UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's basketball team (21-8, 11-7) plays its final home game of the 2019-20 season vs. Michigan State (20-9, 12-6) Tuesday, March 3, at 7:00 p.m. ET game in the Bryce Jordan Center. Gates open at 6:00 p.m.
Fans are encouraged to wear white to support the No. 20 Nittany Lions vs. the No. 16 Spartans.
The Penn State men's basketball program will honor its five senior student-athletes in a ceremony following the game: Stephen Beattie (Boalsburg, Pa.), Grant Hazle (Kingwood, Texas), Curtis Jones Jr. (Richmond, Va.), Lamar Stevens (Philadelphia, Pa.) and Mike Watkins (Philadelphia, Pa.). The Penn State Basketball Senior Night ceremony is presented by Penn State Alumni Association.
SENIOR CEREMONY:
Postgame Senior Night ceremony presented by Penn State Alumni Association.
PROMOTIONS:
Free chicken tenders for students pregame, while supplies last
Pregame autograph session with Penn State Lionettes and Cheer squads
Limited edition posters featuring the five Nittany Lion seniors for the first 1,000 fans
"Dance with Us" T-shirts for the first 2,000 students
HALFTIME:
Penn State Athletics will honor 535 Nittany Lion student-athletes who achieved a grade-point average of 3.0 or higher during the fall 2019 semester.
TICKETS:
Student tickets are $5 each and are available at the Bryce Jordan Center box office from beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday through halftime of the game.
Fans can purchase tickets for the final home game vs. Michigan State online or by calling 1-800-NITTANY 8 a.m.-5 p.m. The Bryce Jordan Center box office will be open from 9 a.m. through halftime for fans who wish to purchase tickets on game day.
Student season ticket holders may enter Gate A beginning at 5:45 p.m. Gates B,C and D will open at 6 p.m.
TICKET OFFICE:
The Bryce Jordan Center Athletics Ticket Office will open at 9 a.m. on Wednesday.
DIGITAL PROGRAM
WATCH: ESPN, watchespn.com and mobile app
Dave Flemming (pxp), Dan Dakich (analyst)
& Molly McGrath (reporter)
LISTEN: Penn State Sports Network
Steve Jones (pxp) & Dick Jerardi (analyst)
Affiliates: GoPSUsports.com/affiliates1920
Listen online: GoPSUsports.com/lionvision
SiriusXM | Sirius 84 | XM 84 | Internet 84
LIVE STATS: Michigan State at Penn State
SOCIAL: Twitter @PennStateMBB | 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
Coach: Tom Izzo (Northern Michigan, 1977)
at Michigan State: 626-241 (25th season)
Career Record: Same
2019-20 Record: 20-9, 12-6 Big Ten
Top Scorer
#5 Cassius Winston, Sr., G – 18.5 ppg
Top Rebounder
#23 Xavier Tillman, Jr., F – 10.2 rpg
Top Assists Leader
#5 Cassius Winston, Sr., G – 5.8 apg
PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS
Coach: Patrick Chambers (Philadelphia, 1994)
Penn State Record: 148-148 (Ninth season)
Career Record: 190-176 (11th season)
2019-20 Record: 21-8, 11-7 Big Ten
Top Scorer
#11 Lamar Stevens, Sr., F – 17.7 ppg
Top Rebounder
#24 Mike Watkins, Sr., F – 7.6 rpg
Top Assists Leaders
#5 Jamari Wheeler, Jr., G – 3.1 apg
#0 Myreon Jones, So., G – 2.9 apg
STARTING 5
The Nittany Lions will honor their five senior student-athletes following Tuesday night's game: Stephen Beattie, Grant Hazle, Curtis Jones Jr., Lamar Stevens and Mike Watkins.
To date, Penn State has won 76 games over the last four seasons (2016-17 through present), most in any four-year span in its Big Ten era (since 1992-93).
Senior forward Lamar Stevens is now one of only three Nittany Lions to score 500 or more points in three seasons, joining Talor Battle and D.J. Newbill with this accomplishment.
With a start vs. Michigan State, Stevens will set the Penn State record for starts at 134. He has started every game of his career at Penn State, a streak that is second in the nation.
Coach Patrick Chambers, named to the Werner Ladder Naismith Coach of the Year Late 2020 Season Watch List, is one of two Nittany Lion coaches, Jerry Dunn (1996, 2001) the other, to record two seasons of at least 21 wins in Penn State's Big Ten era.
SERIES VS. MICHIGAN STATE
Penn State and Michigan State have split their last four regular-season meetings with the Nittany Lions winning at The Palestra Jan. 7, 2017 and at East Lansing Feb. 4, 2020. The last win against the Spartans in the BJC was Feb. 2, 2008.
Series streak: Penn State, W1
Overall series: Michigan State leads 39-9
At University Park, Pa.:
Michigan State leads 15-4
Last game: at Breslin Center, East Lansing
Penn State 75, Michigan State 70, 2/4/2020
Chambers vs. Michigan State: 2-10
20 WINS, 10 B1G WINS
With 21 overall wins, Penn State ties the third-highest win total in its Big Ten era, and has its second-highest total in Big Ten wins with 11. The combination of at least 20 overall wins and at least 10 Big Ten Conference wins was achieved this season for only the third time since Penn State's first season in the Big Ten (1992-93).
Season -- B1G Record -- Overall Record
1995-96 -- 12-6 -- 21-7
2019-20 -- 11-7 -- 21-8
2008-09 -- 10-8 -- 27-11
HOME SWEET HOME
Penn State has a 14-2 mark in the Bryce Jordan Center in 2019-20, a total that is now third all-time for a home wins in a single season.
1 -- 17 in 2008-09
2. -- 15 in 2017-18
3. – 14 in 2019-20
4. – 13 in in 2007-08, 1999-00 & 2010-11
RANKED WINS IN A SEASON
The 2019-20 team joins the 2008-09 and 2000-01 teams with four wins over top-25 ranked teams in a single season.
Top-25 Wins -- Season -- Coach
4 -- 2019-20 -- Patrick Chambers
4 -- 2008-09 -- Ed DeChellis
4 -- 2000-01 -- Jerry Dunn
TREY-MENDOUS
This season, the Nittany Lions have had 12 games with nine or more 3-point field goals, tying the 2015-16 season for the second-highest number of games. The 2017-18 season had 14 games with nine or more 3-pointers.
Since 2011-12, Penn State has had 81 games, with nine or more 3-point field goals. The top nine single-game totals in the Chambers era have occurred since 2016-17 with the 14 against Purdue Feb. 11 tying the top mark with 14 in 2017-18. PSU's single-game record is 15.
STEVENS SEASON SCORING SUCCESS
With 514 points so far this season, senior forward Lamar Stevens joins Talor Battle and D.J. Newbill as the only Nittany Lions to score 500 or more points in three seasons.
Lamar Stevens Scoring by Season
2017-18 -- 604 points
2018-19 -- 637 points
2019-20 -- 514 points
BY THE NUMBERS
3 -- The 2019-20 Nittany Lions, with 21 overall wins and 11 B1G victories, are one of only three teams in program history with at least 20
overall wins and 10 B1G wins.
16.44 -- Coach Patrick Chambers currently owns the highest per-year wins average among Nittany Lion basketball coaches at 16.44 wins per season.
40 -- Senior forward Lamar Stevens needs 40 points to become Penn State's all-time leading scorer. The top spot is held by Talor Battle (2,213; 2007-11).
56 -- Coach Patrick Chambers' 56 Big Ten wins from 2011-present are the most by a Nittany Lion basketball coach.
134 -- With a start vs. Michigan State, senior forward Lamar Stevens will own the Penn State record for career starts, currently 133, held
by Shep Garner (2014-18).
137 -- Penn State's current 137 total 3-point field goals in Big Ten play are the most in program history. Each of the last six seasons have produced an entry on the Nittany Lions' top-10 list.
249 -- To date, the Nittany Lions have won 249 games in 24.5 seasons in the Bryce Jordan Center.
LAST TIME OUT: SECOND-HALF SHOOTING STALLS LIONS AT IOWA 77-68
Lamar Stevens and Seth Lundy combined for 39 points, but Penn State couldn't overcome Iowa's strong second-half shooting in a 77-68 loss. Stevens scored 20 points as part of his 16th career double-double with 10 rebounds, and Lundy's 19 points were a career best.
Iowa made three-straight field goals to open the second half for an eight-point lead, 42-34. Penn State struggled after the break, going 0-5, and getting only two free throws in the first four minutes.
A Myles Dread trey at the 15-minute mark pulled Penn State within seven, 47-40. Four different Hawkeyes scored points over the next three minutes as Iowa extended its lead to 13, 55-42.
At 11:09, a Stevens jumper dropped the Iowa lead to single-digits again, 55-47, but over the next five minutes, Penn State had only two more baskets, both by Stevens. Penn State's 35.3 field goal percentage in the second half, while Iowa shot 50 percent, allowed the Hawkeyes to take control of the game and lead by double-digits.
Penn State continued to battle, getting key stops and connecting on four-straight baskets to close the gap to the final, 77-68.
Lundy had five 3-pointers, three of his four coming in a stretch of 11-straight points. Lundy also had a career-best two steals. Penn State trailed by one, 35-34, after a tightly contested first half that included seven lead changes.
Penn State had 10 3-pointers with Lundy's five, three from Dread and one each from Stevens and Curtis Jones Jr.
Luke Garza paced Iowa with 25 points on 11-17 from the field and grabbed a game-high 17 rebounds for the Hawkeyes.
