Feb. 19, 2016
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. ââ'¬" Riding the wave of momentum following a thrilling 79-75 win over No. 4 Iowa, the Nittany Lion basketball team (13-13, 4-9 Big Ten) travels to Rutgers (6-20, 0-13 Big Ten) seeking its third Big Ten win in its last four outings.
Penn State's efforts against Iowa were preceded by three outstanding days of practice. Head coach Patrick Chambers said that the attitude, effort and shot-making ability were a carbon copy of the team's performance in the practice gym.
Now that the Lions have illustrated an ability to compete with the top teams in the Big Ten, Chambers and the team are looking for consistency when the group takes the floor in the RAC for Saturday's 1 p.m. tip against the Scarlet Knights.
"This is a long season. You've got a nice mix of youth and experience, so you are going to have some games (where you are inconsistent)," said Chambers. "I'm just looking for a good, competitive level with real consistency every day at practice."
Senior Brandon Taylor has been the driving force behind Penn State's success throughout the season. Taylor sets the tempo for the team's attitude and effort with his relentless play. The New Jersey native will play in his home state for the final time on Saturday (1 p.m. on ESPNU). Taylor is averaging 16.5 points and 6.2 rebounds per game this season.
Taylor's influence on the team is probably felt most by his confidence. He came into the media room after Wednesday's big win and was immediately looking ahead to the task at hand for Saturday's game against the Scarlet Knights. That has been the team's outlook of how to build on Wednesday's effort.
"For us, the Iowa win was over at midnight (on Wednesday)," said Chambers. "We came back in (on Thursday) and practiced hard. We are just staying focused on trying to get better. That's been my message to them and then work on our consistency. We haven't been consistent. If we can get consistent, we are better."
Road games have not been kind to Penn State's shooting touch during Big Ten play, but the Lions are not going to shy away from good looks at the basket.
"I just keep telling them to play with confidence," Chambers said. "If you have an open shot, shoot it. I'd like to see us to get to the free throw line a little more. When we share the ball, we get really good shots. Good things happen when we move the ball side to side and get into the paint. But if you have open shots, you need to stick them."
Rutgers enters the only regular season meeting between the two teams looking for its first Big Ten win of the season. The Scarlet Knights will be without leading scorer Corey Sanders on Saturday. Outside of Sanders, guard Mike Williams is the long Scarlet Knight averaging double-figures in Big Ten games.
"With or without Sanders, they fight and they compete," said Chambers. "We've been there before. You play with desperation. We have to play 10 to 15 points better on Saturday if we want to come out on top. That's how hard they are going to play in this game."
Penn State owns a 38-30 edge in the all-time series. The two teams split the season series last year, with Rutgers scoring a 50-46 win at the RAC, while the Lions notched a 79-51 win in the BJC.