Penn State gets no breather after beating then No. 19 Michigan State on Saturday as it hosts No. 16 Illinois on Tuesday night at 9:00 P.M. on the Big Ten Network.
The Fighting Illini (13-3, 3-0) are coming off a thumping of Northwestern last Thursday in Champaign that included an 81% shooting effort in the first half. They're lead in scoring by guard Demetri McCamey, who averages 16.2 points and 7.3 assists per game. He also boasts a staggering 54% 3-point percentage. Guard D.J. Richardson and forward Mike Davis also average double figure scoring and forward Mike Tisdale is close at 9.9 points per game.
The Nittany Lions (9-6, 2-2) will be looking for a second straight win over a top-25 opponent after losing four of its previous five games before beating the Spartns. Penn State was paced in its upset of Michigan State by double figure scoring from all four of its senior starters, Talor Battle, Jeff Brooks, Andrew Jones and David Jackson. The Lions will likely need another big effort from them as well as redshirt freshman Jermaine Marshall, who scored 18 points against then No. 10 Purdue last week and eight points against Michigan State on Saturday.
Notes
The State College area is expecting 2-4 inches of snow primarily during the game, so that might hamper attendance. It is also THON night at the Bryce Jordan Center. All proceeds from student tickets will benefit the cause.