CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Penn State men's basketball team (3-5, 0-4) completes its two-game Midwestern road swing Tuesday, Jan. 19 at Illinois (9-5, 4-3) in the State Farm Center. The Big Ten Network will have the broadcast of game with an 8:30 p.m. ET tip time.
This is the Nittany Lions first trip to Illinois in nearly two years (last game at Illinois - 2/23/2019), the last of three-straight games at the State Farm Center, before playing three straight against the Illini at home in the BJC.
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Brandon Gaudin (pxp) & Robbie Hummel (analyst)
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Steve Jones (pxp) & Dick Jerardi (analyst)
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ROSTER: Penn State | Illinois
SCHEDULE: Penn State | Illinois
STATS: Penn State | Illinois
GAME NOTES: Penn State | Illinois
ILLINOIS
Coach: Brad Underwood (Kansas State, 1986)
Illinois Record: 56-54 (Fourth season)
Career Record: 165-81 (Eighth season)
2020-21 Record: 9-5, 5-3 Big Ten
Leading Scorer
#11 Ayo Dosunmo, Jr., G – 22.4 ppg
Leading Rebounder
#21 Kofi Cockburn, So., C – 10.1 rpg
Assists Leader
#11 Ayo Dosunmo, Jr., G – 4.9 apg
PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS
Interim Head Coach: Jim Ferry (Keene State, 1990)
Penn State Record: 3-5 (First season)
Career Record: 317-270 (20th season)
Top Scorer
#12 Izaiah Brockington, Jr., G – 15.1 ppg
Top Rebounder
#21 John Harrar, Sr., F – 6.6 rpg
Assists Leaders
#5 Jamari Wheeler, Sr., G – 4.3 apg
#3 Sam Sessoms, Jr., G – 3.0 apg
PENN STATE PROBABLE STARTERS
F -- 1 – Seth Lundy – So. | 11.9 ppg | 3.5 rpg
Note: Scored 7 points and had 5 rebounds at Purdue; His 32 points vs. VCU is tied for eighth-highest in Big Ten single-game scoring this season
F -- 21 – John Harrar – Sr. | 7.9 ppg | 7.5 rpg
Note: Registered his second career double-double with career highs in points (14) and rebounds (14-tie); Had 10 offensive rebounds, most by a Nittany Lion vs. a Big Ten foe since at least 1999
G – 0 – Myreon Jones -- Jr. | 15.4 ppg | 2.6 rpg
Note: Recorded third-straight game with 20+ points with game- and career-high 23 at Purdue; Scored 12 points in final 2:37 vs. Boilermakers; #6 in conf.-only scoring, #10 in all games
G – 5 – Jamari Wheeler -- Sr. | 5.0 ppg | 4.3 rpg | 4.3 apg
Note: Had game-high 4 steals at Purdue; Tied for eighth on Penn State's career steals list with 162
G – 12 – Izaiah Brockington -- Jr. | 14.8 ppg | 5.3 rpg
Note: Pulled down a career-best nine rebounds at Purdue; Has scored in double figures in 7 of 8 games; ranked #14 in Big Ten in overall scoring & #15 in conf.-only games.
STARTING 5
Penn State has one of the toughest, if not the toughest schedule in 2020-21. According to ESPN.com, the Nittany Lions are the SOS leader while kenpom.com rankings list PSU third.
Senior forward John Harrar had 10 offensive rebounds at Purdue, most by a Nittany Lion since Aaron Johnson's 11 against Western Carolina (11/15/04), and most against a Big Ten foe since at least 1999.
With his game-high and career-best 23 at Purdue, junior guard Myreon Jones now has three-straight 20+ point games. Jones ranks sixth in scoring in Big Ten games (18.5) and is 10th overall (15.4).
With a game-high four steals at Purdue, senior guard Jamari Wheeler moved into a tie with Dan Earl (1993-99) for eighth place on Penn State's career steals list with 162.
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 and won its 1,500th game at No. 15 Virginia Tech.
SERIES vs. ILLINOIS
Penn State and Illinois are tied at 10-10 in their last 20 meetings with the Illini winning the last two in the series, both at the Bryce Jordan Center. The Nittany Lions have won three-straight at the State Farm Center with the last meeting in Champaign-Urbana on Feb. 23, 2019 (PS 83, ILL 76).
Series streak: Illinois, W2
Last game: University Park, Pa.
No. 18 Illinois 98, Penn State 81, 12/23/2020
Overall series: Illinois leads 30-19 (PS A: 8-14)
Ferry vs. Illinois: 0-1
Series record and results from last 20 games are listed on page 5 of the game notes.
FOR 3!
Penn State is averaging 10.1 3-point field goals per game, which ranks second in the Big Ten and 19th nationally. Penn State has connected for double-digit 3-point field goal totals in its last two games, with 12 in the overtime game at Indiana and 10 at Purdue.
Over the last five years, the 3-point field goals made per game average has increased. The highest final team average in the Nittany Lions' Big Ten era is 8.4 (278 in 33 games) by the 2000-01 Sweet Sixteen squad.
Season -- 3-FG Total -- Per-game Average
2020-21 -- 81 -- 10.1
2019-20 -- 249 -- 8.0
2018-19 – 222 -- 6.9
2017-18 -- 294 -- 7.5
2016-17 -- 230 -- 6.9
POINTS OF EMPHASIS
The current 77.6 scoring average by the Nittany Lions is their best since the 1982-83 team averaged 78.4 points per game and would rank as the best in Penn State's Big Ten era (1992-present).
Season -- Scoring Avg.
1982-83 -- 78.4
2020-21 -- 77.6
1988-89 -- 77.1
2000-01 -- 76.8
2020-21 -- 75.1
ON THE OFFENSIVE GLASS
The Nittany Lions had 23 offensive rebounds at Purdue Sunday afternoon and tied its record for total rebounds in a Big Ten game with 49. PSU has recorded four games with 20+ offensive rebound totals in the last four seasons.
Penn State is tops in the Big Ten and No. 25 nationally with 13.12 offensive rebounds per game.
Season – Opponent -- O-Rebs -- Total
2017-18 -- NC State -- 20 -- 43
2018-19 – Nebraska – 21 -- 46
2019-20 – Syracuse -- 23 -- 57
2020-21 – Purdue – 23 -- 49
BY THE NUMBERS
1 – Illinois is the first "repeat" opponent for Penn State in Big Ten play this season.
3 – Penn State is one of only three teams to outrebound Purdue in 2020-21. (Iowa & Illinois).
3.62 – Senior forward John Harrar is averaging 3.62 offensive rebounds per game, good for a No. 19 national ranking.
4 – Four of Penn State's five losses were by single digits.
21.3 – Myreon Jones is averaging 21.3 points over his last three games. His stretch of three-straight games with 20 or more points is a career first for the junior guard.
49 – Penn State tied its program record for team rebounds in a Big Ten game with 49. The Nittany Lions set the mark at Nebraska on Feb. 1, 2020.
LAST TIME OUT: PURDUE HOLDS OFF LATE NITTANY LION RALLY, 80-72
Penn State's first game of 2021 came down to the final minutes, but the Nittany Lions couldn't pull off the comeback and fell at Purdue 80-72. Junior guard Myreon Jones scored a game- and career-best 23 points and John senior forward Harrar had a career-best 14, but all five Boilermaker starters finished the afternoon in double figures.
The Nittany Lions battled for all 40 minutes, whittling the score to a single-digit deficit, 68-61, with 2:37 left to play. Jones was an offensive force late in the game, scoring 12 of his 14 of his second-half points in the final 2:37.
After a back-and-forth battle in the first half, the Boilermakers looked to put the game out of reach, shooting at 67 percent clip from the field during the first six minutes of the second stanza. Purdue used an 18-5 run to take a 51-37 lead, but a pair of triples by forward Trent Buttrick ended the hot start.
With 9:11 remaining, Harrar scored seven of the Nittany Lions' next nine points to cut the deficit to eight. He had two field goals in less than a minute and added another layup at the 5:03 mark.
Harrar's gritty performance also ended with the second double-double of his career as he finished with 14 points and 14 rebounds, 10 on the offensive end. Izaiah Brockington collected a career-best in rebounds with nine to go along with 12 points. Jamari Wheeler, who nailed a key 3-pointer in the first half, had a game-high four steals.
The Boilermakers made 12 free throws over the final 2:18 to secure the win and had 33 trips to the line compared to Penn State's 13. The Nittany Lions had the edge on the boards 49-47, but Purdue's hot second-half shooting (54.2) compared to PSU's 27.7 allowed the Purdue to hold onto the lead.
Both teams struggled from the field to begin the first half, which included a combined 0-14 mark from beyond the arc. Midway through the period, Purdue led Penn State 18-9 following a pair of free throws.
Brockington scored on the next three possessions to trim the Purdue lead to five and sparked Penn State's offense as it finished with a 67 percent mark (10-15) from the field after starting the game 4 for 20.
An 8-0 run by the Nittany Lions erased an early 22-15 Purdue lead with the first three of the game by Jones at 5:58. Both teams traded scores for the final four minutes of the first half and Harrar's slam dunk on a fast break put Penn State up 32-30. A corner trey by Mason Gillis with one second left on the clock sent the Boilermakers into the half leading 33-32.
Trevion Williams had a double-double for Purdue with 13 points and 11 rebounds while Sasha Stefanovic led the team with 15 points.
FOLLOW PENN STATE MEN'S BASKETBALL VIRTUALLY
Please stay connected and follow Penn State men's basketball virtually throughout season. While we are unable to host fans this season due to COVID-19 protocols, fans are able to join the interest list for tickets for the 2021-22 men's basketball season. Sign up for the 2021-22 interest list by clicking here.
