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Jan. 13, 2017
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State looks for back-to-back Big Ten wins when it hosts No. 24 Minnesota at noon Saturday in the Bryce Jordan Center. The game will be televised on ESPNU with Clay Matvick and Sean Harrington on the call.
STORYLINES
- This is the first home game for the Nittany Lions since Dec. 27, 2016 against Northwestern.
- Penn State has won each of its last three games vs. the Gophers and is 10-10 in the series at home.
- The Nittany Lions begin a stretch of three out of four games vs. Top 25-ranked teams against Minnesota. Following a Wednesday night matchup with Indiana next week, they travel to No. 17 Purdue and No. 18 Wisconsin.
- The Nittany Lions are coming off a 72-63 win over Michigan State Saturday, Jan. 7 in The Palestra. It was the first win over the Spartans for Penn State since 2011, and the first Big Ten game to take place in the City of Brotherly Love. The Lions took a 3-2 lead at 18:24 and did not trail for the rest of the contest as Lamar Stevens and Tony Carr paced PSU scoring in the win.
- With 59 dunks through 17 games, Penn State has already surpassed last year's total season number (58). The Lions are averaging 3.5 dunks per game on the year with the average increasing to 4.3 in Big Ten play.
- Over the last five games, five players are averaging in double figures for Penn State, led by freshmen Lamar Stevens (14.8) and Tony Carr (12.0). On the season, three freshmen are among the top five scorers and are each of top three rebounders.
THON HOOPS DAY
Saturday vs. Minnesota is the annual THON Hoops Day with approximately 70 families expected to participate in activities before, during and after the game. These families include children who are either undergoing or have undergone pediatric cancer treatment and have a relationship with the Four Diamonds Fund. The fund supports children treated at Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital and their families through care, support and research. All Four Diamonds families are attending the game with tickets donated through the Hoops for the Holidays program.
PROMO PLANS [Promo Schedule]
- Proceeds from single-game student tickets go directly to THON.
- Payton Banks Trading card to the first 2,500 fans
- Subway Full Court Four Pack: Enjoy four tickets, four subs and four drinks for $40
SETTING THE SCENE
- Penn State is looking for its fourth-consecutive win over the Gophers.
- With a win, the Nittany Lions would be 3-2 in Big Ten play for the first time since the 2010-11 season.
- Minnesota entered the week ranked No. 24 in the AP and USA Today polls. Penn State is 0-6 all-time vs. the 24-ranked team in the country with the last meeting taking place vs. Purdue on Jan. 13, 2016 (L, 74-57)
SCOUTING MINNESOTA
- The Gophers enter Saturday with a 15-3 overall record and 3-2 mark in the Big Ten with both league losses coming at the hands of Michigan State. The Spartans defeated Minnesota 65-47 Wednesday night in East Lansing, following the MSU loss vs. Penn State Saturday.
- The Gophers have league wins over No. 14 Purdue and Northwestern on the road and vs. Ohio State in The Barn.
- Minnesota finished the non-conference with a 12-1 mark and the 19th-rated pre-league strength of schedule in the country (ESPN).
- Nate Mason leads the Gophers with 14.3 points and 5.4 assists per game. He's joined in double-figures by Amir Coffey (12.2 ppg), Dupree McBrayer (12.1) and Jordan Murphy (10.3).
SERIES HISTORY
- Penn State trails in the all-time series vs. Minnesota 13-32, although the Lions have won each of the last three meetings.
- They won the lone meeting last season in the BJC and swept the season series in 2014-15, defeating Minnesota, 63-58, Jan. 28 in the Bryce Jordan Center and 79-76, March 8 in the Barn.
- With wins in each of the last three meetings with the Gophers, it is the first three-game win streak vs. a Big Ten opponent since defeating Northwestern in six-consecutive meetings in 2008-11.
CURRENT ROSTER VS. MINNESOTA
Five players on the current roster have taken the court against Minnesota, led by Payton Banks 16.5 points per game through two career meetings. He posted a career-high and series-high scoring effort among current players with 24 points vs. Minnesota in the BJC win last season.
Player | GP-GS | PPG | RPG | SERIES HIGH |
P. Banks | 2-1 | 16.5 | 4 | 24, vs MINN (1/5/16) |
S. Garner | 3-3 | 9.7 | 4 | 20, vs MINN (1/5/16) |
J. Reaves | 1-1 | 9 | 4 | 9, vs MINN (1/5/16) |
D. Zemgulis | 1-0 | 7 | 1 | 7, vs MINN (1/5/16) |
J. Moore | 3-0 | 2 | 1.7 | 4, vs MINN (1/28/15) |
LAST TIME AGAINST THE GOPHERS
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (Jan. 8, 2016) - Payton Banks scored 24 points and Penn State beat Minnesota 86-77. The Nittany Lions (10-6, 1-2 Big Ten) used a 23-6 run to earn what was then their earliest Big Ten win since 2012 and spoiled a hot-shooting night for the Golden Gophers (6-9, 0-3 Big Ten), who made 11 3-pointers and led for most of the game.
Shep Garner finished with 20 points and Brandon Taylor added 18 for Penn State. Garner drained a go-ahead 3-pointer to spark Penn State's late run after the Nittany Lions trailed for 28:10. Banks added five points during the run and was 3 of 3 from the free-throw line to close.
The Gophers built a 36-32 halftime lead and made 7 of 12 3-pointers in the first half. Mason scored 11 points in the first while Banks added 13 to keep Penn State within reach.
MEMORABLE MATCHUPS
March 8, 2015 (PSU, 79-76): D.J. Newbill pulled up and calmly swished a 3-pointer at the buzzer, giving him 31 points to lift Penn State to a 79-76 victory over Minnesota in the regular-season finale.
March 6, 2011 (PSU, 66-63): Penn State used 20-point games and clutch threes from Talor Battle and Jeff Brooks to down Minnesota, 66-63, in Minneapolis, the Nittany Lions' first win at Williams Arena since 2001
Jan. 11, 1996 (PSU, 76-61): The Lions downed the Gophers to win the inaugural game at the Bryce Jordan Center in University Park and during the same week, earned their first Associated Press national ranking in 31 years, at No. 20.
LAST TIME OUT
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Lamar Stevens scored 18 points and Tony Carr had 14 to lead Penn State to a 72-63 win over Michigan State at the Palestra on Saturday.
The Nittany Lions (10-7, 2-2 Big Ten) pulled off a big win for the program at the famed Philly gym and beat the Spartans for the first time since 2011. The Nittany Lions led almost the entire game and gave thousands of fans who came out in the snow a reason to bellow ''We Are!'' in the waning minutes.
Nick Ward scored 16 points and was the only player to have a decent game for the Spartans (11-6, 3-1). Michigan State coach Tom Izzo had called his program playing a game at the Palestra one of the few items left on his basketball bucket list.
The Spartans missed too many buckets instead, missing 16 of 23 3s and they shot 37 percent from the floor overall in the second half.
POSTGAME NOTES
- Penn State earned its first win over Michigan State since 2011 and the first under head coach Patrick Chambers. The Nittany Lions are 3-0 all-time against the Spartans on neutral courts.
- The Nittany Lions have won each of their last three games played in the Palestra.
- With a made jumper at the 12:19 mark in the first half, junior guard Shep Garner became the 33rd Penn State player all-time to eclipse 1,000 career points.
- Penn State effectively distributed the ball, making assists on 69 percent of its field goals - 18 of the 26 Penn State baskets were assisted. Sophomore guard Josh Reaves posted a season-high tying six assists
- Penn State claimed the edge on the boards for the second game in a row, holding a 38-28 advantage in rebounding. The Nittany Lions are 6-1 when out-rebounding their opponent.
- Penn State is now 7-0 this season when holding opponents below 70 points.
- Penn State's six Philadelphia natives showed out in front of the home crowd, providing 76 percent of the teams scoring. Three of the Philadelphians (Stevens, Carr and Moore) finished in double-figure scoring.
- The Nittany Lions keyed in on Michigan State's top player in Miles Bridges to earn the win. The freshman, who leads MSU's scoring efforts with 15.4 points per game, was limited to four points on 25% shooting from the floor.
UP NEXT
The Nittany Lions begin a stretch of three out of four games vs. Top 25-ranked teams against Minnesota. Following a Wednesday night matchup with Indiana next week, they travel to No. 17 Purdue and No. 18 Wisconsin.