 in nearly 50 years.