UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's basketball team plays its first home game of the month of February on Tuesday, Feb. 12 vs. No. 6 Michigan. The Nittany Lions and Wolverines will tip off at 8:30 p.m. ET in the Bryce Jordan Center. The game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network and available online at FoxSportsGo.com and on the Fox Sports Go mobile app.
After single meetings in each of the last two seasons, Penn State and Michigan square off twice in 2018-19 with the second contest Tuesday. The Wolverines won the first game 68-55 at the Crisler Center Jan. 3. Nittany Lions Mike Watkins and Lamar Stevens both posted double-double nights in the first contest, but 18 Penn State turnovers, including a barrage early in the second half, helped Michigan build a double-digit lead.
The last six games in the BJC between these two teams have all been decided by single digits, the most recent, a 72-63 Michigan win, with the last Nittany Lion victory coming in 2013, an 84-78 upset of the then-No. 4 team in the nation.
A number of Nittany Lions are approaching career stat milestones as senior guard Josh Reaves, Stevens and Mike Watkins are all nearing significant career stat totals. Stevens is just four rebounds from 600 career while Reaves needs 13 for 500 for his career total. Watkins has collected 669 career boards and is closing in on the 700 mark, a total to which only 11 Nittany Lions can lay claim.
Reaves has had nine steals in his first two games in February to put him at 231 for his career – currently No. 3 on Penn State's all-time list and now tied with Illinois' Dee Brown for No. 9 on the Big Ten career chart. The Fairfax, Virginia native is just eight assists shy of 300 and 26 points away from the 1,000 point milestone.
WATCH: BTN
TALENT: Brandon Gaudin (pxp) & Robbie Hummel (analyst)
LISTEN: Penn State Sports Network
Steve Jones (pxp) & Dick Jerardi (analyst)
Affiliates:GoPSUsports.com/MBBAffiliates1819
Online: GoPSUsports.com/lionvision
Penn State Satellite Radio: XM 384 | Internet 975
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:
Free pregame snacks for season ticket holders (meet at Portal 15)
Free "Beat the Wolverines" buttons for the first 1,000 fans
Free nachos, soft pretzels and popcorn for Penn State students
Free schedule posters available at Portal 10
LIVE STATS: Michigan at Penn State
SOCIAL: Twitter @PennStateMBB & @Coach_Chambers | Facebook | Instagram @PennStateMBB.
ROSTER: Penn State | Michigan
SCHEDULE: Penn State | Michigan
STATS: Penn State | Michigan
GAME NOTES: Penn State | Michigan
MEDIA GUIDE: Penn State | Michigan
DIGITAL PROGRAM: Michigan at Penn State
MICHIGAN
Coach: John Beilein (Wheeling Jesuit, 1975)
Michigan Record: 270-144 (12th season)
Career Record: 820-462 (41st season)
2018-19 Record: 22-2, 10-2 Big Ten
2018-19 Leading Scorer
#13 Ignas Brazdeikis, Fr., F – 15.0 ppg
2018-19 Leading Rebounder
#12 Jon Teske, Jr., C – 6.6 rpg
2018-19 Assists Leader
#3 Zavier Simpson, Jr., G – 6.0 apg
PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS
Coach: Patrick Chambers (Philadelphia, 1994)
Penn State Record: 121-136 (8th season)
Career Record: 163-164 (10th season)
2018-19 Leading Scorer:
#11 Lamar Stevens, Jr., F - 18.9 ppg
2018-19 Leading Rebounder:
#24 Mike Watkins, R-Jr., F - 8.0 rpg
2018-19 Assists Leader:
#23 Josh Reaves, Sr., G - 3.3 apg
PENN STATE STARTERS (LAST GAME)
F -- 11 -- Lamar Stevens – Jr. | 2018-19 ppg: 18.9 | rpg: 7.9
Note: Had ninth career double-double at Ohio State; 1 of 4 B1G top 10 scoring (T-2) / rebounding (#8)
F -- 24 – Mike Watkins – R-Jr. | 2018-19 ppg: 8.5 | rpg: 8.4
Note: No. 3 on Penn State career blocks (186); Ranks in top 30 in 5 NCAA career stat categories
G – 2 – Myles Dread -- Fr. | 2018-19 ppg: 8.5 | rpg: 2.9
Note: Team-best 50 3-pt. field goals; Ranks seventh on B1G list for treys, tops among B1G freshmen
G – 5 – Jamari Wheeler -- So. | 2018-19 ppg: 3.0 | rpg: 2.9
Note: Has started last 7 games and 16 overall; possesses 4:1 assist to turnover ratio in last five starts
G – 23 -- Josh Reaves -- Sr. | 2018-19 ppg: 10.2 | rpg: 4.6
Note: Tied season best with five steals at Ohio State (231) for No. 3 on PSU career steals list and No. 9 on Big Ten career list; closing in on 500 career rebounds (487), 300 assists (292) and 1,000 points (974)
SERIES vs. MICHIGAN
Michigan holds the advantage in the overall series 36-12 and in games played in University Park 13-7. This is the first time the two teams will play twice in the regular season since 2015-16.
The Wolverines' 13-point win on Jan. 3, 2019 at the Crisler Center was the largest margin in the last four contests with PSU falling by 9 (71-62, at BJC, 2/21/18); 7 (79-72 at MSG 1/30/16) and 3 (72-69, at Crisler Center, 1/4/2017).
Meetings from the last 10 seasons are on page 4 of the game notes. Complete series list is on page 172 of media guide.
Series streak: Michigan, W8
Last game: UM 68-55, at Ann Arbor, 1/3/19
Overall series: Michigan leads 36-12
at University Park: Michigan leads 13-7
Chambers vs. Michigan: 1-11
STARTING 5
According to kenpom.com, the Nittany Lions' strength of schedule is currently ranked as the second-toughest in the nation.
Penn State recorded a season-best 12 steals at Ohio State with all three instances this year coming against Big Ten opponents (at Maryland, vs. Indiana and at Ohio State).
The Nittany Lions have kept 18 of their 23 opponents below their scoring averages (entering the game) with point totals for 11 teams at 10.0 or more points below their scoring averages.
With 231 career steals, senior guard Josh Reaves tied Dee Brown of Illinois for eighth on the Big Ten career steals list. With 61 steals this year, Reaves currently owns three of the top-15 single-season totals in Penn State history (8-74, 2017-18; 12-61, 2018-19; 13-60, 2016-17).
Junior forward and Julius Erving Award candidate Lamar Stevens has led the team in at least two statistical categories in the last five-straight games and 13 times this season. He was the Nittany Lion leader in three categories in the win at Northwestern (points, rebounds and assists).
NITTANY LION RALLY COMES UP SHORT AT OHIO STATE, 74-70
The Penn State-Ohio State game was decided by four or fewer points for the fifth time in six games with Ohio State coming out on top, 74-70. Lamar Stevens and Josh Reaves each scored 20 points with Stevens grabbing 12 boards for his ninth career double-double.
Penn State took a one-point lead, 70-69, with 92 seconds left in the game on Reaves' fifth steal and subsequent dunk. The Buckeyes retook the lead, 71-70, and Stevens' apparent layup off an inbound pass was a fraction late and a final field goal attempt. Ohio State converted three of its four trips to the line for the 74-70 final.
Ohio State took a nine-point lead out of halftime. Rasir Bolton, who finished the game with 15 points, keyed a 10-0 Nittany Lion run over four minutes. A layup by Stevens put Penn State up by one point, 47-46, at the 13-minute mark and Stevens connected on two free throws for a 49-46 Penn State lead, its largest of the second half.
Ohio State tied the game at 49 and a three-point play gave the Buckeyes a 54-51 advantage with just under 10 minutes to play. Jamari Wheeler fought through the lane for a layup and Stevens added two more free throws to put Penn State up 55-54 and traded baskets with the Buckeyes for another one-point PSU lead, 57-56.
Six-straight free throws for Ohio State gave it a 62-59 lead as Reaves picked up his fourth personal foul and Wheeler his third. The Buckeyes made two more free throws after a flagrant foul was assessed and had a 68-61, with 3:14 remaining in the contest.
Penn State struggled from the field in the first 7:30 and Ohio State's 26-5 run gave the Buckeyes a 15-point lead with 5:14 left in the first half. The Nittany Lions saw six of their next eight baskets fall and fought their way back to a 34-31 halftime deficit.
The Nittany Lions tied their season-high total for steals with 12 and outrebounded Ohio State 20-12 in the second half. PSU had only 11 turnovers to the Buckeyes' 18.
Luther Muhammad had 20 points for Ohio State. Andre Wesson was the top rebounder for the Buckeyes with 10.
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.
4:1 – In his last five starts, sophomore guard Jamari Wheeler has an assist-to-turnover radio of four to one.
14 – Fourteen Penn State games this season have been decided by nine points or less. The Nittany Lions' 11 single-digit losses are the most for a power conference team.
75 – Josh Reaves is 26 points from the 1,000-career points mark. In addition to his scoring milestone, he needs only eight more assists for 300 career and 13 rebounds to reach the 500 career mark.
291– Myles Dread has 50 3-point field goals to lead Penn State. His total is tied for seventh in the Big Ten and is the highest total by a B1G freshman in 2018-19.
89.6 – Freshman Rasir Bolton leads the Big Ten in free throw percentage at 89.6 percent (69 FTM-77FTA).
