Jan. 20, 2016
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. ââ'¬" An 18-game slate in the Big Ten is an arduous task for every team in the conference.
Penn State's first 10 games of the Big Ten schedule this season may be an exception, though. Come Feb. 3, the Nittany Lions will have played seven of their first 10 conference games away from the Bryce Jordan Center. The team is currently in the midst of a stretch where it will play five out of six outside of Happy Valley.
The lone exception is Thursday night when the Lions (11-8, 2-4 Big Ten) welcome Wisconsin (10-9, 2-4 Big Ten) to the Bryce Jordan Center for an 8 p.m. tip (BTN). Penn State enters the only meeting between the Lions and Badgers this season following a hard fought road win at Northwestern (71-62).
"We've got to keep sharing the ball," head coach Patrick Chambers said. "In our two wins, we had 14 and 15 assists. We have to continue sharing the basketball (to be successful)...Look, we made shots (at Northwestern). We made nine threes."
The Nittany Lions are averaging 14.5 assists per game in their Big Ten wins this season. In the four losses, the Lions have averaged just seven assists per contest. Chambers has said the magic number for made 3-pointers in a game for this team is seven. The Lions went 9-for-21 at Northwestern. The good looks on the perimeter come from efficient ball movent.
A big piece in Penn State's performance at Northwestern was senior Donovon Jack, who has come on strong of late. The forward played the best basketball of his final season last week, averaging 13.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in the contests at Purdue and Northwestern. Jack was one rebound shy of a double-double in the win over the Wildcats when he tallied 14 points and nine boards.
"He's playing with great confidence," said Chambers. "When you see the ball go through the basket, it's going to give you confidence. The thing I really enjoyed about how he played last week was at Purdue. He didn't back down. He played tough and physical. To me, that was a sign that he is back on track and going to finish strong here."
Another key contributor in the rotation during recent games has been senior Devin Foster. The backup point guard has played major minutes in Penn State's last three games, scoring 9.3 points and 3.7 rebounds during that stretch. That series of games includes a career-high 12 tallies, which came against Michigan State. Foster had nine points, six rebounds and five assists at Northwestern.
Wisconsin snapped a three-game losing streak with a 77-76 victory over then-No. 4 Michigan State in Madison. Under the direction of interim head coach Greg Gard, the Badgers are 2-4 in Big Ten play, but have lost the four games by a combined 15 points.
"He is doing a great job," said Chambers. "I think their defense has gotten a lot better. Against Michigan State, they got to the line a ton. They have lost some close games. They've been in a lot of games and they lost a lot of tight games."
Junior forward Nigel Hayes leads Wisconsin offensively at 16.3 points per game. Hayes was instrumental in Wisconsin's run to the national title game last season. Junior guard Bronson Koenig is averaging 14.3 points per contest. Wisconsin is leading the Big Ten in offensive rebounds per game (12.63).
The Nittany Lions are 7-14 all-time against the Badgers in games played in Happy Valley.
Penn State will head back on the road Monday when it travels to Ohio State (7 p.m.). The Lions will then meet Michigan in Madison Square Garden on Jan. 30. The stretch of three-straight road games will wrap up on Feb. 3 at Iowa. From there, the Lions will play five of their last eight conference games at home.