Feb. 19, 2017
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State closes out the season series with Purdue at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Bryce Jordan Center. The game will be televised on Big Ten Network with Jeff Levering and Bob Wenzel on the call.
STORYLINES
- The Nittany Lions are coming off their bye weekend and have won two of their last three games.
- The Boilermakers have won each of their last five and are 7-1 since last facing Penn State Jan. 21 in West Lafayette.
- Purdue has won each of the last four meetings with Penn State with the last PSU victory coming Feb. 2, 2014, in a 79-68 win in the BJC. [MORE: Page 3]
- Penn State has defeated each of the last four Top 25-ranked teams to play in the Jordan Center: No. 21 Maryland (2/7/2017), No. 24 Minnesota (1/14/2017), No. 4 Iowa (2/17/16) and No. 22 Indiana (2/6/2016).
- The Nittany Lions have six wins through their first 14 games of Big Ten play, the most since 2010-11 (7-7).
- Four players are averaging in double figures for Penn State, led by freshmen Tony Carr (12.6) and Lamar Stevens (12.3). Three freshmen are among the top five scorers and are each of top-three rebounders. Stevens is averaging 18.2 points and 6.8 rebounds per game over the last five games.
- Mike Watkins owns the No. 5 spot on the single-season block chart with 69, the most of any PSU player besides Calvin Booth. Booth owns each of the top four spots of the season records.
PROMO PLANS [Promotional Schedule]
- Pre-game FREE food for students at Gate A courtesy of THE MET while supplies last
- Halftime ceremony recognizing all Penn State student-athletes from all 31 teams with a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
- Nazeer Bostick Trading card to the first 2,500 fans
SETTING THE SCENE
- Penn State has defeated each of the last four Top 25-ranked teams to play in the Jordan Center: No. 21 Maryland (2/7/2017), No. 24 Minnesota (1/14/2017), No. 4 Iowa (2/17/16) and No. 22 Indiana (2/6/2016).
- The Nittany Lions have six wins through their first 14 games of Big Ten play, the most since 2010-11 (7-7).
- With a win, Penn State would match the most Big Ten wins (7) under Patrick Chambers and reach at least seven Big Ten wins in back-to-back seasons for just the third time in 25 seasons (1994-95, 1996-97 and 2007-08, 2008-09). The Lions have posted seven or more league wins just eight times since joining the Big Ten.
- The Lions will be playing an opponent for the first time this season in two of the last four games. (vs. Ohio State, at Iowa).
SCOUTING PURDUE
- Purdue enters the Bryce Jordan Center with a 22-5 overall record and 11-3 mark in the conference, going 7-1 since last facing the NIttany Lions Jan. 21 in West Lafayette.
- Purdue is 11-3 in Big Ten play for the first time since 2010-11 and also 22-5 overall for the first time since that 2010-11 season.
- The Boilermakers are tied with Wisconsin atop the Big Ten standings after the weekend, owning the longest win streak among conference teams.
- The Boilermakers have a Big Ten-best +8.3 rebounding margin in league games only and have been outrebounded just five times this season, averaging 38.8 boards per game.
- Four players are averaging in double figures, led by Caleb Swanigan's 18.9 points and 13.0 rebounds per game. He has a double-double in 23 of 27 games this season, leading the nation.
SERIES HISTORY
- Purdue holds a 34-12 advantage in the all-time series and a 10-12 mark when playing in University Park.
- Penn State's last victory in the series came in the Bryce Jordan Center on Feb. 2, 2014, a 79-68 decision. D.J. Newbill (19 points) and Tim Frazier (18) led the Nittany Lions to what was then their third-consecutive Big Ten win.
- The Boilermakers have won each of the last four meetings.
LAST TIME AGAINST THE BOILERMAKERS
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (Jan. 21, 2017) - Caleb Swanigan had 19 points and 12 rebounds, and No. 21 Purdue built an 18-point halftime lead and coasted to a 77-52 victory over Penn State. The Boilermakers (16-4, 5-2 Big Ten) got 13 points from freshman guard Carsen Edwards and 10 each from Dakota Mathias and Vince Edwards. Josh Reaves led Penn State (11-9, 3-4) with 12 points. The Nittany Lions made only 20 of 64 field goal attempts (31.3 percent) and were outrebounded 39-30. Purdue, which shot 56.6 percent (30 of 53).
OTHER 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.
LOOKING AHEAD
Penn State has just three regular-season games remaining after the matchup with Purdue. The Nittany Lions travel to Minnesota for a Feb. 25 game (3 p.m. ET | BTN) before closing out the home slate with Ohio State on Feb. 28 (8:30 p.m. | BTN).