Feb. 10, 2017
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State men's basketball team completes the season series with Illinois at 2 p.m. ET Saturday at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Ill. The game will be televised on Big Ten Network with Cory Provus and Shon Morris on the call.
STORYLINES
- The Nittany Lions defeated the Illini, 71-67, Jan. 28 in the Bryce Jordan Center.
- Both teams are coming off Saturday wins with Penn State knocking off No. 21 Maryland, 70-64, and Illinois earning a road win at Northwestern, 68-61. Lamar Stevens had 25 points to lead the Lions to their fourth-consecutive home win vs. a Top 25-ranked opponent.
- Penn State has captured each of the last two meetings with the Illini, both in University Park. Twelve of the last 16 meetings between the teams have been decided by five or fewer points.
- Four players are averaging in double figures for Penn State, led by Shep Garner (12.6 ppg) and Tony Carr (12.3). 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 13.3 ppg after averaging 18.0 points and 7.0 assists over the last three games. His 14 assists at Indiana are tied for second-most in a game in program history.
- With the win over Maryland, Penn State improved to 10-0 when keeping its opponents below 70 points and 8-0 when holding opponents under 40 percent shooting from the field.
SETTING THE SCENE
- The Nittany Lions are 5-7 through the first two-thirds of the Big Ten schedule. The five wins through the first 12 games are tied for the most Penn State was 6-6 in 2008-09. The Lions also started 5-7 in 2010-11 before closing the year with four wins in final six games.
SCOUTING ILLINOIS
- Illinois heads into the weekend with a 14-11 overall record and 4-8 mark in Big Ten play, going 1-2 since falling to the Nittany Lions Jan. 28 in the BJC and dropping six of its last eight.
- Illinois is 10-4 in the State Farm Center this season and 3-3 in league play, defeating Ohio State, Michigan and Iowa with home losses to Maryland, Wisconsin and Minnesota.
- The Illini are coming off a 68-61 road win over Northwestern Saturday, led by Malcolm Hill's 14 points and nine rebounds.
- Hill has led Illinois in scoring 13 times this season and averages 16.9 points per game on the season (15.3 in B1G play). He has nine outings of 20+ points and two 30-plus point performances on the season.
SERIES HISTORY
- Illinois holds a 28-15 advantage in the all-time series and an 14-5 advantage in Champaign. Penn State has won each of the last two meetings in the series.
- Penn State's last win in Champaign was Feb. 18, 2009, a 38-33 defensive battle.
- Twelve of the last 16 meetings between the teams have been decided by five or fewer points.
CURRENT ROSTER VS. ILLINI
Ten players have seen action against Illinois, led by Shep Garner's 18.0 ppg over three career meetings. Among current players, he has a series-high 22 points from the double-overtime win last season.
Player | GP-GS | PPG | RPG | SERIES HIGH |
S. Garner | 3-3 | 18.0 | 3.3 | 22, vs ILL (3/6/16) |
T. Carr | 1-1 | 13.0 | 1.0 | 13, vs ILL (1/28/17) |
J. Reaves | 2-2 | 10.5 | 5.0 | 13, vs ILL (3/6/16) |
M. Watkins | 1-0 | 10.0 | 9.9 | 10, vs ILL (1/28/17) |
J. Moore | 3-1 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 10, at ILL (1/31/15) |
P. Banks | 3-1 | 8.3 | 1.0 | 17, vs ILL (1/28/17) |
I. Washington | 1-0 | 6.0 | 4.0 | 6, vs ILL (3/6/16) |
L. Stevens | 1-1 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 3, vs ILL (1/28/17) |
T. Samuel | 1-0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2, vs ILL (1/28/17) |
N. Bostick | 1-0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- |
LAST TIME AGAINST THE ILLINI
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (Jan. 28, 2017) - Shep Garner scored 18 points, Payton Banks added 17 and Penn State beat Illinois 71-67. Tony Carr and Mike Watkins chipped in 13 and 10 points, respectively, and Watkins pulled down nine rebounds for the Nittany Lions who held on after leading by 20 at halftime. The win snapped a 3-game losing skid for Penn State.
Malcolm Hill led Illinois with 19 points and Jalen Colman-Lands added 13. Penn State (12-10, 4-5 Big Ten) led for all but 1:15 and took control early with pinpoint shooting. The Nittany Lions made 60 percent of their first-half shots and Garner hit the first of his team's nine 3-pointers on his first attempt of the game. Meanwhile, the Illini (13-9, 3-6) endured two scoreless stretches in the first 20 minutes to trail 45-25 at halftime.
OTHER MEMORABLE MATCHUPS
Jan. 11, 2011 (PSU, 57-55): Andrew Jones grabbed Talor Battle's last second lay-up attempt in traffic and slammed it home to give Penn State a 57-55 victory over No. 16 ranked Illinois. With the win, Penn State defeated ranked teams in back-to-back games for the second time in program history and the first since 1954.
Feb. 18, 2009 (PSU, 38-33): In a game that may have set the game of basketball back decades, Penn State gutted out a 38-33 win over No. 18 Illinois at Assembly Hall. With 11 points, Talor Battle was the lone player for either team in double-digits.
Feb. 4, 2006 (PSU, 66-65): Travis Parker scored 21 points including the game-winner with 8.5 seconds to play, and Geary Claxton added 20 as Penn State defeated No. 6 Illinois 66-65 in a sold-out Assembly Hall for the biggest road upset in program history.
LOOKING AHEAD
Penn State remains on the road, taking on Nebraska at 9 p.m. ET Tuesday on Big Ten Network. The nearly 2,000-mile round trip is the farthest for Penn State in Big Ten play with the latest tip time.