January 1, 2018
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Penn State men's basketball team resumes Big Ten play with the start of the new year and heads to Maryland for a Tuesday, January 2 contest. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
GAMEDAY
Penn State (11-4, 1-1 Big Ten) at Maryland (12-3, 1-1 Big Ten)
Tuesday, January 2
7 p.m. ET
Xfinity Center (17,950)
ARENA ALERT: For Penn State fans traveling to see the Nittany Lions at the Xfinity Center, a clear bag policy has been recently implemented. Please view the new bag policy as it may affect what you plan to bring to the game.
WATCH: BTN and BTN2Go
Dan Bonner & Kevin Kugler
LISTEN: Penn State Sports Network, Steve Jones (pxp) and Dick Jerardi (analyst)
2017-18 Affiliates and free online at GoPSUsports.com/lionvision
FOLLOW: Twitter @PennStateMBB & @Coach_Chambers | Facebook | Instagram @PennStateMBB.
TICKETS:
Tickets are available for the upcoming slate of eight Big Ten home games. Visit for more information.
MARYLAND TERRAPINS
RECORD: 12-3, 1-1 Big Ten
Coach: Mark Turgeon (7th year at Maryland)
2017-18 Leading Scorer:
#1 Anthony Cowan, So., G -- 15.5 ppg
2017-18 Leading Active Rebounder:
#23 Bruno Fernando, Fr., F -- 6.1
2017-18 Leading Scorer:
#1 Anthony Cowan, So., G -- 4.5 ppg
PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS
RECORD: 11-4, 1-1 Big Ten
Coach: Patrick Chambers (7th year at Penn State)
Starters Returning/Lost: 5/0
2017-18 Leading Scorer:
#10 Tony Carr, So., G -- 18.9 ppg / 4.9 apg
2017-18 Leading Rebounder:
#24 Mike Watkins, RSo. F - 8.4 rpg
NITTANY LION PROBABLE STARTERS
# / Name / Pos. / ELG. / Pts / REB / STAT / NOTES
11 / Lamar Stevens / F / So. / 14.1 / 7.1 / 2nd ppg/rpg | 5-straight double-figure scoring games
24 / Mike Watkins / F / R-So. 12.4 8.4 49 blks | 7-straight games with 10+ points scored
10 / Tony Carr / G / So. / 18.9 / 4.8 / ppg 2nd in B1G | 12th career game with 20+ pts w/21 vs. Coppin State
23 / Josh Reaves / G / Jr. / 11.1 / 4.5 / B1G steals leader | Nationally ranked for steals & A:T ratio (3.21)
33 / Shep Garner / G / Sr. / 11.3 / 1.9 / 262 career 3s | 49.1 3FG pct. in month of December (26-53)
OPENING TIP
The 88 points scored vs. Coppin State ranks as the highest total this season and most in a regulation game since Penn State had back-to-back 90-plus point games in December 2016.
The Nittany Lions scored 96 and 92, respectively, in wins vs. Morgan State (12/21/16) and 92 vs. St. John's (12/18/16), and recorded 102 in a three-overtime game at Indiana.
QUICK HITS
• The Nittany Lions have scored 80 or more points seven times so far in the 2017-18 season.
• Penn State continues to rank as the Big Ten's top team in steals, now with 141 and 20 more than the league's second-place team, Illinois (121-15 games).
• Junior guard Josh Reaves, who averages 2.64 steals per game, good for 12th in the national rankings, has 133 career steals. The Fairfax, Va., native needs three more to tie for the No. 10 spot on Penn State's all-time list.
Senior guard Shep Garner is also positioned to enter the Nittany Lions' all-time steals chart with 130 career steals. He has led the Nittany Lions in that category in 33 games in his career.
• The latest kenpom.com rankings place Penn State 41st overall with a No. 15 rating for adjusted defense.
SERIES RECORD VS. MARYLAND
Penn State and Maryland have met on 21 previous occasions with the Terrapins holding a 12-9* overall lead in the series. Penn State trails in the Big Ten competition 1-3 with the victory coming in the last meeting between the two teams on February 7, 2017, when the Nittany Lions topped the Terrapins 70-64 at the Bryce Jordan Center.
*The 1938 contest is listed as a Penn State win, but accounts differ in whether or not the meeting was a game or exhibition.
Here are the details of the series:
Series: Maryland leads 12-9
at College Park: Maryland leads 6-1
at University Park: Penn State leads 7-2
at neutral sites: Maryland leads 4-1
Big Ten games: Maryland leads 3-1
| Date | Location | PS | MD | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2/4/2015 | A | 58 | 64 | L |
| 2/14/2015 | H | 73 | 76 | L |
| 12/30/2015 | A | 64 | 70 | L |
| 2/7/2017 | H | 70 | 64 | W |
THREES HIGHER
The Nittany Lions had their highest three-point field goal total in the Patrick Chambers' era with 14 against Coppin State, one shy of the program-record 15 (Hartford, 2008; Purdue 2001).
When Penn State had 12 three-pointers at Iowa earlier this month, it was the highest total for the Nittany Lions in a Big Ten game since connecting on 14 vs. Northwestern in the BJC during the 2004-2005 season. It also matched the high mark for threes in a conference road game, previously recorded at Northwestern on February 8, 1998.
Since the 2011-12 season, Penn State has had 31 games with nine or more three-point field goals and since 2015-16 has registered 13 games with 10 or more three-point field goals.
Here's a look at the Nittany Lions' highest single-game three-point field goal totals since 2011-12:
1. 14 vs. Coppin State 12/30/17
2. 13 vs. St. John's 12/18/16
3. 12 at Iowa 12/2/17
4. 11 Indiana (3ot) 2/1/17
11 Colgate 11/23/16
11 Nebraska 2/25/16
11 Youngstown State 11/23/11
8. 10 12x, last vs. Binghamton 12/19/17
20. 9 12x, last vs. Oral Roberts 11/24/17
SEVEN OPPONENTS UNDER 60
Coppin State became the seventh team in 2017-18 to be held to fewer than 60 points by the defensive-minded Nittany Lions.
On two occasions this season, Penn State kept back-to-back opponents from scoring more than 60 points as it allowed George Washington and George Mason only 54 points each. In November, the Nittany Lions held Fairleigh Dickinson and Montana to 57 points.Coppin State (43) and Oral Roberts (48) were both kept below 50 points.
Penn State is 9-1 in 2017-18 and was 11-0 in 2016-17 when keeping its opponents below 70 points. All six Big Ten wins in 2016-17 came when opponents were kept at or below 70 with two teams held under 60 points.