UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's basketball team plays host to No. 6 Michigan State on Sunday, Jan. 13 in the Bryce Jordan Center. The game will tipoff at 4:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on CBS.
Fans attending the game are encouraged to wear white for the "White Out" and free white T-shirts will be distributed for Penn State students in the Legion of Blue student section and to the first 5,000 fans to enter the arena. Gates for student season ticket holders open at 3:15 p.m. with a 3:30 p.m. entry time for the general public.
Michigan State enters Sunday's game with a 14-2 overall record and 5-0 mark in the Big Ten Conference. The last "home" game between the Nittany Lions and Spartans was moved to The Palestra in January 2017 where Penn State took the 72-63 win. Michigan State last played in the BJC in January 2016.
Nittany Lion junior forward Lamar Stevens, a candidate for the Julius Erving Award, has scored in double figures in his last 23 consecutive games. Stevens ranks fifth in the Big Ten in scoring at 18.6 points per game with Michigan State's leading scorer, junior Cassius Winston, is averaging 18.0 points for sixth in the league.
In the battle of the boards, Spartan redshirt senior is fourth in the Big Ten with 9.4 rebounds per game while Stevens is sixth with 8.1 per contest. Penn State's leading rebounder, Mike Watkins, now has 8.2 rebounds per game and in his last five games, is averaging 9.6 points and 9.6 rebounds.
Sunday's game against the Spartans is the first of two-straight home Big Ten Conference games for the Nittany Lions (7-9, 0-5). Penn State's strength of schedule currently ranks seventh with a No. 33 ranking for its nonconference strength of schedule, according to CBS Sports.
TICKETS: GoPSUSsports.com, call 1-800-NITTANY or visit the Penn State Athletics Ticket Office at the Bryce Jordan Center beginning three hours before tipoff on gameday.
PROMOTIONS: White Out – fans are encouraged to wear white | Team Ream Day, Free "Beat Michigan State" buttons for the first 1,000 fans | Blue Band performance at halftime and post-game autograph session on the concourse
WATCH: CBS
TALENT:
Tom McCarthy (pxp) & Bill Raftery (analyst)
STREAM: CBSSports.com (provider info required)
LISTEN: Penn State Sports Network
TALENT: Steve Jones (pxp) & Dick Jerardi (analyst)
Affiliates:GoPSUsports.com/MBBAffiliates1819
Online: GoPSUsports.com/lionvision
SATELLITE RADIO: Sirius 105 | XM 196 | Internet 958
NATIONAL RADIO: Compass Media Networks
TALENT: Wayne Larrivee (pxp) & Chucky Brown (analyst)
DIGITAL PROGRAM: Michigan State at Penn State
LIVE STATS: Michigan State at Penn State
SOCIAL: Twitter @PennStateMBB & @Coach_Chambers | Facebook | Instagram @PennStateMBB.
ROSTER: Penn State | Michigan State
SCHEDULE: Penn State | Michigan State
STATS: Penn State | Michigan State
GAME NOTES: Penn State | Michigan State
MEDIA GUIDE: Penn State | Michigan State
MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS
Coach: Tom Izzo (Northern Michigan, 1977)
Michigan State Record: 588-227 (24th season)
Career Record: same
2018-19 Record: 14-2, 5-0 Big Ten
2018-19 Leading Scorer
#5 Cassius Winston, Jr., G – 18.0 ppg
2018-19 Leading Rebounder
#25 Kenny Goins, R-Sr., F – 9.4 rpg
2018-19 Assists Leader
#5 Cassius Winston, Jr., G – 7.4 apg
Coach: Patrick Chambers (Philadelphia, 1994)
Penn State Record: 120-130 (8th season)
Career Record: 162-158 (10th season)
2018-19 Leading Scorer:
#11 Lamar Stevens, Jr., F - 18.6 ppg
2018-19 Leading Rebounder:
#24 Mike Watkins, R-Jr., F - 8.2 rpg
2018-19 Assists Leader:
#23 Josh Reaves, Sr., G - 3.2 apg
PENN STATE STARTERS (LAST GAME)
F -- 11 -- Lamar Stevens – Jr. | 2018-19 ppg: 18.6 | rpg: 8.1
Note: No. 4 scoring average in the Big Ten; has 23 consecutive double-figure scoring games; 22nd career 20-plus point scoring game vs. UW (22)
F -- 24 – Mike Watkins – R-Jr. | 2018-19 ppg: 7.9 | rpg: 8.2
Note: Recorded 23rd career double-double at Nebraska; 73.1 FG%, 9.6 ppg & 9.6 rpg in last 5 games
G – 2 – Myles Dread -- Fr. | 2018-19 ppg: 8.4 | rpg: 3.2
Note: Leads team w/33 3-point field goals; most starts among freshmen with 12
G – 13 – Rasir Bolton -- Fr. | 2018-19 ppg: 12.6 | rpg: 2.1
Note: Has 10 double-figure scoring games in 18-19; B1G #1 in free throw percentage (88.7); 2nd on team in 3-FG (32)
G – 23 -- Josh Reaves -- Sr. | 2018-19 ppg: 10.1 | rpg: 5.3
Note: Two-time Big Ten steals leader currently leading league in total steals and steals per game; had first 20-pt game of 2018-19 at Nebraska (20 pts)
SERIES RECORD vs. MICHIGAN STATE
Michigan State leads the series 38-8 and has won 10 of the 14 meetings in University Park in Big Ten regular-season contests
These two teams have not played in the Bryce Jordan Center since Jan. 10, 2016. The last Penn State home game (1/17/2017) was moved to The Palestra where the Nittany Lions won 72-63.
Meetings from the last 10 seasons are on page 4 of the game notes.The full series list is on page 173 of media guide.
Series streak: Michigan State, W2
Last game: at East Lansing, Mich.
Michigan State 76, Penn State 68, 1/31/18
Overall series: Michigan State leads 38-8
at University Park: Michigan State leads 14-4
Chambers vs. Michigan State: 1-9
STARTING 5
Sunday's game is designated "Team Ream" Day with a portion of single-game tickets benefitting the Team Ream Foundation, which assists individuals and their families in the fight against cancer.
The Nittany Lions' overall strength of schedule ranks seventh with a No. 33 ranking for the nonconference strength of schedule, according to CBS Sports.
Penn State pulled down a season-best 46 rebounds at Nebraska, including 21 offensive boards, with the last 20-plus total coming at NC State in the 2017 Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
Redshirt junior Mike Watkins recorded his 23rd career double-double with his 14-rebound and 12-point effort at Nebraska. He ranks fifth on PSU's list with Jarrett Stephens (1995-2000) and Mike Lang (1979-1983) in third, both with 24 each.
Junior forward and Julius Erving Award candidate Lamar Stevens has scored in double figures in every game this season, has six double-doubles and seven games with 20 or more points in 2018-19. He has started all 88 games in his career.
PENN STATE FALLS AT NEBRASKA 70-64
Penn State pulled within one point of Nebraska with less than three minutes remaining in the game in Pinnacle Bank Arena before the Huskers closed out the game with a key 3-pointer and five free throws for the 70-64 final. The tightly contested game was within six points the entire night.
Four Nittany Lions scored in double figures with Reaves posting his third career 20-point game, Lamar Stevens and Myles Dread adding 13 each and Watkins recording a double-double with 12 points and game-best 14 rebounds.
Reaves hit a 3-pointer with just under three minutes left to play to pull Penn State within one point, 62-61, but Glynn Watson Jr. countered with a trey to put the Huskers up by four 30 seconds later.
Reaves connected on two 3-pointers to for the Nittany Lions' first lead of the period, but after a Nebraska timeout, Isaac Copeland hit a jumper and James Palmer a triple to swing the lead back to 41-39.
Penn State played catch up for the next 2:30, tying the game four times while Stevens and Watkins combined for nine points in the stretch. The game saw 10 lead changes and nine ties.
Dread's 3-pointer cut the deficit to one again, 52-51, and Stevens followed with a layup for a 58-57 Nebraska lead with 6:31 remaining, but two layups by Jr pushed the Huskers to a 62-57 lead.
Reaves and Watson had traded treys near the end of the first half. Reaves' triple put Penn State ahead 31-30 with 2:17 until the break, but Watson's trey brought it to 33-31, which held until the half.
Penn State dominated on the boards with a season-high 46 rebounds to Nebraska's 32, but the Huskers scored 11 points off eight total PSU turnovers after committing only three in the first half.
The Huskers' leading scorer Isaiah Roby had 22 points and nine rebounds. Watson scored 14 of his 19 points in the second half off 6-10 shooting from the field with two 3-pointers.
BY THE NUMBERS
2.85 – Team GPA for fall 2018 semester, highest single-semester GPA by the Nittany Lions in the Chambers era.
3 – Millions of dollars raised (net) by Coaches vs. Cancer-Penn State since the organization was launched in 1995.
7 – Penn State's overall strength of schedule ranks seventh, with a No. 33 ranking for its nonconference strength of schedule.
70 – Lamar Stevens has scored in double figures in 70 of his 88 career games and has a current streak of 23 games with 10 or more points.
91 – Number of 3-point field goals with freshmen Rasir Bolton (27) and Myles Dread (23) holding the top two individual totals. The record-setting 2017-18 team had 77 after 12 games.
615 – With his 14 rebounds at Nebraska, now with 615 for his career, Mike Watkins moved into Penn State's top 20 in that category.
902 – With his 20-point outing at Nebraska, his best offensive output of 2018-19, senior guard Josh Reaves is moving closer to the 1,000-career point milestone.
$22,095 – Net funds raised for the American Red Cross Hurricane Relief Fund by Penn State and West Virginia from exhibition game ticket sales and donations from fans.
