Jan. 4, 2016
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - It has been 31 days and eight games since the Nittany Lions last took the floor for a game inside the Bryce Jordan Center.
That will change on Tuesday when Penn State (9-6, 0-2 Big Ten) hosts Minnesota (6-8, 0-2) in its first home game of the New Year and 2016 Big Ten home season.
Tuesday's 7 p.m. tip (BTN) will commemorate the program's first game inside the BJC, which took place against Minnesota almost 20 years ago to the day. The Lions and Gophers christened the team's current home floor on Jan. 11, 1996.
The Nittany Lions are eager to be back in their home gym to kick off the first of two games in the BJC this week. For the better part of two weeks, the team has been on the go. Following two games in Rec Hall and finals week, the Lions played at Drexel on Dec. 19 before traveling to Las Vegas for two games, breaking for the Christmas holiday and opening the Big Ten season with trips to Maryland and Michigan.
"I can't wait to get back into the BJC," said senior forward Brandon Taylor. "It's good to get back in front of our friends and family. We know this gym so well, and sometimes it's tough on the road to get used to the environment. We have a good feel for the BJC, and it's good to be back home."
Head coach Patrick Chambers and the Nittany Lions are not allowing the first two games of the conference season to impact how each day transpires. The Lions went toe-to-toe on the road with Maryland for 40 minutes and opened the Michigan game with a high degree of execution. Now, attention is on the tasks at hand on each day.
"It's hard to be away for that length of time and not play in your gym, but we've just got to keep battling," Chambers said. "And that's where we need to mature. We've got a very young team. And the young guys are playing quality minutes. That's where we need to continue to grow up and mature. We just need to keep getting better each day, and we will give ourselves opportunities to win."
Attention now shifts towards the conference home opener against the Golden Gophers. Penn State swept Minnesota last season. The Lions are 9-10 all-time against the Gophers in Happy Valley, including a 2-1 mark in their last three games in the BJC.
"They like to run, and they like to get the ball and go," said freshman guard Josh Reaves. "That's what Maryland did against us. They attack you constantly, and we need to just hold our ground.
The Golden Gophers enter the game following a 69-61 setback to then-No. 1 Michigan State. Minnesota opened Big Ten play with a 78-63 loss at Ohio State. The Gophers have lost six of their last seven outings after starting the year 5-2.
Senior forward Joey King leads a balanced offensive attack for the Gophers with a 12.8-points per game scoring clip. King is one of four Minnesota players averaging double-figures. That list includes sophomore guard Nate Mason (12.6 ppg), senior guard Carlos Morris (11.6 ppg) and true freshman forward Jordan Murphy (11.0 ppg). Murphy has started just three of Minnesota's 14 games, but has come on strong of late by averaging 12.8 points and 10.8 rebounds per game in the last five.
"They are playing much better basketball (right now)," said Chambers. "They are playing fast. They are playing a little smaller. I really love (Jordan) Murphy. He's a big-time player. (Nate) Mason is a great player. I love Joey King...It's a really good team. We've got to take care of the ball, play hard without fouling and take care of the glass. On the other end, we've got to make some shots. We've got to play a consistent 40 minutes."
Following the Minnesota game, Penn State hosts No. 5 Michigan State on Sunday at noon inside the BJC before two games on the road next week at No. 20 Purdue and Northwestern.