BIG TEN TOURNAMENT - SECOND ROUND
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March 12, 2015
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CHICAGO - Penn State, the 13th-seed in the Big Ten Tournament, will take on fifth-seeded Iowa in the second round of the league tourney at approximately 2:30 p.m. ET/1:30 CT Thursday in Chicago's United Center. It is the second of four second-round games and will be broadcast on BTN.
The Nittany Lions defeated Nebraska in first-round action, 68-65, Wednesday. D.J. Newbill scored 26 points and Brandon Taylor produced five blocks with both figures tying PSU tourney records. As a team, Penn State tallied 16 blocks, an all-time program best and record for the Big Ten Tournament.
QUICK HITS
- Penn State fell in overtime to Iowa in the lone regular-season meeting, 81-77, Feb. 28 in University Park. Four players scored in double-figures and the team out-shot and out-rebounded the Hawkeyes, while also producing a total of 10 3-pointers in the loss. The Lions turned the ball over, down one, with 30 seconds remaining in OT and Iowa finished 6-6 from the free-throw line for the win.
- 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 10-17 in the Big Ten Tournament since the event began in 1998. The Lions have one appearance in the championship game (2011). The win over Nebraska Wednesday is the program's first B1G tourney win since 2011.
- Twelve players on the 2014-15 roster have now seen action in the Big Ten Tournament, led by Ross Travis' four appearances. D.J. Newbill has averaged 20.7 ppg in three tournament games and has the eighth-most points among PSU players all-time.
- D.J. Newbill passed both 600 (667) points on the season and 2,000 (2,068) 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.
- In the last five games, there are three players averaging in double figures. Newbill is producing 19.2 ppg with 10+ points of support from Shep Garner (12.8) and Geno Thorpe (11.0).
- With a 17-15 record on the year, Penn State's 17 wins are a season-best for 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.
- Through 32 games, Penn State has had 14 decided by five points or fewer, including 13 in the regular season. Overall, Penn State moves to 9-5 in five-point games this year. In Big Ten Tournament games all-time, Penn State is now 5-4 tournament games decided by five points or less.
THE MATCHUP
SCOUTING IOWA
- Winners in each of their last six games, Iowa enters the Big Ten Tournament with a 21-10 record and a final mark of 12-6 in league play, finishing tied for third. The Hawkeyes are the fifth seed based on tie-breakers.
- Since last facing Penn State, Iowa has gone 2-0 and finished the regular season with a 69-52 win over Northwestern.
- During Iowa's six-game win streak, First Team All-Big Ten selection Aaron White is averaging 21.2 points and 9.2 rebounds with one turnover.
- White is leading the team in scoring and rebounding with 15.9 ppg and 7.4 rpg, respectively. He recently moved into No. 4 all-time in Iowa career scoring.
- Jarrod Uthoff is second with 12.2 ppg, an average which goes up to 13.3 pgg in Big Ten play. Uthoff shoots nearly 40 percent from behind the arc and has a team-high 53 triples.
SERIES HISTORY
- Iowa holds a 27-13 advantage in the series vs. Penn State and has won seven of the last nine meetings, with the two Nittany Lion wins coming at the Bryce Jordan Center.
- The Hawkeyes took the lone meeting this season, an 81-77 overtime decision Feb. 28 in the BJC.
- Penn State and Iowa have met just once in Big Ten Tournament play, with the Hawkeyes winning 94-74 March 10, 2001, in the United Center. Gyasi Cline-Heard finished with a team-leading 26 points for the Nittany Lions, the point scoring record D.J. Newbill tied Wednesday vs. Nebraska.
LAST TIME VS. THE HAWKEYES
UNIVERSITY PARK (Feb. 28, 2015) - Despite double figure scoring from four Nittany Lions, Penn State up short in an 81-77 OT loss to Iowa at the Bryce Jordan Center. Aaron White stole an in-bounds pass with 30 seconds left in overtime and converted on 6-6 free throws down the stretch.
D.J. Newbill scored 19 points for Penn State. Shep Garner added 17 points, Geno Thorpe 14 and Ross Travis 10 for the Nittany Lions.
Iowa's Aaron White scored 21 points, including six free throws in overtime, and the Hawkeyes were able to scrape past Penn State. Mike Gesell (14), Gabriel Olaseni (12), Josh Oglesby (12) and Jarrod Uthoff (11) also scored in double figures for the Hawkeyes (19-10, 10-6 Big Ten), who were 25 of 27 from the free-throw line.
14-15 NITTANY LIONS VS. IOWA
Thirteen players on the current roster have seen action vs. the Hawkeyes, including 10 in the first meeting this season. D.J. Newbill leads all players with 21.8 ppg and 6.3 rpg after putting up 19 and five, respectively, Feb. 28 in the Bryce Jordan Center.
| PLAYER | GP-GS | PPG | RPG | MISC | POINTS HIGH |
| D.J. Newbill | 4-4 | 21.8 | 6.3 | 3.3 apg | 26, vs IOWA 2/14/13 |
| Shep Garner | 1-1 | 17 | 1 | 3 assts | 17, vs IOWA 2/28/15 |
| John Johnson | 1-0 | 11 | 3 | 50%FG | 11, vs IOWA 2/15/14 |
| Geno Thorpe | 2-1 | 7.5 | 3.5 | 2.0 apg | 14, vs IOWA 2/28/15 |
| Brandon Taylor | 4-2 | 5.8 | 3 | 2 steals | 8, at IOWA, 1/31/13 |
| Donovon Jack | 3-1 | 4 | 3 | 3 blocks | 8, vs IOWA 2/15/14 |
| Ross Travis | 6-2 | 4.5 | 5.7 | 4 assts | 10 (2x), last vs IOWA 2/28/15 |
| Jordan Dickerson | 2-1 | 3.5 | 4 | 3.5 bpg | 5, vs IOWA 2/28/15 |
| Devin Foster | 1-0 | 3 | 1 | 2 assists | 3, vs IOWA 2/27/15 |
| Kevin Montminy | 3-0 | 2.7 | 0 | 75%FG | 5, vs IOWA 2/14/13 |
| Julian Moore | 1-1 | 2 | 4 | 1 block | 2, vs IOWA 2/28/15 |
| Alan Wisniewski | 1-0 | 1 | 0 | 1 block | 1, vs IOWA 2/14/13 |
| Payton Banks | 1-0 | 0 | 2 | 4 mins | -- |
THREE NOTABLE GAMES
Feb. 16, 2012 (PSU, 69-64): Having reduced a 16-point Penn State lead to three with 24 seconds to play, Iowa intentionally put redshirt freshman Jon Graham on the foul line. He hit both to effectively ice a 69-64 victory for the Nittany Lions.
Jan. 26, 2011 (PSU, 65-51): One of the two home games in the last eight not separated by five or fewer points was decided by Talor Battle's 23-point outing that gave Penn State its third-consecutive Big Ten home win.
March 27, 1995 (PSU, 67-64): Pete Lisicky nailed a 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds left to send the Nittany Lions to the semifinals of the NIT.