UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's basketball team (8-2, 1-1) continues its homestand against Alabama (4-4) at 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14 in the Bryce Jordan Center. Fans who bring a new, unwrapped toy can purchase game tickets for only $5 each.
The Nittany Lions and Tide have played only five times previously and Alabama's last trip to State College was in December of 1982.
TICKETS:
Single-game tickets | Mobile Flex Plan
The Penn State Athletics Ticket Office at the Bryce Jordan Center opens three hours before tipoff on gameday.
PROMOTIONS:
Toys for Tots – Fans who bring a new, unwrapped toy can purchase a ticket for the game for $5.
DIGITAL PROGRAM
WATCH: BTN & Fox Sports Go mobile app
Wayne Randazzo (pxp) & Dan Bonner (analyst)
LISTEN: Penn State Sports Network
Steve Jones (pxp) & Dick Jerardi (analyst)
Affiliates:GoPSUsports.com/affiliates1920
Listen online: GoPSUsports.com/lionvision
SiriusXM Channels | XM 372 | Internet 372
LIVE STATS: Alabama at Penn State
SOCIAL: Twitter @PennStateMBB | Facebook | Instagram @PennStateMBB
ROSTER: Penn State | Alabama
SCHEDULE: Penn State | Alabama
STATS: Penn State | Alabama
GAME NOTES: Penn State | Alabama
MEDIA GUIDE: Penn State | Alabama
ALABAMA
Coach: Nate Oats (Maranatha Baptist, 1987)
Record at Alabama: 4-4 (First season)
Career Record: 100-47 (5nd season)
2019-20 Record: 4-4, 0-0 Southeastern
Top Scorers
#1 Kira Lewis Jr., So., G – 16.6 ppg
Top Rebounder
#25 John Petty Jr, Jr., G – 10.1 rpg
Top Assists Leader
#1 Kira Lewis Jr., So., G – 4.4 apg
PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS
Coach: Patrick Chambers (Philadelphia, 1994)
Penn State Record: 135-142 (Ninth season)
Career Record: 177-170 (11th season)
2019-20 Record: 8-2, 1-1 Big Ten
Top Scorer
#11 Lamar Stevens, Sr., F – 16.6 ppg
Top Rebounder
#24 Mike Watkins, Sr., F – 9.4 rpg
Top Assists Leader
#0 Myreon Jones, So., G – 3.3 apg
STARTING 5
Nittany Lion sophomore Myreon Jones, Penn State's second-leading scorer, hails from Birmingham, Alabama.
Penn State currently owns a 10-game home win streak, with a 6-0 mark in 2019-20 and four-straight wins from the end of the 2018-19 season. This home win streak is the longest in the coach Patrick Chambers era.
The Nittany Lions have scored at least 70 points in nine of its first 10 games with a 79.5 points per game scoring average. The 2017-18 team had 70+ points per game in nine of its 10 games and had a 79.2 ppg scoring average at that point.
Senior forward Mike Watkins needs 10 points to become the 37th Nittany Lion to reach the 1,000 career point milestone. He is one of only four Nittany Lions with 800 rebounds.
With his first two points vs. No. 4 Maryland, senior forward Lamar Stevens moved up to fourth on Penn State's all-time scoring list with 1,826 career points. Stevens is on both the USBWA Oscar Robertson Trophy Watch List and the Karl Malone Award Watch List.
SERIES VS. ALABAMA
This is only the sixth meeting between Penn State and Alabama in the series history with all but one game taking place in the month of December.
Series streak: Alabama, W4
Overall series: Alabama leads 4-1
at University Park: Tied at 1-1
Last game: at Tuscaloosa, Ala., Alabama 73, Penn State 64, 12/21/2018
Chambers vs. Alabama: 0-1
BY THE NUMBERS
3 -- When Watkins reaches the 1,000 career point milestone, he will be only the third Nittany Lion with 1,000 career points and 800 rebounds.
3 -- Of Penn State's program-total six victories over top-five teams, Patrick Chambers has guided the Nittany Lions to three of those wins.
15 -- Coach Patrick Chambers has 15 victories over ranked opponents at Penn State, most of any Nittany Lion basketball coach, 12 coming in the Bryce Jordan Center.
20 -- Penn State has forced opponents into turnover totals of more 20+ on three occasions already this year. The Nittany Lions are best in the Big Ten with 16.4 turnovers forced per game.
40 -- Penn State's class of 2020 earned a top-40 ranking from 247Sports.
81.4 -- In the Chambers era, Penn State has won 81.4 percent of its games when holding an opponent to a FG% of 40 percent or less.
1,555 -- Senior forwards Lamar Stevens and Mike Watkins have combined for 1,555 career rebounds. Watkins is No. 3 on Penn State's all-time list (819) and Stevens No. 9 (736) after the win over No. 4 Maryland.
PENN STATE TOPS No. 4 TERPS WITH DOUBLE DOUBLE-DOUBLES
Penn State extended its home-winning streak to 10 games with a 76-69 victory over No. 4 Maryland Tuesday. The Nittany Lions earned its first Big Ten win over previously undefeated Maryland.
Five Nittany Lions finished in double figures as coach Patrick Chambers picked up his 15th win over an Associated Press ranked opponent in his Penn State career.
Lamar Stevens and Mike Watkins finished with a double-double, each with 15 points with Watkins grabbing 11 rebounds and Stevens 10. Izaiah Brockington scored 10 of his 14 points and had three critical steals in the second half.
With just under 11 minutes remaining in the game, the game's leading scorer with 16, Anthony Cowan Jr., nailed a 3-pointer to pull the Terps within two, 52-50. On UM's next offensive position, Brockington snagged a pass and fed Watkins for a dunk. After a Myreon Jones basket, Brockington put the Nittany Lions up by eight, 58-50, with a steal and score of his own.
Cowan hit another three to trim the lead to five, 58-53, before the Terps hit a lengthy spell without a field goal. PSU got buckets from Brockington, Myreon Jones and Stevens and free throws from the same trio to pull ahead 70-61.
Penn State, which did not have a single free throw attempt through the first 35:10 of the game, made 11 free throws over the final 3:50 to secure the win.
Cowan scored six points over the final six minutes of the first period for Maryland. The Nittany Lions headed into halftime with a 40-30 lead with Myles Dread scoring 10 of his 12 points in the first half and a Myreon Jones three-point buzzer beater.
