Nov. 19, 2016
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UNCASVILLE, Conn. - The Penn State men's basketball team will take on No. 24/25 Cincinnati at 3:30 p.m. Sunday in the consolation game of the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2 with Dave O'Brien, Malcolm Huckaby and Jeff Goodman on the call.
STORYLINES
- Penn State fell to top-ranked Duke, 78-68, Saturday, while Cincinnati dropped a 76-71 decision to Rhode Island in the second semifinal game. [RECAP]
- It is just the second meeting between Penn State and Cincinnati all-time, with the Lions winning a 1973 meeting, 74-66 in overtime, against the Bearcats in the Quaker City Classic in Philadelphia.
- Tony Carr led Penn State with 20 points vs. Duke. It was his second 20-point outing of the season. Against Duquesne (11/13), Carr and Stevens became first freshmen duo to each score 20-plus in a game since 1989. [MORE: Page 4]
- The Lions will play six games within the first two weeks of the season and a program-record tying eight in the month of November. They had three within the first five days of the season.
- Four players are averaging in double figures through four games, led by freshmen Lamar Stevens and Tony Carr(16.0 ppg). A freshman has led the team in scoring in each of the last three games.
SCOUTING CINCINNATI
No. 24/25 Cincinnati entered the weekend with a 2-0 mark on the season before taking its first setback against No. 21 /22 Rhode Island, 76-71, Saturday in the semifinals.
Sophomore guard Jacob Evans and junior forward Kyle Washington have led the Bearcats through the first three games of the season. Evans is shooting 63 percent from the field, converting on 22-of-25 shots with eight 3-pointers, to average a team-leading 22.3 points per game. He had 25 vs. Rhode Island in the semifinals off 67 percent shooting and a 7-for-9 showing from the free-throw line.
Washington adds a team-high 8.3 boards per contest along with 17.3 points per game after posting a double-double Saturday against Rhode Island.
The Bearcats earned a convincing win against Brown on opening night, 84-55, before defeating Albany three days later, 74-51. In the game against Albany, Cincinnati struggled early shooting just 32 percent from the floor in the first half. The Bearcats turned things around in the second, shooting 57.6 percent from the floor and forcing 11 turnovers to make a 21-4 run to take down the Great Danes.
SERIES HISTORY
Sunday's game marks just the second meeting between Cincinnati and Penn State all-time. The lone matchup in the past came on Dec. 28, 1973, in which Penn State defeated Cincinnati in overtime, 74-66, as a park of the Quaker City Classic in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
PENN STATE VS. THE AAC
Penn State is 43-70 all-time against opponents in the American Athletic Conference, with winning records against East Carolina, Houston and SMU in addition to Cincinnati.
PENN STATE AGAINST NO. 25 TEAMS
Entering Sunday, Penn State is 1-6 all-time against teams ranked No. 25 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. Penn State's lone win came against Wake Forest on Dec. 30, 1989, when PSU took down the Demon Deacons, 67-63. PSU has dropped six straight against No. 25 teams since, most recently falling to Ohio State, 77-67, on March 4, 2015.
ABOUT THE HALL OF FAME TIP-OFF TOURNAMENT
The Basketball Hall of Fame hosts the annual Tip-Off Tournament each November. The Tip-Off Tournament is an NCAA exempt men's basketball tournament sponsored by the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). Each year, top teams and conferences will compete in the Basketball Hall of Fame's event showcasing its talents in New England's only exempt Division I college basketball tournament. The original Tip-Off was held in Springfield for more than 25 years. The format has changed, but the name has remained the same.
Penn State participated in the 2011 event, falling to eventual national champion Kentucky and defeating South Florida.
LAST TIME OUT
Freshman Frank Jackson led five players in double figures with 17 points and top-ranked Duke defeated Penn State 78-68 Saturday in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off tournament. Amile Jefferson added 16 points and 16 rebounds for the Blue Devils (3-1), who lost forward Chase Jeter to injury early in the game. The 6-foot-10 sophomore rolled his left ankle in the first half and didn't return. Tony Carr had 20 points and Shep Garner added 15 to lead Penn State (2-2).
UP NEXT
Following the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament, Penn State will return home for four of its next five games, beginning at 7 p.m. Wednesday against Colgate. The game will be broadcast on Big Ten Network with Jason Horowitz and Jon Crispin on the call.