Feb. 16, 2016
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Nittany Lion basketball team (12-13, 3-9 Big Ten) returns to action inside the confines of the Bryce Jordan Center on Wednesday for a matchup against No. 4 Iowa (20-5, 11-2 Big Ten).
Confidence is the key ingredient as Penn State looks for its second-straight victory at home. The Lions downed Indiana in the BJC on Feb. 6 before a bye week leading up to the trip to Nebraska. After a strong start, a cold second half hindered the Nittany Lions in a 70-54 setback to the Cornhuskers.
Despite the loss, Penn State entered the practice week with a short-term memory and remains optimistic that it can compete with anyone on its home floor.
"We're not scoring the ball very well on the road...That's got to change, obviously," said head coach Patrick Chambers. "The good news is that we only have two more road games left. We definitely need contributions on the offensive end from more guys to help out (Brandon) Taylor."
Senior forward Brandon Taylor has been outstanding for Penn State all season long. The New Jersey native is averaging 16.5 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. He has scored in double-figures 22 times this season, which includes 20-plus points in three of the last seven games. The numbers that stands out on Taylor's season stat line are free throw attempts.
"Getting to the free throw line can take pressure off myself," said Taylor. "It puts a lot of pressure on a defense, and then teams will have to start doubling down. That opens up the floor for everybody else. And then guys can start hitting open shots."
Taylor has attempted just eight free throws in Penn State's last five games. Collectively, the Nittany Lions are looking to do a better job getting to the foul line and alleviating some pressure off of the jump shots.
"We've got to get to the free throw line, and that stops the bleeding," said Chambers. "We've got to drive the ball with toughness and go up strong. I think sometimes what happens is, you are trying to create contact and then you miss layups."
The Lions are 8-3 in games where they have attempted at least 20 free throws in a game. At Nebraska, the Blue and White attempted just nine.
Iowa enters the trip to Happy Valley atop the Big Ten standings following its win over Minnesota on Sunday. The Hawkeyes remain one of the best teams in the nation at taking care of the basketball. Iowa is No. 4 nationally in assist/turnover ratio (1.67), No. 8 in fewest turnovers per game (9.8), No. 17 in turnover margin (plus-3.3).
Senior Jarrod Uthoff and junior Peter Jok are Iowa's top scorers. A national player of the year candidate, Uthoff is No. 2 in the Big Ten in scoring at18.8 points per game. He is also averaging a Big Ten-best 2.96 blocked shots per game. Jok is averaging 15.8 points. Both Uthoff and Jok are shooting 42 percent from three-point range this season. Iowa is second in the Big Ten at 80.3 points per game.
The Hawkeyes have won eight of the last 11 in the all-time series, but nine of the last 13 meetings between the two teams have been decided by single-digits. Tip is slated for 6:30 on Wednesday with TV coverage on BTN.
"Being home and knowing the rims and the arena like we do, I hope it gives us confidence that we can succeed, and we can go on a little bit of a run here to finish out the season," said Chambers. "Typically, our teams finish strong and they become the best teams they can be in February. I'm banking on that, still."