2017–18 Penn State Nittany Lions basketball team

The 2017–18 Penn State Nittany Lions basketball team represented Pennsylvania State University in the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They are led by head coach Pat Chambers, in his seventh season with the team, and played their home games at the Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, Pennsylvania as members of the Big Ten Conference. They finished the season 26–13, 9–9 in Big Ten play to finish in a tie for sixth place. In the Big Ten tournament, they defeated Northwestern and Ohio State before losing to Purdue in the semifinals. They received a bid to the National Invitation Tournament where they defeated Temple, Notre Dame, Marquette, and Mississippi State to advance to the NIT championship where they defeated Utah to become NIT champions.

2017–18 Penn State Nittany Lions basketball
NIT Champions
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Record26–13 (9–9 Big Ten)
Head coach
Associate head coachKeith Urgo
Assistant coaches
Home arenaBryce Jordan Center
Seasons
2017–18 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 5 Michigan State 16 2   .889 30 5   .857
No. 11 Purdue 15 3   .833 30 7   .811
No. 17 Ohio State 15 3   .833 25 9   .735
No. 7 Michigan 13 5   .722 33 8   .805
Nebraska 13 5   .722 22 11   .667
Penn State 9 9   .500 26 13   .667
Indiana 9 9   .500 16 15   .516
Maryland 8 10   .444 19 13   .594
Wisconsin 7 11   .389 15 18   .455
Northwestern 6 12   .333 15 17   .469
Minnesota 4 14   .222 15 17   .469
Illinois 4 14   .222 14 18   .438
Iowa 4 14   .222 14 19   .424
Rutgers 3 15   .167 15 19   .441
2018 Big Ten tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

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The Nittany Lions finished the 2016–17 season 15–18, 6–12 in Big Ten play to finish in a tie for 12th place. As the No. 13 seed in the Big Ten tournament, they beat Nebraska in the first round[1] before losing to Michigan State in the second round.[2][3]

Offseason

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Departures

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Payton Banks 0 F 6'6" 223 RS Junior Orange, CA Graduate transferred to South Florida
Terrence Samuel 5 G 6'3" 208 RS Junior Brooklyn, NY Graduate transferred to South Florida
Isaiah Washington 21 G 6'2" 163 RS Sophomore Williamsport, PA Graduate transferred to Quinnpiac

2017 recruiting class

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College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Jamari Wheeler
PG
Live Oak, FL The Rock School 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg)  
Star ratings: RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A
Taylor Nussbaum
PG
South Salem, NY Cheshire Academy 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) N/A  
Star ratings: RivalsN/A   247Sports: 
Trent Buttrick
PF
Naples, FL Community School of Naples 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg)  
Star ratings: RivalsN/A   247Sports: 
John Harrar
PF
Wallingford, PA Strath Haven High School 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 240 lb (110 kg)  
Star ratings: RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2016 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 28, 2017.

2018 recruiting class

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College recruiting information (2018)
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Myles Dread
CG
Burtonsville, MD Gonzaga College High School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Jul 10, 2016 
Star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Rasir Bolton
PG
Virginia Beach, VA Huntington Prep 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Jul 23, 2017 
Star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Daniil Kasatkin
PG
Ivanovo, Russia Mountain Mission 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Nov 21, 2017 
Star ratings: Scout:    RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPNN/A
Myreon Jones
CG
Birmingham, AL Lincoln Academy 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 170 lb (77 kg) May 2, 2018 
Star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPNN/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Personnel

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Roster

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2017–18 Penn State Nittany Lions men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
F 1 Deividas Zemgulis 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Jr St. Mary Ryken Kaunas, Lithuania
F 3 Satchel Pierce 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 266 lb (121 kg) RS Jr The Kiski School
Virginia Tech
Barberton, OH
G 4 Nazeer Bostick 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 203 lb (92 kg) So Roman Catholic Philadelphia, PA
G 5 Jamari Wheeler 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Fr Rock School Gainesville, FL
G 10 Tony Carr 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 204 lb (93 kg) So Roman Catholic Philadelphia, PA
F 11 Lamar Stevens 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 226 lb (103 kg) So Roman Catholic Philadelphia, PA
F 21 John Harrar 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 243 lb (110 kg) Fr Strath Haven Atlanta, GA
F 22 Grant Hazle (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 192 lb (87 kg) So Westbury Christian Kingwood, TX
G 23 Josh Reaves 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr Oak Hill Academy Fairfax, VA
F 24 Mike Watkins 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 254 lb (115 kg) RS So Phelps School Philadelphia, PA
G 33 Shep Garner 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 196 lb (89 kg) Sr Roman Catholic HS Philadelphia, PA
F 35 Trent Buttrick 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 234 lb (106 kg) Fr Community School of Naples (Fla.) Bloomsburg, PA
F 44 Julian Moore 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 248 lb (112 kg) RS Sr Germantown Acad Fort Washington, PA
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Coaching staff

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Position Name Year Alma mater
Head coach Patrick Chambers 2011 Philadelphia University (1994)
Associate head coach Keith Urgo 2011 Fairfield University (2002)
Assistant coach Dwayne Anderson 2013 Villanova University (2009)
Assistant coach Jim Ferry 2017 Keene State (1990)
Director of Basketball Operations Ross Condon 2011 Villanova University (2007)
On campus recruiting coordinator Nicholas Colella 2015 Penn State (2013)
Athletic trainer Jon Salazer 2001 Penn State (1993)
Director of player development David Caporaletti 2011 Philadelphia University (1993)
Strength and conditioning coach Greg Miskinis 2009 Penn State (2008)
Graduate Manager Stephen Griffin 2017 Philadelphia University (2014)
Graduate Manager Nick Higgins 2017 Penn State (2017)

Schedule and results

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The 2018 Big Ten tournament was held at Madison Square Garden in New York City.[4] Due to the Big East's use of that venue for their conference tournament, the Big Ten tournament took place one week earlier than usual, ending the week before Selection Sunday.[5]

Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Bahamas exhibition trip
Aug 6, 2017*
2:00 pm
vs. New Providence Basketball
Association All-Stars

Summer of Thunder Tour
W 109–105 OT
 26  Carr   12  Pierce   7  Carr  Sir Kendal Isaac's National Gymnasium
Queen Elizabeth Sports Centre
 
Nassau, Bahamas
Aug 8, 2017*
6:00 pm
vs. Providence Storm
Summer of Thunder Tour
W 112–63 
 28  Garner   10  Pierce   3  3 tied  Sir Kendal Isaac's National Gymnasium
Queen Elizabeth Sports Centre
 
Nassau, Bahamas
Aug 9, 2017*
2:00 pm
vs. Bahamas All-Stars
Summer of Thunder Tour – Cancelled
Sir Kendal Isaac's National Gymnasium
Queen Elizabeth Sports Centre
 
Nassau, Bahamas
Exhibition
Nov 4, 2017*
1:00 pm
at Lafayette
OAA hurricane relief benefit
W 102–80 
 23  Carr   6  Reaves   2  5 tied  Kirby Sports Center 
Easton, PA
Nov 5, 2017*
12:00 pm, BTN+
Bloomsburg W 84–67 
 17  Garner   8  Stevens   7  Carr  Bryce Jordan Center (3,826)
University Park, PA
Regular season
Nov 10, 2017*
4:00 pm, BTN+
Campbell W 86–75  1–0
 33  Carr   9  Carr   7  Carr  Bryce Jordan Center 
University Park, PA
Nov 12, 2017*
5:00 pm, BTN+
Fairleigh Dickinson W 81–57  2–0
 20  Carr   9  Reaves   7  Carr  Bryce Jordan Center (5,802)
University Park, PA
Nov 15, 2017*
7:00 pm, BTN
Montana
Legends Classic campus site game
W 70–57  3–0
 25  Stevens   7  Stevens   3  Garner  Bryce Jordan Center (5,854)
University Park, PA
Nov 17, 2017*
7:00 pm, BTN+
Columbia W 79–65  4–0
 26  Garner   14  Watkins   4  Wheeler  Bryce Jordan Center (6,529)
University Park, PA
Nov 20, 2017*
9:30 pm, ESPN3
vs. Pittsburgh
Legends Classic semifinals
W 85–54  5–0
 16  Carr   8  Stevens   5  Carr  Barclays Center (5,904)
Brooklyn, NY
Nov 21, 2017*
6:00 pm, ESPN2
vs. No. 16 Texas A&M
Legends Classic championship
L 87–98  5–1
 31  Carr   7  Stevens   4  Tied  Barclays Center (5,081)
Brooklyn, NY
Nov 24, 2017*
3:00 pm, BTN+
Oral Roberts
Legends Classic campus site game
W 86–48  6–1
 14  Wheeler/Bostick   7  Wheeler   5  Carr  Bryce Jordan Center (4,463)
University Park, PA
Nov 29, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPNU
at NC State
ACC–Big Ten Challenge
L 78–85  6–2
 29  Carr   14  Watkins   5  Reaves  PNC Arena (15,270)
Raleigh, NC
Dec 2, 2017
5:00 pm, BTN
at Iowa W 77–73  7–2
(1–0)
 22  Stevens   7  Watkins   9  Carr  Carver–Hawkeye Arena (12,805)
Iowa City, IA
Dec 4, 2017
7:00 pm, ESPN2
Wisconsin L 63–64  7–3
(1–1)
 22  Watkins   9  Carr   5  Reaves  Bryce Jordan Center (6,730)
University Park, PA
Dec 9, 2017*
4:00 pm, BTN
George Washington W 74–54  8–3
 19  Carr   12  Watkins   4  Carr  Bryce Jordan Center (6,652)
University Park, PA
Dec 17, 2017*
4:00 pm, Stadium
at George Mason W 72–54  9–3
 23  Stevens   12  Tied   4  Reaves  EagleBank Arena (5,439)
Fairfax, VA
Dec 19, 2017*
7:00 pm, BTN+
Binghamton W 80–65  10–3
 16  Stevens   11  Watkins   9  Carr  Bryce Jordan Center (4,009)
University Park, PA
Dec 22, 2017*
7:00 pm, BTN
Rider L 70–71  10–4
 18  Garner   13  Reaves   8  Reaves  Bryce Jordan Center (4,217)
University Park, PA
Dec 30, 2017*
1:00 pm, BTN+
Coppin State W 88–43  11–4
 21  Carr   7  Wheeler   7  Reaves  Bryce Jordan Center (4,512)
University Park, PA
Jan 2, 2018
7:00 pm, BTN
at Maryland L 69–75  11–5
(1–2)
 17  Watkins   17  Watkins   8  Carr  Xfinity Center (14,374)
College Park, MD
Jan 5, 2018
8:00 pm, FS1
Northwestern W 78–63  12–5
(2–2)
 30  Stevens   17  Watkins   5  Carr  Bryce Jordan Center (4,682)
University Park, PA
Jan 9, 2018
6:30 pm, BTN
at Indiana L 70–74  12–6
(2–3)
 28  Carr   12  Watkins   3  Carr  Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (17,222)
Bloomington, IN
Jan 12, 2018
7:00 pm, BTN
Nebraska W 76–74 OT 13–6
(3–3)
 26  Stevens   15  Watkins   8  Carr  Bryce Jordan Center (6,821)
University Park, PA
Jan 15, 2018
7:00 pm, BTN
Minnesota L 84–95 OT 13–7
(3–4)
 33  Carr   11  Watkins   3  Tied  Bryce Jordan Center (6,361)
University Park, PA
Jan 20, 2018
2:00 pm, BTN
at Northwestern L 61–70  13–8
(3–5)
 22  Garner   8  Watkins   6  Carr  Allstate Arena 
Rosemont, IL
Jan 25, 2018
8:00 pm, BTN
at No. 13 Ohio State W 82–79  14–8
(4–5)
 28  Carr   6  Stevens   5  Carr  Value City Arena (13,464)
Columbus, OH
Jan 27, 2018
4:00 pm, BTN
Rutgers W 60–43  15–8
(5–5)
 16  Carr   19  Watkins   4  Carr  Bryce Jordan Center (13,677)
University Park, PA
Jan 31, 2018
6:30 pm, BTN
at No. 5 Michigan State L 68–76  15–9
(5–6)
 28  Carr   7  Reaves   7  Carr  Breslin Center (14,797)
East Lansing, MI
Feb 3, 2018
6:00 pm, BTN
Iowa W 82-58  16–9
(6–6)
 19   Watkins   10   Watkins   5   Reaves  Bryce Jordan Center (10,394)
University Park, PA
Feb 7, 2018
6:30 pm, BTN
Maryland W 74–70  17–9
(7–6)
 25   Stevens   9   Reaves   6   Carr  Bryce Jordan Center (8,435)
University Park, PA
Feb 11, 2018
7:00 pm, BTN
at Illinois W 74–52  18–9
(8–6)
 16  Garner   6  2 tied   6  Carr  State Farm Center (12,840)
Champaign, IL
Feb 15, 2018
8:00 pm, BTN
No. 8 Ohio State W 79–56  19–9
(9–6)
 30  Carr   10  Watkins   6  Reaves  Bryce Jordan Center (10,981)
University Park, PA
Feb 18, 2018
8:00 pm, BTN
at No. 6 Purdue L 73–76  19–10
(9–7)
 19  Carr   7  Reaves   5  2 tied  Mackey Arena (14,804)
West Lafayette, IN
Feb 21, 2018
7:00 pm, BTN
No. 17 Michigan L 63–72  19–11
(9–8)
 21  Carr   8  Stevens   6  Carr  Bryce Jordan Center (13,586)
University Park, PA
Feb 25, 2018
5:15 pm, BTN
at Nebraska L 64–76  19–12
(9–9)
 27  Carr   7  Reaves/Stevens   3  Reaves  Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,991)
Lincoln, NE
Big Ten tournament
Mar 1, 2018
6:30 pm, BTN
(7) vs. (10) Northwestern
Second Round
W 65–57  20–12
 25  Carr   8  Reaves   4  Carr  Madison Square Garden (13,996)
New York City, NY
Mar 2, 2018
6:30 pm, BTN
(7) vs. (2) No. 13 Ohio State
Quarterfinals
W 69–68  21–12
 25  Carr   7  Stevens   5  Carr  Madison Square Garden (14,530)
New York City, NY
Mar 3, 2018
4:30 pm, CBS
(7) vs. (3) No. 8 Purdue
Semifinals
L 70–78  21–13
 33  Garner   9  Carr   4  Carr  Madison Square Garden (19,812)
New York City, NY
NIT
Mar 14, 2018*
8:00 pm, ESPNU
(4) (5) Temple
First Round – Notre Dame Bracket
W 63–57  22–13
 19  Reaves   11  Reaves   5  Reaves  Bryce Jordan Center (4,528)
University Park, PA
Mar 17, 2018*
12:00 pm, ESPN
(4) at (1) Notre Dame
Second Round – Notre Dame Bracket
W 73–63  23–13
 24  Carr   9  Reaves   4  Carr  Edmund P. Joyce Center (4,023)
Notre Dame, IN
Mar 20, 2018*
7:00 pm, ESPN
(4) at (2) Marquette
Quarterfinals – Notre Dame Bracket
W 85–80  24–13
 30  Stevens   9  Harrar   7  Carr  Al McGuire Center (3,670)
Milwaukee, WI
Mar 27, 2018*
7:00 pm, ESPN
(4) vs. (4) Mississippi State
Semifinals
W 75–60  25–13
 21  Carr   8  Stevens   6  Stevens  Madison Square Garden (7,865)
New York City, NY
Mar 29, 2018*
7:00 pm, ESPN
(4) vs. (2) Utah
Championship
W 82–66  26–13
 28  Stevens   12  Harrar   14  Carr  Madison Square Garden (11,175)
New York City, NY
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

References

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  1. ^ "Penn State beats Nebraska, 76–67, in the Big Ten tournament: recap, final stats, photos". PennLive.com. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  2. ^ "Michigan State thrashes Penn State to open Big Ten tournament". MLive.com. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  3. ^ "'Grown up' Michigan State destroys Penn State in Big Ten tournament". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  4. ^ "Big Ten tournament at MSG in 2018". USA TODAY. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
  5. ^ "Izzo concerned about '18 Big Ten tournament in New York". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved August 11, 2017.