Jan. 19, 2017
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State men's basketball team begins a two-game road swing vs. ranked opponents when it travels to No. 21/22 Purdue for a noon Saturday tipoff from Mackey Arena. The game will be televised by Big Ten Network with Jeff Levering and Stephen Bardo on the call.
STORYLINES
- The Nittany Lions are coming off a Wednesday loss at the buzzer to Indiana, 78-75. They used a 17-4 run to tie the game at 75-75 with 4.6 second to play. Tony Carr finished with a game and career-high 24 points.
- At 3-3, Penn State is off to its best six-game Big Ten start under Chambers and overall since 2010-11.
- Mike Watkins earned his second Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor Monday after producing his PSU freshman record fourth double-double (15 pts, 15 rbds) in the win over the Gophers.
- The Nittany Lions are in a stretch of three out of four games vs. Top 25-ranked teams. Following the win over No. 24 Minnesota and the matchup with Indiana, they travel to No. 21 Purdue and No. 17 Wisconsin.
- Five players are averaging in double figures for Penn State this season, led by junior captain Shep Garner (12.6 ppg) and freshman Lamar Stevens (12.0). Three freshmen are among the top five scorers and are each of top three rebounders. Tony Carr is the team's leading scorer in Big Ten action with 12.5 ppg.
SETTING THE SCENE
- Penn State has won two of its last three games and is preparing to face back-to-back ranked opponents on the road. The Lions defeated No. 24 Minnesota Jan. 14 for their first win over a Top 25 team this season (0-2 prior).
- With a win, the Nittany Lions would be 4-3 in Big Ten play for the first time since the 2008-09 season when they went 6-3 before absorbing a fourth loss.
- The 3-3 mark through the first six games of the Big Ten slate is the best record through the opening third of league play since 2010-11.
SCOUTING PURDUE
- No. 21/22 Purdue enters Saturday with 15-4 overall record and 4-2 mark in the Big Ten following a 91-68 win over Illinois Tuesday.
- The Boilermakers have been ranked in the AP Top 25 in each of the last 30 polls, the seventh-longest active streak nationally and longest streak in the Big Ten (Wisconsin - 12).
- Purdue lost in overtime to Minnesota Jan. 1 and on the road at Iowa Jan. 12. They have posted wins over Ohio State, Wisconsin and the Illini.
- Purdue is 10-2 in Mackey Arena this season.
- Purdue has scored at least 75 points in 11 of its last 12 games, averaging 83.1 points on the season and outscoring opponents by +16.6 (+7.2 in Big Ten play).
- The Boilermakers have a Big Ten-best +6.2 rebounding margin in league games only and have been outrebounded just twice this season, averaging 37.3 boards per game.
- Four players are averaging in double figures, led by Caleb Swanigan's 18.4 points and 12.5 rebounds per game. He has a double-double in 15 of 19 games this season, leading the nation.
SERIES HISTORY
- Purdue holds a 33-12 advantage in the all-time series and a 2-19 record when playing in West Lafayette.
- Penn State's last victory in Mackey Arena was Feb. 18, 2006, with a 69-60 decision.
- The Boilermakers have won each of the last three meetings.
- The teams close out the season series Feb. 21 at the Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, Pa. (6 PM | BTN).
CURRENT ROSTER VS. PURDUE
Five players have seen action vs. the Boilermakers in their careers, led by Shep Garner's 6.3 points per game over three meetings. Josh Reaves missed the lone matchup last season while recovering from mono. It was the first of six games missed by the then-rookie.
| Player | GP-GS | PPG | RPG | SERIES HIGH |
| S. Garner | 3-3 | 6.3 | 2 | 9, at PUR (1/13/16) |
| P. Banks | 3-1 | 2.7 | 1.3 | 7, vs PUR (1/17/15) |
| J. Moore | 3-0 | 0 | 2.3 | -- |
| D. Zemgulis | 1-1 | 2 | 5 | 2, at PUR (1/13/16) |
| I. Washington | 1-0 | 0 | 0 | -- |
LAST TIME AGAINST THE BOILERMAKERS
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (Jan. 13, 2016) - Vince Edwards scored 19 points, Isaac Haas had 14 and Caleb Swanigan added 13 as No. 24 Purdue defeated Penn State 74-57. Penn State was led by Brandon Taylor, who finished with 21 points despite playing most of the second half in foul trouble. Donovon Jack scored 12 in the Nittany Lions' second straight loss. The Boilermakers finished the first half on a 10-3 run to build a 38-25 lead, then opened the second half on an 8-3 spurt to make it 46-28 with 17:09 to play, sealing the outcome.
MEMORABLE MATCHUPS
Jan. 17, 2015 (PUR, 84-77 (ot)): Despite 37 points from D.J. Newbill, Purdue slipped past Penn State for an 84-77 overtime victory. Newbill's effort stands as the eighth-most points in a Penn State game all-time and were the most since 1965.
Jan. 5, 2012 (PSU, 65-45): Penn State posted the first Big Ten victory of the Patrick Chambers era with an impressive 65-45 victory in the Bryce Jordan Center. The Nittany Lions were led by redshirt junior Billy Oliver, who posted a career-high 21 points on a personal-best 7-of-11 from three. Oliver's seven threes tied for the second-most for a Nittany Lion in a game Penn State history.
Feb. 21, 1998 (PSU, 74-63): The Nittany Lions used Pete Lisicky's 19 points and Jarrett Stephens' 17 to upset No. 5 Purdue, 74-63, in the Bryce Jordan Center. The win was Penn State's first over a team ranked in the Top 5 in nearly 50 years.
UP NEXT
Following the matchup at Purdue, Penn State will return to the road for a 9 p.m. ET meeting at Wisconsin Tuesday on BTN. Ten of the last 11 meetings against Wisconsin have been decided by 10 or fewer points.