Penn State visits No. 4 Wisconsin to open Big Ten play
Dec 31, 2014 - 3:52 PM Madison, WI (SportsNetwork.com) - A pair of teams sporting identical 12-1 records open Big Ten Conference play against each other on Wednesday, as the Penn State Nittany Lions challenge the fourth-ranked Wisconsin Badgers.Penn State's 12 non-conference wins are the most in program history, but the team's detractors will be quick to point how hollow most of the victories are as the Lions haven't really beaten any team of note. Their lone setback occurred back on Nov. 20 in double-overtime versus Charlotte, and the team has won 10 straight since. The latest win was a 69-49 shellacking of Dartmouth on Dec. 22, and it will try to improve to 3-0 in true road games with a win today.
Wisconsin has some victories over inferior opponents as well, but the Badgers have also beaten the likes of Boise State, Georgetown, Oklahoma, Marquette and California, Coach Bo Ryan's club has won five straight since suffering its only defeat of the season, an 80-70 decision at home to Duke during the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, with its most recent triumph being a 68-56 verdict versus visiting Buffalo on Sunday.
Wisconsin leads the all-time series with Penn State, 31-10, and the Badgers won the most recent meeting last March, 71-66. The last 10 meetings in the series have been decided by an average of 6.6 points. The Lions have never won in the Kohl Center (0-13).
As he has done in just about every game this season, D.J. Newbill led Penn State to its recent victory over Dartmouth, scoring 17 points and handing out four assists. Geno Thorpe tallied 12 points off the bench, and fellow reserve John Johnson chipped in with 10. Brandon Taylor also scored 10 points, and he came up two rebounds shy of logging a double-double for the Nittany Lions, who shot 46.9 percent from the floor and nailed seven 3-pointers. The team's defensive effort allowed the Big Green just 35.2 percent success from the floor, and the visitors found the bottom of the net on only 2-of-20 long-range launches.
Newbill is the Big Ten's top scorer, netting 21.4 ppg on the strength of his 47 percent overall shooting effort and 39.3 percent showing from beyond the arc. Taylor (10.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg) is the only other player averaging double digits for coach Patrick Chambers' squad, which puts up 72 ppg while permitting just 65.3 ppg. Foes are converting only 37.8 percent of their total shots, which includes a low 30.2 percent from downtown, and the Lions are +3.2 in rebounding margin, but -1.1 in turnovers.
Frank Kaminsky continued his assault on all comers this season, as he logged an impressive double-double with 25 points and 11 rebounds in Wisconsin's easy win over Buffalo a few days back. Sam Dekker offered support by scoring 13 points and grabbing six boards, but the Badgers shot just 42.4 percent from the field, missing 14 of their 20 3-point tries in the process. Fortunately the Bulls struggled to the tune of a .352 field goal percentage, although they hit 5-of-9 3-point attempts.
Kaminsky was tabbed as the Big Ten's Preseason Player of the Year, and he hasn't disappointed in averaging 16.5 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game to lead the Badgers in each category. Dekker (12.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg) and Nigel Hayes (11.9 ppg, 7.8 rpg) both net double figures on a consistent basis for UW, which produces 73.5 ppg while allowing a league-low 52.4 ppg. The Badgers are converting their field goals at a 48.3 percent clip, while permitting the opposition to do the same just 38.1 percent of the time. Wisconsin only turns the ball over 8.6 times per outing, and sizable advantages in both rebounding (+8.2) and turnovers (+3.9) have proven instrumental in the team's overall success.
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