Jan. 8, 2016
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. ââ'¬" When Payton Banks arrived on campus as a raw freshman from Orange, Calif., he probably envisioned night's like the one he had against Minnesota on Tuesday night.
Banks poured in a career-high 24 points on 8-for-11 shooting in the 86-77 win over the Golden Gophers.
The 6-foot-6 guard has been known for his ability to put the ball in the basket throughout his time on the practice floor. Now, it's happening in games. Banks has scored in double-figures during 12 of Penn State's 16 games this season. That mark includes two contests of 20-plus scoring nights.
But the numbers on offense only graze the surface of what the long, athletic guard has provided to the Nittany Lions this season.
Head coach Patrick Chambers alluded to Banks as a guy who walked on campus with the mindset of being a skilled, finesse player on the offensive end of the court.
That's not the case anymore.
"His maturity, (and) his leadership (stand out). And he's become a great defender," said Chambers. "When he first came in here, he was more about skill and style. He's completely transformed his game to play tough, gritty and rebound the ball for us. He's definitely a leader. He's really transformed his game to benefit the team first."
Banks and the Nittany Lions (10-6, 1-2 Big Ten) now shift attention towards a matchup against No. 5 Michigan State (15-1, 2-1 Big Ten) on Sunday (Noon on BTN). Penn State watched film during a light practice day on Wednesday before practicing twice leading up to the weekend.
"We went back and did some old school stuff we did at the beginning of the season," said Chambers. "It was a good time (to re-visit the fundamentals)."
Penn State is headed into the weekend with momentum following a 23-6 surge in crunch time during the win on Tuesday. The Lions have strung together a series of strong games over the last month. Outside of the trip to Michigan, the team has been in a great position to win each of the last eight games (5-3). That stretch includes a one-point setback to Colorado (No. 20 in RPI), a win over Kent State (No. 59 in RPI) and a tight loss on the road at Maryland (No. 15 in RPI).
"The Colorado game gave me an idea that, 'you know what, we are pretty good,'" said Chambers. "We've got a chance to be pretty good, but we have to be a little more consistent...We have the talent. We just have to be consistent. We have to stay out of foul trouble. Our better players need to be on the floor at all times."
The fifth-ranked Spartans enter the game as the highest-ranked Big Ten team. Michigan State rolled past Illinois (79-54) on Thursday for its second-straight Big Ten victory. The Spartans went 13-0 in the non-conference season and were ranked as high as No. 1 before falling at Iowa, 83-70, in the Big Ten opener.
"I thought after the Final Four run last year that they had one of the better teams coming back," said Chambers. "Their identity isn't going to change. They are tough. They are nasty. They are physical. I think they are running the ball (up the floor). I think they are getting the ball up the floor faster than they ever have before. They are going to rebound. We know a good-coached Tom Izzo team. And he's got it."
Michigan State has been without standout senior Denzel Valentine since Dec. 21 when the versatile guard underwent arthroscopic knee surgery. Valentine dressed for Michigan State's game against Illinois and is expected to play on Sunday. He is averaging 18.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.1 assists this season and has two triple-doubles.
The Spartans are No. 1 in the nation in rebounding (plus-13.9) and assists (21.3 per game) and No. 2 nationally in field goal percentage defense (35.6). They also take care of the basketball (No. 9 in turnover margin) and have bench that can go 10 deep.
"We've had some tests to let us know where we are, and Michigan State happens to be the next one on the docket," said Chambers.
The Nittany Lions will look to white out cancer on Sunday afternoon during the annual Coaches Vs. Cancer game in the Bryce Jordan Center. Now in its 20th season, CVC at Penn State is on track to eclipse the $2.5 mark during the year. Four dollars from every ticket sold to Sunday's game will go towards Penn State Coaches Vs. Cancer.