UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – A mid-week matchup is in store for the Penn State men's basketball team (1-0) at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 2 as it plays host to VCU (2-1) in the first-ever meeting between the two programs. Three of the first four games on the Nittany Lions' current schedule feature teams from Virginia with VMI in the season opener (W, 86-65), VCU and then a Tuesday, Dec. 8 contest at Virginia Tech.
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ROSTER: Penn State | VCU
SCHEDULE: Penn State | VCU
STATS: Penn State | VCU
GAME NOTES: Penn State | VCU
VCU
Coach: Mike Rhoades (Lebanon Valley, 1995)
VCU Record: 63-37 (Fifth season)
Career Record: 307-165 (16th season)
2020-21 Record: 2-1, 0-0 Atlantic 10
Top Scorer
#5 Nah'Shon Hyland, So., G – 16.0 ppg
Top Rebounder
#11 Keshawn Curry, Jr., G – 5.0 rpg
Assists Leader
#1 Adrian Baldwin Jr., Fr., G – 6.3 apg
PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS
Interim Head Coach: Jim Ferry (Keene State, 1990)
Penn State Record: 1-0 (First season)
Career Record: 315-265 (20th season)
Top Scorer
#5 Jamari Wheeler, Sr., G – 18.0 ppg
Top Rebounder
#21 John Harrar, Sr., F – 9.0 rpg
Assists Leaders
#3 Sam Sessoms, Jr., G – 4.0 apg
#5 Jamari Wheeler, Sr., G – 3.0 apg
PENN STATE PROBABLE STARTERS
F -- 1 – Seth Lundy – So. | 12.0 ppg | 2.0 rpg
Note: Top scorer in 1H (9); hit first trey of 20-21 for PS
F -- 21 – John Harrar – Sr. | 6.0 ppg | 9.0 rpg
Note: Had game-high rebounds (9) vs. VMI; 123.9 kenpom.com rating is highest by a Nittany Lion & was 32nd nationally and third in Big Ten
G – 0 – Myreon Jones -- Jr. | 12.0 ppg | 2.0 rpg
Note: Can score in bunches; Nicknamed "Buckets; 22 car games with 10+ pts
G – 5 – Jamari Wheeler -- Jr. | 18.0 ppg | 6.0 rpg | 3.0 apg | 5.0 spg
Note: Career afternoon offensively with best 18 points, 4 treys; Leads nation with 5.0 steals per game
G – 12 – Izaiah Brockington -- So. | 15.0 ppg | 8.0 rpg
Note: Scored Penn State's first points of 2020-21; Key 6th man in 2019-20, made first PSU start vs. VMI
STARTING 5
The Nittany Lions won their fourth-straight season opener and 15th of the last 16 openers with the 86-65 win over VMI Saturday. Interim head coach Jim Ferry, in his 20th season as a head coach, logged his 18th win in a home opener and his 12th straight. (Recap on p. 11).
Senior guard Jamari Wheeler's 3-pointer to close the first 20 minutes of play gave the Nittany Lions a 37-35 lead at the break. Penn State is 54-15 (78.3) since 2017-18 when it has the advantage at halftime.
Since joining the Big Ten in 1992-93, the Nittany Lions have posted wins in their opener 22 times in 29 first outings.
Penn State currently ranks No. 1 in the NCAA statistics in the steals per game (18.0) and free throw percentage categories (92.9). The 18 steals tied a Bryce Jordan Center single-game mark and was one shy of the program record (19).
Established as a program in 1897, Penn State's 2020-21 season marks its 125th year. Penn State is one of the 10 oldest programs in the nation.
SERIES vs. VCU
Wednesday's game is the first meeting between Penn State and VCU.
VCU is one of three teams from the state of Virginia on the Nittany Lions' 2020-21 non-conference slate.
Penn State is 119-80 all-time vs. the Atlantic 10 and last played an A-10 team at Duquesne (W, 73-67, 12/15/2019). Interim head coach Jim Ferry was the head coach at Duquesne from 2012-17.
Ferry vs. VCU: 0-5 (at Duquesne)
APPROACHING 1,500 WINS
Penn State has tallied 1,498 wins since the program was established in 1897. John Egli, who guided the Nittany Lions for 14 years (1955-68), was Penn State's longest-tenured coach and owns the highest win total at 187.
Penn State begins its 29th year as a member of the Big Ten Conference in 2020-21.
BY THE NUMBERS
5 – The Nittany Lions scored 80+ points in their season opener for the fifth-straight year: (2016-81 pts; 2017-86 pts; 2018-87 pts; 2019-84 pts and 2020-86 pts).
7 – Penn State is ranked in the top 20 of the NCAA statistics in seven categories with five top-five spots: win-loss percentage (tied-1), steals per game (1), free throw percentage (1), turnover margin (2) and turnovers per game (3).
18 – Penn State tied its Bryce Jordan Center single-game record for steals with 18 in the opener vs. VMI.
62 – The 2020-21 senior class has amassed 62 wins
since the 2017-18 season.
90 – Nittany Lion basketball was among the 16 Nittany Lion teams at or above the Division I sport average and one of nine Penn State squads that posted a Graduation Success Rate at least five points higher than the national average for their sport (90 to 84, +6).
152 – Senior guard Jamari Wheeler, with five steals vs. VMI, now has 152 career steals, good for 10th on Penn State's all-time steals list.
