| PENN STATE (4-2) vs. EASTERN MICHIGAN (5-2) | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Dec. 4, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State men's basketball team begins a stretch of four games in seven days when it hosts Eastern Michigan at noon Saturday in the Bryce Jordan Center. The game will be televised on Big Ten Network with Wayne Randazzo and former Nittany Lion Jon Crispin calling the action.
| STORYLINES |
- Penn State (4-2) has won back-to-back games, while Eastern Michigan (5-2) is on a three-game win streak after falling to its last Big Ten foe, Michigan State (89-65, Nov. 23).
- The Nittany Lions defeated Boston College, 67-58, in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge Wednesday night in Chestnut Hill, Mass., off the strength of Shep Garner's first career 30-point performance. His eight 3-pointers were one off the PSU record (9) set by Pete Lisicky in 1996.
- Three Nittany Lions are averaging in double-figures in scoring: Shep Garner (15.5), Brandon Taylor (14.2 ppg) and Payton Banks (10.3) with Garner also leading in assists (2.8) and steals (2.2), and Taylor controlling the boards (5.5).
- Brandon Taylor, who led the team in scoring heading into the BC game, was limited to two points after coming off his second career double-double against Bucknell (19 points, 11 rebounds) against Bucknell Nov. 28.
- Penn State is 4-0 this season when holding opponents under 40 percent shooting, and 40-15 in head coach Patrick Chambers' tenure.
| PROMO PLANS |
[Promo Schedule]
There are a host of promotions surrounding the game Saturday.
- Toys for Tots Challenge: Bring a new, unwrapped toy and receive $5 admission to the game Saturday and help Penn State beat Maryland in the Toys for Tots Challenge.
- Giveaway: A Penn State basketball coffee tumbler will be given away while supplies last.
- Hoops for the Holidays: Over 2,000 tickets were purchased by Nittany Nation for service members and their families, as well as other deserving families in the area.
- THON Hoops: Join the Penn State basketball program as we welcome Four Diamonds Children and their Families to the BJC for a day of Penn State Basketball!
- Subway Full Court Four Pack: Enjoy 4 Tickets, 4 Subs, & 4 Drinks for just $40! Call 1-800-NITTANY to purchase your package
- SANTA: Santa and Mrs. Claus will be on the concourse prior to the game Saturday for children of all ages to visit and take photos with.
| SCOUTING EASTERN MICHIGAN |
The Eagles have won each of their last three games after falling to their last Big Ten Conference foe Michigan State, 89-65, Nov. 23 in East Lansing. EMU has defeated Marygrove, Madonna and Nebraska-Omaha over the last several days, averaging 89.0 points per game during the stretch and 80.3 ppg on the season.
Raven Lee leads EMU in points and assists per game, though the preseason All-MAC has seen action in just one game after missing the first several because of a violation of team rules. In his absence, Willie Mangum IV and James Thompson IV led the way with 15.4 and 14.3 points per game, respectively. Five players are averaging in double-figures with Mangum and Thompson both over 100 points on the young season. Thompson also leads the squad in rebounds with 11.4 per game, averaging a double-double each game.
The Eagles are among the top-six teams in the country in steals (11.0 spg) and forced turnovers (19.1 ftpg). Tim Bond has 15 steals through seven games, with six players holding at least seven to their credit.
SERIES HISTORY
- This is just the second meeting all-time between Penn State and Eastern Michigan. The Eagles were victorious in the 1991 NCAA tournament, advancing to the Sweet 16 with a 71-68 overtime win at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, N.Y.
- The Nittany Lions knocked off fourth-seeded UCLA, 74-69, before falling to EMU.
- The Nittany Lions led 33-29 at the half, but a strong EMU second half left it tied at 58 at the end regulation, forcing overtime.
- Four players posted 12 points apiece for PSU, while the Eages' leading scorer was Marcus Kennedy with 21 points.
Previous Meeting
Record: 0-1; H: 0-0; A: 0-0; N: 0-1
| 3/17/1991 | N | 68 | 71 (ot) | L-NCAA |
UP NEXT
Penn State will #ReturntoRec on Dec. 10 (Canisius, 7 p.m.) and Dec. 12 (Louisiana-Monroe, 2 p.m.) with both games standing as the on-campus contests of the Las Vegas Classic. Penn State last played in Rec Hall during the 2013-14 season in a Return to Rec event that marked the first men's basketball game played there since the Nittany Lions defeated Wisconsin, 79-50, in the building on Jan. 7, 1996. From 1926-96, the Lions compiled a stellar 514-183 (73.7%) record in Rec Hall, including a 45-game win streak from 1951-55.
| CURRENT EVENTS |
UNDER 40 » All of Penn State wins this season have come when holding opponents below 40 percent shooting. Foes are shooting at at a 35.4 percent clip in PSU victories with the Nittany Lions hitting nearly 42 percent of shots in the same games. Penn State holds a 40-15 record under head coach Patrick Chambers when limiting opponents to a sub-40 percent field-goal percentage.
BOSTON THREE PARTY » Shep Garner's performance at Boston College Dec. 2 produced eight 3-pointers, the second-most in a single game for a Nittany Lion in program history, trailing just Pete Lisicky's nine tallied vs. Penn in 1996. The effort tied the Conte Forum record, set previously by two players.
BLUE STEAL » Shep Garner leads the Blue and White, as well as all players in the Big Ten, with 2-2 steals per game through seven games. His 13 steals are ranked No. 79 in Division I.
CENTURY MARK » Brandon Taylor played in his 100th career game against Bucknell Nov. 28 and has now seen action in 101. He has started 79 games, the most of any current Nittany Lion, and is averaging 8.4 points per game over his four-year career. [Taylor Career Stats: Page 25]
DOUBLE-DOUBLE » Brandon Taylor tallied his second career double-double with 19 points and career-high tying 11 rebounds in the win over Bucknell Nov. 28. His previous double-double was vs. Drexel last season (12/20/14) with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Taylor has led the team in scoring in three games this season with the Lions holding a 2-1 record in those contests.
BC REBOUNDS » The Nittany Lions out-rebounded Boston College 40-27 in the B1G/ACC Challenge Dec. 2, their largest rebound margin (+13) since Feb. 7, 2015, vs. Nebraska (+13) and the first time hitting 40 boards on the season.
TURNOVERS » Penn State is ranked No. 10 in Division I in turnovers per game, averaging just 9.5 in each outing, and producing fewer turnovers than its opponents in five of six games this season. PSU foes are turning the ball over an average of 11.8 times per game, leading to an average of nearly 10 points for the Nittany Lion offense.
LINEUPS » Penn State has used two different starting lineup combinations this season and more than 50 different in-game combinations. The lineup of Shep Garner, Josh Reaves, Payton Banks, Brandon Taylor and Julian Moore has started each of the last three games, going 2-1. [Game-by-Game starters: Page 9]
CLOSE CALLS » Penn State's four-point win over Bucknell Saturday was the seventh-game consecutive win in non-conference games decided by five points or fewer, dating back to last season. The Nittany Lions had six non-conference games separated by 1-5 points in 2014-15, winning each of them.
IN THE CHALLENGE » With the win over Boston College Dec. 2, Penn State moves to 6-3 in its last nine Big Ten/ACC Challenge games and has won four of its last five Big Ten/ACC Challenge road games. The Lions hold a 7-8 record in 15 Challenge appearances. The Big Ten has retained the Challenge cup for each of the last seven seasons after winning eight of 14 games this year. Penn State's last two Big Ten/ACC Challenge outings have both been decided by fewer than 10 points, with PSU edging VT 61-58 at home last year.
| SEASON NOTES |
CHAMBERS TAKES ON YEAR FIVE
The 2015-16 season marks the fifth year at the helm of the Nittany Lions for head coach Patrick Chambers. The Philly native is coming off his best season in University Park after posting a win total (18) that had been topped just twice in the last decade and four times since 2000. Chambers has seen his overall win total climb each of the last three years and has continued to make waves in Big Ten play.
SUITS AND SNEAKERS
Head coach Patrick Chambers will don suits and sneakers for every game during the 2015-16, in honor of the 20th season of Coaches vs. Cancer - Penn State. The school's chapter of CVC is consistently ranks among the Top 10 CVC organizations in the nation. It was started in 1995 under then head coach Bruce Parkhill and raises funds to support the American Cancer Society as well as the Bob Perks Fund (BPF), a local initiative that provides direct support for community members and families fighting cancer. Coaches vs. Cancer - Penn State has raised nearly $2.5 million to date through a series of year-round events. To get involved please visit CVCPENNSTATE.ORG or call 814-234-1023.
FACILITY UPGRADES
The Penn State basketball program recently moved into new training table and video room facilities in the Bryce Jordan Center. The $1.2 million project was propelled by a generous gift from Peter and Ann Tombros and allows the Nittany Lions to utilize state of the art technologies. The concourse of the BJC also got a makeover in the offseason, and features Nittany and Lady Lion basketball graphics surrounding the circumference, as well at the main entrances.
SENIOR LEADERSHIP
A pair of four-year players -- Brandon Taylor and Donovon Jack -- combined with Jordan Dickerson, who has played a year and a half in Happy Valley, and Devin Foster, who joined the Lions last year, make up the 2015-16 senior class. Taylor and Jack have been a part of 44 wins in their first three years, the most since the 2011-12 class entered its final year with 57 victories.
ROOKIE RECOGNITION
The freshman class of Josh Reaves, Mike Watkins and Deividas Zemgulis make up the most heralded group to sign at Penn State to date. The trio was rated as the No. 28 class in the nation by 247 Sports, marking the first Top 30 group to join the Nittany Lions. Both four-star players, Reaves and Watkins were each ranked among the Top 100 players in the country by ESPN with Reaves holding the No. 81 spot and Watkins coming in at No. 89 at the time of their signing. Zemgulis was a three-star recruit and a Top 12 prospect from Maryland.
LIONS GAIN UCONN TRANSFER
Terrence Samuel joined the Nittany Lions in July after playing two years at the University of Connecticut. He will have two seasons of eligibility remaining after sitting out the 2015-16 campaign to satisfy NCAA transfer rules. A member of the Huskies' 2014 NCAA Championship team, Samuel saw action in 65 career games with eight starts as a sophomore. He averaged 3.6 points and 2.5 rebounds per game in his second season in Storrs with career averages of 3.0 ppg and 1.7 rpg.
BLOCK PARTY
The Nittany Lions have a total of three players in the Penn State Top 10 in the blocks category. Donovon Jack and Jordan Dickerson are tied at No. 8 with 82 career blocks, while Brandon Taylor is 10th with 74. Jack and Dickerson also share the No. 8 position in single-season blocks with 53 after putting up the total in 2013-14 and 2014-15, respectively. It was the first time Penn State had a player produce more than 50 blocks in back-to-back seasons since 1998 and 1999 when Calvin Booth did so.
RETURN TO REC ... TIMES TWO
Penn State's non-conference schedule is highlighted by two games to be played in historic Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions will take on Canisius and Louisiana-Monroe Dec. 10 and 12, respectively, as part of the second Return to Rec. Penn State last played in Rec Hall during the 2013-14 season in a Return to Rec event that marked the first men's basketball game played there since the Nittany Lions defeated Wisconsin, 79-50, in the building on Jan. 7, 1996. From 1926-96, the Lions compiled a stellar 514-183 (73.7%) record in Rec Hall, including a 45-game win streak from 1951-55.
PSU TAKES NYC
The Nittany Lion basketball and men's hockey programs will take over Madison Square Garden Jan. 30 in the first Big Ten Super Saturday - Hoops and Hockey doubleheader. The teams will both take on Michigan with tip slated for noon and puck drop scheduled for 7 p.m., both on Big Ten Network. in the first of four annual events at "The World's Most Famous Arena," which also will host the 2018 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament Feb. 28-March 4 of that year. Big Ten men's basketball and hockey programs will play regular-season games at Madison Square Garden in late January or early February in 2016 through 2019.
LAS VEGAS CLASSIC
Penn State will take part in the Continental Tire Las Vegas Classic Dec. 22-23 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. The Nittany Lions will open action by taking on Colorado at 10:30 p.m. ET Tuesday, Dec. 22. The winner of the Penn State-Colorado game will play the winner of the SMU vs. Kent State matchup at 10:30 p.m. ET Dec. 23 on FoxSports1. The losers in each game will play each other at 8 p.m. ET, also on FoxSports1. Each team will play four games in the Classic -- the first two at on-campus sites and the final two rounds at the Orleans Arena. Penn State's two games are vs. Canisus and Louisiana-Monroe in the Return to Rec series.
STAFF CHANGES
Head coach Patrick Chambers announced a series of staff changes in the offseason, beginning with the move by Ross Condon from director of operations to assistant coach in wake of the departure of Brian Daly. David Caporaletti, who previously spent four seasons as the director of on-campus recruiting, filled Condon's former post. Nicholas Colella then moved into the recruiting role and graduate managers Evann Baker and Kevin Hacke were added to the mix.
NCAA ANNIVERSARIES
The 2015-16 marks significant anniversaries for each of the last four NCAA tournament appearances by the Nittany Lions.
| 2011 | NCAA First Round | 5 Years |
| 2001 | Sweet Sixteen | 15 Years |
| 1996 | NCAA First Round | 20 Years |
| 1991 | NCAA Second Round | 25 Years |
TWENTY SEASONS IN THE BJC
The 2015-16 campaign will be the 20th season in the Bryce Jordan Center. Since opening its doors to basketball Jan. 7, 1996, with a 79-50 win over Wisconsin, the BJC has hosted 316 Nittany Lion games with the team holding a winning percentage of 61.1 in those contests. Penn State has won at least 10 home games in four of the last five seasons.
120TH SEASON PENN STATE BASKETBALL
The Nittany Lions embark on the 120th season of basketball at Penn State and their 25th as a member of the Big Ten in 2015-16. The Lions began play in 1897 with a pair of contests vs. Bucknell, who they will face for the fourth-consecutive season and the 102nd time overall. Penn State has made 13 postseason appearances in the last 27 years (4 NCAA, 8 NIT, 1 CBI) and a total of 20 (9 NCAA, 10 NIT, 1 CBI) overall.