Penn State Basketball: Nittany Lions Attempt to End Losing Streak vs. Illinois
Will home court help Penn State end the losing streak Saturday?
The Penn State Nittany Lions are stuck in a three-game losing streak, but have a chance to snap out of it with a home matchup Saturday afternoon. The Illinois Fighting Illini travel to Happy Valley to face the Nittany Lions for the first time this season.
After reeling off back-to-back quality wins over Michigan State and Minnesota, the Nittany Lions have fallen on hard times.
A heartbreaking home loss at the buzzer to Indiana after erasing a double-digit lead got the bad streak rolling. Penn State went on the road for a difficult stretch and got dominated by both Purdue and Wisconsin.
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Penn State is a young team, and it has shown at times this season. Inconsistent play and poor shooting has plagued the Nittany Lions. However, there’s a lot of talent and potential on the team, it’s just a matter a putting it all together.
Shep Garner continues to lead the team in scoring with 12.1 points a game. Behind him, there’s a trio of payers all averaging over 11 points. Payton Banks has an average of 11.7, while true freshmen Lamar Stevens and Tony Carr both average 11.4.
Fellow freshman Mike Watkins leads the team in rebounds.
Illinois enters the game off a win against Iowa, but has three losses in the last four games. The Illini have an identical conference record (3-5) as the Nittany Lions, but have two more total wins. Senior guard Malcolm Hill is the one to watch for Illinois. He leads the Illini with an average of 17.4 points a game.
The game will tip from Happy Valley at 4:30 and will be shown live on the Big Ten Network.
