UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's basketball team plays host to Virginia Tech at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 27 in the 20th annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The Hokies bring a 5-0 record and No. 13 ranking to the Bryce Jordan Center while the Nittany Lions have won five of their last seven meetings at home against ranked opponents.
Virginia Tech leads the series 6-2, but the Nittany Lions have won the last two ACC/Big Ten Challenge meetings between the two schools. The last contest was on Dec. 3, 2014, when Penn State won 61-58 at the BJC.
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DIGITAL PROGRAM: Virginia Tech at Penn State
WATCH: ESPN2
Mike Corey (pxp) & Debbie Antonelli (analyst)
STREAM: http://www.espn.com/watch/
LISTEN: Penn State Sports Network
Steve Jones (pxp) & Dick Jerardi (analyst)
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LIVE STATS: Penn State vs. Virginia Tech
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ROSTER: Penn State | Virginia Tech
SCHEDULE: Penn State | Virginia Tech
STATS: Penn State | Virginia Tech
GAME NOTES: Penn State | Virginia Tech
MEDIA GUIDE: Penn State
VIRGINIA TECH HOKIES
Coach: Buzz Williams (Oklahoma City, 1994)
Bradley Record: 79-60 (5th season)
Career Record: 232-146 (12th season)
2018-19 Record: 5-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast
2018-19 Leading Scorer
#4 Nickeil Alexander-Walker, So., G/F - 14.2 ppg
2018-19 Leading Rebounder
#4 Nickeil Alexander-Walker, So., G/F - 5.4 rpg
2018-19 Assists Leader
#5 Justin Robinson, Jr., G - 6.2 apg
PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS
Coach: Patrick Chambers (Philadelphia, 1994)
Penn State Record: 116-124 (8th season)
Career Record: 158-152 (10th season)
2018-19 Leading Scorer:
#11 Lamar Stevens, Jr., F - 24.8 ppg
2018-19 Leading Rebounder:
#11 Lamar Stevens, Jr., F – 8.8 rpg
2018-19 Assists Leader:
#23 Josh Reaves, Sr., G – 3.4 apg
PENN STATE PROBABLE STARTERS
F -- 11 -- Lamar Stevens – Jr. | 2018-19 ppg: 24.8 | rpg: 8.8
Note: Streak of five-straight 20-plus scoring games in 2018-19
F -- 21 -- John Harrar – So. | 2018-19 ppg: 4.6 | rpg: 4.8
Note: Over 50% FG, 3rd on the team with 4.8 rpg
G – 2 -- Myles Dread -- Fr. | 2018-19 ppg: 11.8 | rpg: 3.6
Note: Averaged 10.0 ppg in four Cancun Challenge tournament games
G – 5 -- Jamari Wheeler -- So. | 2018-19 ppg: 3.4 | rpg: 3.4
Note: 12 pts. vs. Wright State, 4-5 FG, 2-3 3-FG
G – 23 -- Josh Reaves -- Sr. | 2018-19 ppg: 11.8 | rpg: 6.0
Note: No. 8 on NCAA active career list with 182 steals
SERIES RECORD vs. VIRGINIA TECH
Virginia Tech leads the series with Penn State 6-2, but the Nittany Lions won the last two ACC/B1G Challenge meetings between the two teams.
STARTING 5
Lamar Stevens has five-straight 20-plus point games in 2018-19 with six consecutive overall dating back to the 2018 NIT championship game. The last Nittany Lion to have more was Joe Crispin with eight straight (Dec. 2000-Jan. 2001).
The Nittany Lions will don new Nike uniforms in the original school colors of black and pink for Tuesday's game vs. Virginia Tech.
Stevens and Josh Reaves now rank No. 30 (459) and No. 32 (411), respectively, on Penn State's career rebounds list. Mike Watkins is 25th (525).
The Penn State chapter of Coaches vs. Cancer announced it has eclipsed the $3 million milestone for funds raised. One of the most successful chapters in the nation, CVC-Penn State was established in 1995 by then-head coach and State College native Bruce Parkhill.
Freshmen guards Rasir Bolton and Myles Dread averaged 13.0 and 10.0 points per game, respectively, in the four Cancun Challenge tournament games.
LAST TIME OUT – PSU FALLS IN CANCUN CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
The final shot for the Penn State men's basketball team just… wouldn't… quite… fall… in… and the Nittany Lions' rally fell short in the Cancun Challenge championship game as Bradley took the win, 59-56. Junior forward Lamar Stevens recorded his fifth-straight 20-plus point game of the season with 27 and set the Cancun Challenge scoring record with 99 points over the four tournament games.
"I was proud of the way we fought and competed and came back and cut it to a one or two possession game," said Penn State men's basketball coach Patrick Chambers. "We had some good looks. Sometimes the ball doesn't go your way and it doesn't go in, but yet, we were still in the game, we were still right there, we were still within striking distance. I can't say that we didn't play hard or compete, I thought we did. They made one more play than us."
The Nittany Lions took a one-point lead into halftime, 33-32, but struggled after the break, starting 1-10 from the field. Near the mid-point of the period, Bradley had built an 11-point lead.
Penn State cut into the deficit with freshman guard Rasir Bolton connecting on the first of his two treys and four free throws by Stevens. Bolton's second 3-pointer would cut Bradley's lead to only two, 57-55 with 4:09 to play. Turnovers by the Braves gave the Nittany Lions a few more possessions, but they didn't convert to points for Penn State.
Bolton had eight of his 10 points in the second period as the only other Nittany Lion in double figures. Senior guard Josh Reaves had a game-high nine rebounds while John Harrar and Jamari Wheeler each had seven boards as Penn State had 45 rebounds, 19 on the offensive side. For Wheeler, his seven rebounds matched a career-high total.
Both Stevens and Reaves were named to the Cancun Challenge All-Tournament team with Bradley's Darrell Brown, MVP Childs, Loudon Love of Wright State and Jahmal McMurray of SMU.
BY THE NUMBERS
3 - Millions of dollars raised by Coaches vs. Cancer-Penn State since the organization was launched in 1995.
8 - Senior guard Josh Reaves ranks eighth on the NCAA list of active career leaders for total steals with 182.
22.9 - The Nittany Lions rank eighth nationally for 3-point field goal defense, allowing opponents a success rate of only 22.9 percent from beyond the arc.
24.8 - Scoring average by junior forward Lamar Stevens as he has recorded five-straight 20-plus point outings in 2018-19. His average ranks 11th nationally and is second in the Big Ten.
45 - Dating back to the start of the 2015-16 season, Penn State has 45 wins vs. only 4 losses when it holds an opponent to less than 70 points.
99 - Junior forward Lamar Stevens set the Cancun Challenge scoring record with 99 points over the four-game tournament.
116 - Coach Patrick Chambers, in his eighth year at Penn State, has 116 victories and is closing in on the win total of Jerry Dunn (117, 8 years).
