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Nov. 28, 2016
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State men's basketball team hosts Georgia Tech at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The matchup will be broadcast on ESPNU with Eamon McAnaney and Dalen Cuff on the call.
STORYLINES
- Both teams are coming off back-to-back wins with Penn State defeating George Washington, 74-68, on the road Saturday.
- This is the fourth meeting all-time between the Lions and Yellow Jackets, and the third in the Challenge.
- Penn State has won six of its last nine Big Ten/ACC Challenge games and holds a 7-8 record in 15 Challenge appearances. The Lions defeated Boston College, 67-58, on the road last season after Shep Garner knocked down eight 3-pointers and tallied 31 points. [More: Page 3]
- Freshmen led the way in the win over GW with Mike Watkins tallying a career-high 20 points and Lamar Stevens and Tony Carr adding 18 and 12, respectively. This followed up a veteran-led victory over Colgate last week with junior captains Payton Banks (20 pts), Terrence Samuel (16) and Shep Garner (10) among the double-digit scorers.
- Four players are averaging in double figures through six games, led by Garner and Carr (14.3). Three freshmen are among the top five scorers with a rookie leading the team in scoring in four of seven games.
- The Lions wrap up a program-record tying eight games in the month of November.
BACK IN BLACK (AND PINK)
- Penn State will wear its black and pink throwback uniforms against Georgia Tech in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge Nov. 29. The uniforms honor the original school colors from 1887.
- The Nittany Lions are 3-0 in the unis since debuting them in 2014.
- The color pairing lasted just 2.5 years. Problems arose when the pink faded to white after several weeks of exposure to the sun
- The students then opted for blue, rather than black, and white. The official announcement of the new choice was made on March 18, 1890.
PROMO PLANS
- Pink Climb With Us t-shirt to the first 1,000 students
- Free food for students while supplies last.
- Dollar Dog Night (Promotion applies to all fans
- Mike Watkins Trading card to the first 2,500 fans
Help send off the Penn State football team to the Big Ten Championship game. Team members will be recognized at the Penn State-Georgia Tech game and the trophy will be available to take photos with at Portal 29 on the concourse.
IN THE ACC/B1G CHALLENGE
Penn State has won six of its last nine Big Ten/ACC Challenge games and holds a 7-8 record in 15 Challenge appearances. Big Ten men's basketball teams claimed an 8-6 advantage in the 17th annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge in 2015, winning the event for the second-consecutive season. Five conference teams posted road victories, including Penn State, to help the Big Ten secure the Commissioner's Cup for the seventh year in a row.
SCOUTING GEORGIA TECH
The Yellow Jackets enter the ACC/Big Ten Challenge with a 4-1 record after defeating Tulane, 82-68, Saturday in Atlanta. Josh Okogie set a Georgia Tech freshman scoring record with 38 points, while Ben Lammers added 19 points and 12 rebounds in the win over the Green Wave.
Okogie is leading Tech on the season with 19.0 points per game. Lammers is second with 17.6 ppg and is averaging a double-double with 10.8 rebounds to go with 5.6 blocks per game.
Tech started out its first season under head coach Josh Pastner with victories over Tennessee Tech (70-55), Southern (77-62), Sam Houston State (81-73) and Tulane (82-68) sandwiched around a 67-61 loss to Ohio, all at McCamish Pavilion. This is the first road game for the Yellow Jackets, who play each of their next three games away from home.
Pastner inherited seven letterwinners, but none of its top four scorers, from a team that went 21-15 last season and advanced to the quarterfi nals of the National Invitation Tournament.
SERIES HISTORY
This is the fourth meeting all-time between Georgia Tech and Penn State and the third in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. [Chart: above]
All three previous meetings have taken place in Atlanta at the Alexander Memorial Coliseum.
LAST TIME VS. THE YELLOW JACKETS: DEC. 3, 2008 (ATLANTA)
- Penn State (7-1) won its second straight ACC/Big Ten Challenge game and handed Georgia Tech (4-1) its first loss of the season in an 85-83 win.
- Stanley Pringle led Penn State with 22 points, four steals and three assists. Pringle was one of four Lions in double-figures on the night as Penn State shot 50 percent from the floor and 8-of-19 from three to hold on to victory.
- Tech forward Gani Lawal led the Yellow Jackets with 34 points and 10 rebounds as the 6-9 forward led a Tech effort in the paint that resulted in a 50-34 scoring margin.
- Lawal was 15-of-20 from the floor and was joined by 6-8 Aminu Ade (12 points and 10 rebounds) in posting a double-double.
UP NEXT
Penn State will remain at home for the next two games, welcoming Wright State to the Bryce Jordan Center at 5 p.m. Saturday. The tip time of this game was changed (from 6 p.m.) to accommodate fans wishing to watch the Nittany Lion football team playing in the Big Ten Championship game at 8:15 p.m. Penn State will then host George Mason at 7 p.m. Wedneday in the BJC.