Preview: Penn State at Illinois

[February 11, 2017]  Penn State looks to build on its biggest win of the season when it travels to Illinois on Saturday. The Nittany Lions shocked No. 22 Maryland 70-64 on Tuesday to notch their fourth victory over a ranked opponent in the last 12 months, and they hope to stay on the winning track by sweeping the season series with the Fighting Illini for the first time since 2008-09.

Penn State is 10-0 when holding teams to under 70 points this season and they hope to put the defensive clamps on a struggling Illinois offense, which is averaging 64 points over its last six games. The Fighting Illini snapped a three-game losing streak with a morale-boosting 68-61 win against Northwestern on Tuesday. Illinois coach John Groce decided to shake up the starting lineup and his gamble paid instant dividends as the Fighting Illini notched their first conference road victory of the season, and they hope to make a late run for an NCAA Tournament berth by beating Penn State for the sixth straight time at home. "For us it's a step in the right direction," Groce told reporters. "We make decisions to try to put us in a position to play well and compete."

TV: 2 p.m. ET, BTN

ABOUT PENN STATE (13-12, 5-7 Big Ten): Freshman forward Lamar Stevens scored 16 of his game-high 25 points in the second half and pulled down seven rebounds in the win against Maryland. Tony Carr added 14 points, seven rebounds and three assists against the Terrapins to move within 15 assists of breaking the freshman assist record held by Ben Luber (114). "I'm proud of our mindset of not feeling sorry for ourselves and keeping a great attitude," Penn State head coach Pat Chambers told reporters. "So we just have to keep getting better and good things are going to come."

ABOUT ILLINOIS (14-11, 4-8): Senior guard Malcolm Hill overcame a sluggish start to finish with a team-high 14 points against Northwestern to move into eighth place on the program's all-time scoring list with 1,665 points. Freshman point guard Te'Jon Lucas added a career-high 11 points to go along with six assists and five rebounds after scoring just seven total points in his previous three games. Former starters Jaylon Tate and Michael Thorne Jr. did not play as Groce opted for an eight-man rotation with Aaron Jordan making a rare appearance in the starting lineup.

TIP-INS

1. Stevens is averaging 19 points and 7.3 rebounds over his last three games.

2. Hill has scored in double figures in 19 consecutive games.

3. Illinois is 33-51 in Big Ten play under Groce.

PREDICTION: Illinois 68, Penn State 63

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