UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – In the final regular-season game of 2018-19, the Penn State men's basketball team plays host to Illinois for a noon Sunday, March 10 game in the Bryce Jordan Center. The Nittany Lion-Illini game will be broadcast on FS1 and available online at FoxSportsGo.com and on the Fox Sports Go mobile app.
The Penn State men's basketball program welcomes back its alumni this weekend and as part of the festivities, will celebrate the return of more than 50 former Nittany Lions. The 2008-09 Nittany Lion squad, 2009 National Invitation Tournament champions, will serve as honorary captains for the game and will be recognized in a halftime ceremony.
Junior forward Lamar Stevens, one of only three Big Ten Conference players to rank in the league's top 10 for scoring and rebounding, is just nine points from joining Penn State's all-time scoring top five. He needs five points to earn a second listing on Penn State's single-season scoring top 10 with his 604 points, good for eighth, in 2017-18.
With his three blocks at Rutgers, including two game-saving swipes in the final 45 seconds, senior guard Josh Reaves moved into Penn State's career top 10 for blocks with 90. In the No. 2 spot on that career blocks list is redshirt junior Mike Watkins who also had three against the Scarlet Knights. Watkins has 198 and his total ranks 13th on the NCAA active career list.
Sophomore guard Jamari Wheeler has helped cause 29 turnovers against some of the conference's top point guards in recent weeks. While wreaking havoc in the those backcourts, he has 24 steals as well as a 2.3:1 assist-to-turnover ratio in his last 14 starts.
With the win at Rutgers, Penn State recorded a program first with its fourth-straight season with at least six Big Ten Conference wins. Among the Nittany Lion basketball coaches, Chambers now has the most seasons with at least six B1G victories with five.
Following the postgame ceremony to honor the Penn State seniors, fans can get autographs postgame from former Nittany Lions Talor Battle and Shep Garner.
The first 1,000 fans to enter the BJC will receive free "Beat the Illini" buttons and Penn State students can enjoy free food pregame at the "Climb Diner" while supplies last.
WATCH: FS1
TALENT: Mike Monaco (pxp) & Vin Parise (analyst)
STREAM/APP: FoxSportsGo
LISTEN: Penn State Sports Network
Steve Jones (pxp) & Dick Jerardi (analyst)
Affiliates:GoPSUsports.com/MBBAffiliates1819
Online: GoPSUsports.com/lionvision
Sirius 81 | XM 81 | Internet 81
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 "Beat the Illini" buttons for the first 1,000 fans
Free "Chillini" white chicken chili for Penn State students pregame (while supplies last)
LIVE STATS: Illinois at Penn State
SOCIAL: Twitter @PennStateMBB & @Coach_Chambers | Facebook | Instagram @PennStateMBB.
ROSTER: Penn State | Illinois
SCHEDULE: Penn State | Illinois
STATS: Penn State | Illinois
GAME NOTES: Penn State | Illinois
MEDIA GUIDE: Penn State | Illinois
DIGITAL PROGRAM: Illinois at Penn State
ILLINOIS
Coach: Brad Underwood (Kansas State, 1986)
Illinois Record: 25-37 (2nd season)
Career Record: 134-64 (6th season)
2018-19 Record: 10-19, 7-12 Big Ten
2018-19 Leading Scorer
#11 Ayo Dosunmu, Fr., G – 14.1 ppg
2018-19 Leading Rebounder
#15 Giorgi Bezhanishvili, Fr., F – 5.3 rpg
2018-19 Assists Leader
#11 Ayo Dosunmu, Fr., G – 3.2 apg
PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS
Coach: Patrick Chambers (Philadelphia, 1994)
Penn State Record: 126-138 (8th season)
Career Record: 168-166 (10th season)
2018-19 Leading Scorer:
#11 Lamar Stevens, Jr., F - 19.9 ppg
2018-19 Leading Rebounder:
#11 Lamar Stevens, Jr., F – 7.8 rpg
2018-19 Assists Leader:
#23 Josh Reaves, Sr., G - 3.1 apg
PENN STATE STARTERS (LAST GAME)
F -- 11 -- Lamar Stevens – Jr. | 2018-19 ppg: 19.9 | rpg: 7.8
Note: Has nine 20+ point games in last 12 outings; 9 points from entering Penn State top 5 in all-time scoring and 5 points from two entries on single-season top 10 scoring list
F -- 21 – John Harrar – So. | 2018-19 ppg: 3.3 | rpg: 3.6
Note: Scored B1G career best 9 points vs. No. 7 Michigan; Has team-best 57.1 field goal percentage in B1G games and recorded 62.5 percentage from floor in 7 February games
G – 2 – Myles Dread -- Fr. | 2018-19 ppg: 8.7 | rpg: 2.8
Note: Team-best 66 3-pt. field goals (2nd-highest total by Nittany Lion freshman behind Pete Lisicky's 68); Tied B1G career best 17 points vs. No. 17 Maryland (4FG, 3 3-FG, 6 FT)
G – 5 – Jamari Wheeler -- So. | 2018-19 ppg: 3.3 | rpg: 3.2
Note: 14-straight starts and 22 starts this season; has 2.33 to 1 assist to turnover ratio in last 14 starts with 24 steals; 3rd in steals in B1G games (31)
G – 23 -- Josh Reaves -- Sr. | 2018-19 ppg: 10.0 | rpg: 4.7
Note: Two-time B1G steals stat champion who leads conference with 73 steals in 2018-19, 23 more than the next individual in the rankings; No. 2 on Penn State career steals list with 243.
SERIES vs. ILLINOIS
Penn State has a current five-game win streak in the series. Illinois won four straight from 2012-13 through 2014-15.
After three games at Champaign, Illinois, Sunday's game marks the first time the teams will play in the BJC since January 28, 2017.
Meetings from the last 10 seasons' meetings are on page 4 of the game notes.The full series list is on pages 169-170 of media guide.
Series streak: Penn State, W5
Last game: at Champaign, Ill.
Penn State 83, Illinois 76, 2/23/19
Overall series: Illinois leads 28-18
at University Park: Illinois leads 11-10
Chambers vs. Illinois: 6-4
STARTING 5
More than 50 Penn State program alumni, spanning graduation years from 1950 to 2018 have returned to campus this weekend. The 2009 National Invitation Tournament championship team, will be honored.
Kenpom.com and ESPN.com have calculated Penn State's strength of schedule as the second-toughest in the nation. CBS Sports ranks the Nittany Lions' strength of schedule at No. 3 and the nonconference SOS at No. 18.
Penn State and Illinois currently rank 1-2 in the B1G team steals category with 7.6 and 7.5 per game, respectively. Illinois nudged out Penn State for the team stat championship in 2017-18 7.5 to 7.2. The first meeting on Feb. 23 produced a combined total of only six steals (PS-2, ILL-4).
Two-time steals stat champion Josh Reaves leads the Big Ten individuals with 73 steals and is poised to become the only B1G player to lead the league in steals in three consecutive seasons.
With 597 points in 2018-19, junior forward Lamar Stevens needs five points to earn a second listing on Penn State's single-season scoring top 10.
NITTANY LIONS PICK UP SIXTH CONFERENCE WIN AT RUTGERS
Penn State came out with a tough win at Rutgers, 66-65, as Josh Reaves registered two critical blocks, including one on the Scarlet Knights' final attempt for the win with one second left in the game.
Reaves, who scored the Nittany Lions' final basket of the night, a dagger of a 3-pointer from the left corner, put Penn State up 66-60 at the 2:58 mark of the second half. A Caleb McConnell 3-pointer less than 30 seconds later brought Rutgers within one possession, 66-63. A Myles Johnson basket trimmed Penn State's lead to one, 66-65, but the final four Scarlet Knight attempts did not fall, including the two blocked by Reaves.
In a tale of two halves, Penn State led by 18 points, 37-19 at the break, the lowest point total allowed in any half by the Nittany Lions all season. Rutgers scored 19 points in the first 6:20 out of the half and outscored Penn State 46-29 in the second period. The Scarlet Knights' turned the ball over only three times in the second half and made all four of their 3-pointers after starting the game 0-10 from beyond the arc.
Penn State held a 12-point lead, 60-48, off a Myles Dread steal and fast-break bucket at 7:47, but Rutgers scored the next seven points to cut the deficit to five, 60-55. Eugene Omoruyi's next basket pulled the Knights within three, but was countered by Rasir Bolton, who drove the lane for his 11th point of the night for a 63-58 score.
Ron Harper Jr. came through again for Rutgers with a two-point basket just outside the paint for a 63-60 Penn State lead with just 3:30 to play before Reaves grabbed an offensive rebound and buried it from the left corner for a six-point PSU lead, 66-60.
Lamar Stevens lead three Nittany Lions in double-figure scoring with 18 points. Myreon Jones and Rasir Bolton had a combined 24 points off the bench for Penn State with Jones scoring 13 and Bolton 11. Watkins pulled down a game-best 14 rebounds and moved into Penn State's all-time top 10 in that category.
Four Scarlet Knights scored in double figures led by Omoruyi's 23 with Harper's 14 coming in the second half. Myles Johnson' rounding out the quartet with 10 points and team-best 11 rebounds. Harper accounted for 14 of the 16 points from the Rutgers' backcourt.
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 – Four consecutive seasons with six or more Big Ten Conference wins, a first-ever for the program. Coach Chambers has five seasons with six or more league wins,
most of any Penn State coach in the Big Ten era.
19 – First-half points by Rutgers, lowest points total allowed an opponent
in any half in 2018-19.
66 – Number of 3-pointers so far this season by Myles Dread. Dread is the first freshman to lead Penn State in treys since 2004-05.
91.1 – In the last four seasons, Penn State has a winning percentage of 91.1 (41-4 record) when holding its opponent to a field goal percentage of 40 percent or less.
715 – Career rebounds for redshirt junior Mike Watkins, who moved into Penn State's all-time rebounding top 10 with his game-best 14 rebounds at Rutgers Wednesday night.
