2019–20 Penn State Nittany Lions basketball team

The 2019–20 Penn State Nittany Lions basketball team represented Pennsylvania State University in the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were led by head coach Pat Chambers, in his ninth 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 21–10, 11–9 in Big Ten play to finish in a four-way tie for fifth place. Their season ended following the cancellation of postseason tournaments due to the coronavirus pandemic.

2019–20 Penn State Nittany Lions basketball
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Record21–10 (11–9 Big Ten)
Head coach
Associate head coachKeith Urgo
Assistant coaches
Home arenaBryce Jordan Center
Seasons
2019–20 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 17 Wisconsin 14 6   .700 21 10   .677
No. 9 Michigan State 14 6   .700 22 9   .710
No. 12 Maryland 14 6   .700 24 7   .774
No. 21 Illinois 13 7   .650 21 10   .677
No. 25 Iowa 11 9   .550 20 11   .645
Penn State 11 9   .550 21 10   .677
No. 19 Ohio State 11 9   .550 21 10   .677
Rutgers 11 9   .550 20 11   .645
Michigan 10 10   .500 19 12   .613
Purdue 9 11   .450 16 15   .516
Indiana 9 11   .450 20 12   .625
Minnesota 8 12   .400 15 16   .484
Northwestern 3 17   .150 8 23   .258
Nebraska 2 18   .100 7 25   .219
Note: The 2020 Big Ten tournament was canceled prior to the second round due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

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The Nittany Lions finished the 2018–19 season 14–18, 7–13 in Big Ten play to finish in a three-way tie for 10th place.[1] They lost to Minnesota in the second round of the Big Ten tournament.[2]

Offseason

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Departures

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Deividas Zemgulis 1 F 6'6" 220 Senior Kaunas, Lithuania Graduated
Satchel Pierce 3 F/C 7'0" 255 RS Senior Barberton, OH Graduated
Daniil Kasatkin 4 G 6'7" 205 Freshman Vichuga, Russia Pursue to play professional basketball
Rasir Bolton 13 G 6'2" 175 Freshman Petersburg, VA Transferred to Iowa State
Josh Reaves 23 G 6'4" 210 Senior Fairfax, VA Graduated

Incoming transfers

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Curtis Jones 4 G 6'4" 185 Senior Richmond, VA Oklahoma State

Recruiting classes

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2019 recruiting class

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US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Seth Lundy
SF
Philadelphia, PA Roman Catholic High School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Oct 5, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Abdou Tsimbila
C
Hagerstown, MD St Maria Goretti High School 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Jul 10, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Patrick Kelly
PF
Lynchburg, VA Virginia Episcopal School 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Feb 2, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
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:

  • "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

2020 recruiting class

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US college sports recruiting information for 2020 recruits
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Dallion Johnson
SG
Haverhill, MA Phillips Academy 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Jul 15, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
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:

Roster

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2019–20 Penn State Nittany Lions men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Myreon Jones 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) So Lincoln Academy Birmingham, AL
F 1 Seth Lundy 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 219 lb (99 kg) Fr Roman Catholic Paulsboro, NJ
G 2 Myles Dread 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 215 lb (98 kg) So Gonzaga Burtonsville, MD
G 4 Curtis Jones Jr. 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Sr Huntington Prep
Oklahoma State
Richmond, VA
G 5 Jamari Wheeler 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Jr Rock School Gainesville, FL
G 10 Kyle McCloskey (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 212 lb (96 kg) RS So Germantown Academy Lower Gwynedd, PA
F 11 Lamar Stevens 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Sr Roman Catholic Philadelphia, PA
G 12 Izaiah Brockington 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) RS So Archbishop Ryan
St. Bonaventure
Philadelphia, PA
F 14 Patrick Kelly 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Fr IMG Academy Raleigh, NC
G 20 Taylor Nussbaum (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Jr Cheshire Academy South Salem, NY
F 21 John Harrar 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Jr Strath Haven Atlanta, GA
F 22 Grant Hazle (W) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 194 lb (88 kg) Sr Westbury Christian Kingwood, TX
F 24 Mike Watkins 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 257 lb (117 kg) RS Sr Phelps School Philadelphia, PA
F 35 Trent Buttrick 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 234 lb (106 kg) Jr Community School of Naples (Fla.) Bloomsburg, 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 Kevin Freeman 2018 University of Connecticut (2000)
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 K.J. Baptiste 2019 Brandeis University (2018)
Graduate Manager Kevin Hudash 2018 Penn State (2017)

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Regular season
November 5, 2019*
7:00 p.m., BTN Plus
Maryland Eastern Shore W 84–46  1–0
 17  Stevens   11  Watkins   6  M. Jones  Bryce Jordan Center (5,869)
University Park, PA
November 9, 2019*
4:00 p.m., BTN Plus
Wagner W 91–64  2–0
 14  M. Jones   8  Watkins   5  Dread  Bryce Jordan Center (6,372)
University Park, PA
November 14, 2019*
6:30 p.m., FS1
at Georgetown
Gavitt Tipoff Games
W 81–66  3–0
 21  M. Jones   9  Stevens   5  Wheeler  Capital One Arena (8,691)
Washington, D.C.
November 19, 2019*
6:30 p.m., BTN
Bucknell
NIT Season Tip-Off
W 98–70  4–0
 27  Stevens   8  Stevens   4  Tied  Bryce Jordan Center (6,797)
University Park, PA
November 23, 2019*
4:00 pm, BTN Plus
Yale
NIT Season Tip-Off
W 58–56  5–0
 15  Brockington   13  Stevens   4  Jones  Bryce Jordan Center (6,091)
University Park, PA
November 27, 2019*
5:00 pm, ESPN2
vs. Ole Miss
NIT Season Tip-Off semifinal
L 72–74  5–1
 22  Stevens   12  Watkins   5  M. Jones  Barclays Center (4,114)
Brooklyn, NY
November 29, 2019*
7:00 pm, ESPN2
vs. Syracuse
NIT Season Tip-Off 3rd place game
W 85–64  6–1
 20  Stevens   15  Watkins   4  Stevens  Barclays Center (4,159)
Brooklyn, NY
December 4, 2019*
9:15 p.m., ESPNU
Wake Forest
ACC–Big Ten Challenge
W 76–54  7–1
 22  M. Jones   16  Watkins   3  Tied  Bryce Jordan Center (6,476)
University Park, PA
December 7, 2019
12:00 p.m., BTN
at No. 6 Ohio State L 74–106  7–2
(0–1)
 19  Brockington   3  Tied   2  Tied  Value City Arena (12,901)
Columbus, OH
December 10, 2019
7:00 p.m., ESPN2
No. 4 Maryland W 76–69  8–2
(1–1)
 15  Tied   11  Watkins   6  Jones  Bryce Jordan Center (8,643)
University Park, PA
December 14, 2019*
2:00 p.m., BTN
Alabama W 73–71  9–2
 18  Stevens   11  Stevens   6  Stevens  Bryce Jordan Center (7,736)
University Park, PA
December 20, 2019*
6:00 p.m., BTN
No. 23 Central Connecticut W 87–58  10–2
 21  M. Jones   8  Watkins   7  Wheeler  Bryce Jordan Center (6,404)
University Park, PA
December 29, 2019*
12:00 p.m., ESPNU
No. 20 Cornell W 90–59  11–2
 19  Tied   10  Watkins   4  Tied  Bryce Jordan Center (8,316)
University Park, PA
January 4, 2020
2:00 p.m., BTN
No. 21 vs. No. 23 Iowa W 89–86  12–2
(2–1)
 23  Brockington   7  Dread   4  Dread  Palestra (7,881)
Philadelphia, PA
January 7, 2020
7:00 p.m., BTN
No. 20 at Rutgers L 61–72  12–3
(2–2)
 21  M. Jones   6  Tied   2  Tied  Louis Brown Athletic Center (8,000)
Piscataway, NJ
January 11, 2020
2:15 p.m., BTN
No. 20 Wisconsin L 49–58  12–4
(2–3)
 19  Stevens   13  Stevens   2  Tied  Bryce Jordan Center (10,139)
University Park, PA
January 15, 2020
9:00 p.m., BTN
at Minnesota L 69–75  12–5
(2–4)
 15  Tied   5  Tied   4  Wheeler  Williams Arena (9,714)
Minneapolis, MN
January 18, 2020
12:00 p.m., ESPNU
No. 21 Ohio State W 90–76  13–5
(3–4)
 24  Stevens   5  Tied   4  M. Jones  Bryce Jordan Center (14,785)
University Park, PA
January 22, 2020
7:00 p.m., BTN
at Michigan W 72–63  14–5
(4–4)
 19  Stevens   9  Stevens   4  Wheeler  Crisler Center (12,707)
Ann Arbor, MI
January 29, 2020
8:30 p.m., BTN
No. 24 Indiana W 64–49  15–5
(5–4)
 17  Stevens   9  Stevens   5  Wheeler  Bryce Jordan Center (7,656)
University Park, PA
February 1, 2020
7:00 p.m., BTN
No. 24 at Nebraska W 76–64  16–5
(6–4)
 14  Dread   17  Watkins   6  M. Jones  Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,901)
Lincoln, NE
February 4, 2020
8:00 p.m., BTN
No. 22 at No. 16 Michigan State W 75–70  17–5
(7–4)
 24  Stevens   7  Stevens   5  M. Jones  Breslin Center (14,797)
East Lansing, MI
February 8, 2020
4:00 p.m., BTN
No. 22 Minnesota W 83–77  18–5
(8–4)
 33  Stevens   7  Tied   4  Harrar  Bryce Jordan Center (15,261)
University Park, PA
February 11, 2020
6:30 p.m., BTN
No. 13 at Purdue W 88–76  19–5
(9–4)
 19  Watkins   10  Watkins   5  Tied  Mackey Arena (14,804)
West Lafayette, IN
February 15, 2020
12:00 p.m., BTN
No. 13 Northwestern W 77–61  20–5
(10–4)
 23  Stevens   9  Watkins   6  Wheeler  Bryce Jordan Center (14,402)
University Park, PA
February 18, 2020
6:30 p.m., FS1
No. 9 Illinois L 56–62  20–6
(10–5)
 13  Stevens   9  Stevens   6  Wheeler  Bryce Jordan Center (9,506)
University Park, PA
February 23, 2020
12:00 p.m., FS1
No. 9 at Indiana L 60–68  20–7
(10–6)
 29  Stevens   10  Harrar   1  Tied  Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (17,222)
Bloomington, IN
February 26, 2020
7:00 p.m., BTN
No. 16 Rutgers W 65–64  21–7
(11–6)
 16  Brockington   7  Tied   7  Dread  Bryce Jordan Center (8,345)
University Park, PA
February 29, 2020
12:00 p.m., BTN
No. 16 at No. 18 Iowa L 68–77  21–8
(11–7)
 20  Stevens   10  Stevens   4  Jones  Carver–Hawkeye Arena (15,056)
Iowa City, IA
March 3, 2020
7:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 20 No. 16 Michigan State L 71–79  21–9
(11–8)
 16  M. Jones   9  Watkins   5  Wheeler  Bryce Jordan Center (13,437)
University Park, PA
March 7, 2020
4:00 p.m., BTN
No. 20 at Northwestern L 69–80  21–10
(11–9)
 18  Stevens   14  Harrar   4  Tied  Welsh–Ryan Arena (6,084)
Evanston, IL
Big Ten tournament
March 12, 2020
9:00 p.m., BTN
(6) vs. (11) Indiana
Second round
Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic Bankers Life Fieldhouse 
Indianapolis, IN
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Rankings

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Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre1234567891011121314151617Final
APRVRVRV23202120RV24221391620RVRV
CoachesRVRVRV24212120RV23201391420RVRV

*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings

On December 16, 2019 Penn State was ranked #23 in the Associated Press Poll marking its first appearance in the poll since 1996.

References

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  1. ^ "2018-19 Big Ten Men's College Basketball Standings". FOX Sports. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
  2. ^ "Nittany Lions Fall In Overtime To Minnesota In B1G Tournament". GoPSUsports. Retrieved March 18, 2019.