Jan 13 2013; West Lafayette, IN, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions guard D.J. Newbill (2) makes a pass against the Purdue Boilermakers at Mackey Arena. Purdue defeated Penn State 60-42. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

After a run of disturbingly poor shooting over the last few outings, PSU showed a renewed offensive aggressiveness to open the game, lead by D.J. Newbill.  The sophomore guard was able to get to the basket seemingly at will in the first half, either converting layups, or getting to the line.  Newbill finished the half with 9 points.  Junior Jermaine Marshall added 7, and grabbed 5 rebounds, as the Lions trailed 29-25.  PSU’s defense was just as aggressive, holding the Spartans to 40% from the field (MSU ranks 37th nationally at 47%) and forcing 7 turnovers in the opening 20.

The second half opened with a Jermaine Marshall 3, closing the game to 1 point, and another Marshall jumper would put PSU up 37-36, but it was short lived.  The Lions would hang around, drawing to within 1 point on two occasions, before Payne and the Spartans went on the 15-4 run.  MSU would open the lead up to as many as 14 with 5:00 to play.  PSU would rally back late, closing to as few as 5 at 73-68, but a missed Marshall layup followed by a missed Jon Graham put back would kill any hopes of the upset.  MSU would make their free throws down the stretch to finish off the 9 point victory.

Marshall lead PSU with a career night with 29 points, 22 of which came in the 2nd half, and grabbed 10 rebounds for his first career double-double.  Newbiill was not far behind with 27 points and 6 assists.  All told, the Lions were 48% from the field, and the willingness to attack the basket sent them to the line 27 times.  Unfortunately, Sparty was able to score nearly at will in their 52 point second half, with 5 different players finishing in double figures, lead by Payne’s 20.

Penn State remains home this weekend against Nebraska, with both teams potentially looking for their first Big 10 win (Nebraska hosts Purdue later Wednesday night).  That game tips at 1:00 on BTN.

Follow VBR Lead Editor Matt de Bear on Twitter for the latest on Penn State

Tip-off is at 6:30 PM ET

The last time the Penn State basketball team took the floor, they lost to Iowa on the road 77-64. It wasn’t even that close, though. Penn State was more horrendous than horrendous in the first half and shot 27% from the floor. For the game, the Lions attempted only 7 free throws. Such has been life on the road for Penn State in this season of hardship. While losses have not been hard to come by at home, at least most of the games in the BJC are competitive. On the road, Penn State hasn’t lost by single-digits since Duquesne beat the Lions 66-59 on December 10.

That’s why this upcoming contest versus Michigan State in East Lansing doesn’t exactly look promising. However, even in “winnable” games, Penn State fans would be better served to pay attention to the development of players instead of the performance as a whole. Here’s what to look for from Penn State tonight.

• Any sort of post offense. After scoring 6 points against one of the Big Ten’s top defenders in Meyers Leonard, Sasa Borovjnak has scored just a single point total in his last four games. It really wouldn’t hurt to get him the ball more. Penn State is one of the worst teams in the country at effective FG%, so why not try letting the guy who sets up closest to the basket shoot some more? Jonathan Graham should be encouraged to be more aggressive as well, but please allow me to cover my eyes before he gets the ball.
• More Ross Travis, less Cammeron Woodyard. OK, this is more me just hoping than anything, but it would behoove Pat Chambers to get Travis on the floor more. For one, he is tall and athletic and Penn State needs that to guard Draymond Green. For another, although Travis doesn’t have a real offensive identity yet, he at least has upside, which is more than Woodyard can say. Yeah, I know Woodyard is a senior and everything, but he rarely impacts the team positively on offense and Travis just needs to play more.
• Set fire to the rain of threes. Yeah, an Adele pun. The point is that Michigan State is an elite defensive force and despite my desire for any sort of post presence, Penn State will probably have the ball in the hands of a guard 99% of the time. Scoring inside will be tough, especially if the Lions act like they are allergic to foul shots again. They will probably jack up a lot of three pointers. For any chance of success, Penn State will have to hope that Billy Oliver can shoot like he did against Purdue and not like he did in every other game. Nick Collela should also be spotting up on the perimeter, because I’d rather Jermaine Marshall and Tim Frazier drive inside and try to draw some fouls. (more…)