Victory Bell Rings
Fansided

Penn State Basketball: Nittany Lions host Northwestern in search of a much-needed win

By Barry Leonard Jr.

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 09: Head coach Patrick Chambers of the Penn State Nittany Lions yells from the sidelines against the Michigan State Spartans during the Big Ten Basketball Tournament at Verizon Center on March 9, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 09: Head coach Patrick Chambers of the Penn State Nittany Lions yells from the sidelines against the Michigan State Spartans during the Big Ten Basketball Tournament at Verizon Center on March 9, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Penn State basketball needs to bounce back from a disappointing loss the last time out. 

A season that was supposed to be full of positives for head coach Patrick Chambers and the Nittany Lions has had its share of negatives. Inconsistent play has been a problem, setting up what could be another mediocre season in Happy Valley. After struggling at Maryland on Tuesday night, the Nittany Lions will look to rebound at home against Northwestern.

Although the Nittany Lions have an 11-5 record, it’s already been a tough season. Shooting woes have plagued the team, particularly recently. Penn State has dropped two of its last three games, including a demoralizing home loss to Rider.

Penn State is 1-2 in conference play — having dropped games to Wisconsin and Maryland. On paper, the Nittany Lions were the better team heading into both contests.

While the start of the season hasn’t gone exactly how Chambers and his crew would have wanted, the Nittany Lions are now in the midst of the Big Ten schedule and can instantly turn their year around with some big wins.

More from Victory Bell Rings

There’s no doubt that Penn State has talent on its roster. The sophomore trio of Tony Carr, Lamar Stevens and Mike Watkins gives the Nittany Lions one of the top young cores in the Big Ten.

Carr leads the team with nearly 19 points a game and has been the best from long range — shooting over 50 percent from behind the arc. He’s also the team leader in assists. Stevens is second on the team in scoring and is coming off a 15-point night against Maryland.

While four of the five top scorers for the Nittany Lions are guards, forward Mike Watkins is perhaps the best player on the team. He has been a force down low and is averaging 12 points and nine rebounds a game. In the last game against Maryland he pulled down 17 boards and scored 17 points.

Northwestern enters the contest tied with Penn State for ninth place in the Big Ten. The Wildcats have one conference win over Illinois and have conference losses to Purdue and Nebraska.

The Wildcats have four players who are averaging double-digit points, led by senior guard Scottie Lindsey (14.6 ppg). Fellow senior guard Bryant McIntosh is averaging 13.3 points a game, while junior forward Vic Lawis pouring in 13.1 points a game.

Lindsey scored 31 points in last year’s win over the Nittany Lions.

Center Derek Pardon leads the team with nearly seven rebounds a game. The matchup between Pardon and Watkins down low will be one to watch in the game.

Tip-off between the Nittany Lions and the Wildcats is set for 8:00 p.m. ET and will be shown live on FOX Sports 1.

Home/Penn State Basketball