Penn State vs. Rutgers
National Invitation Tournament
Tipoff: 8 p.m., Bryce Jordan Center
Records: Penn State (15-14, No. 7 seed); Rutgers (18-13, No. 8 seed)
Coaches: Ed DeChellis is 31-56 in three seasons at Penn State and 136-149 in 10 seasons overall. Gary Waters is 78-74 in his fifth and final season at Rutgers and 170-134 in 10 seasons overall.
Series: Penn State leads, 37-28.
Last meeting: The Nittany Lions stunned the Scarlet Knights 83-80 at the RAC Dec. 1, 2004.
TV: ESPNU (Doug Bell play by play, Tim McCormick color).
Radio: Penn State Radio Network (Steve Jones play by play, Dick Jerardi color).
Next up: The winner of this game plays No. 2 seed St. Joe's at Hawk Hill Thursday at 7 p.m.
Probable starters:
Penn State
G Ben Luber, 6-0 Jr. (7.2)
G David Jackson, 6-1 Jr. (6.9)
F Geary Claxton, 6-5 So. (15.4)
F Travis Parker, 6-5 Sr. (11.9)
F Jamelle Cornley, 6-6 Fr. (11.5)
Rutgers
G Quincy Douby, 6-3 Jr. (25.1)
G Anthony Farmer, 6-1 Fr. (8.7)
G Marquis Webb, 6-5 Jr. (9.4)
F Ollie Bailey, 6-7 So. (4.6)
C Bryon Joynes, 6-9 Jr. (3.2).
Notes:
• Douby has been Rutgers' leading scorer in every game except one this season. By contrast, Penn State has had six different leading scorers, and no one has paced the team in scoring for more than three straight games.
• Douby has taken more than one-third of his team's shots this year.
• Look for the Lions to get to the line frequently. RU opponents have shot an amazing 700 free throws, nearly 23 per game.
• How big was it for PSU to get home-court advantage? Rutgers is 12-5 at the RAC this year, with wins over Temple, Louisville and Marquette, and an overtime loss to Villanova. RU is 4-6 on the road.
FOS Prediction: Penn State 65, Rutgers 60.
Comment: The Nittany Lions' zone has been effective at stopping one-dimensional offenses. Though Douby is the best scorer State has seen, he won't be enough.
FOS Record: 26-3.
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