The program has ten NCAA tournament appearances with its best finish coming in 1954, reaching the Final Four. Its most recent appearance was in 2023, when the team beat Texas A&M in the first round. The program also has 11 appearances in the National Invitation Tournament, with the most recent being in 2018, when they beat Utah to win the NIT championship. They also won the NIT championship in 2009 and 2018.
The Nittany Lions have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) 11 times. Their combined record is 27–9. They were NIT champions in 2009 and 2018.
The following is a list of undrafted Penn State players who have played at least one NBA regular or post-season game. Bold denotes players with active NBA or NBA G League contracts.
At a school where the football program captures the vast majority of media and fan interest, the basketball program has historically struggled to draw fans and administrative support. Penn State is consistently ranked near the bottom of the Big Ten in attendance and revenue,[2] which has been attributed to local apathy and noncompetitive teams. The Bryce Jordan Center has far more seats than can regularly be filled, and large, black curtains cover parts of the upper deck during most non-conference and weekday games.[3]
Penn State has come close to breaking through on several occasions in the 21st century, only to fall back to mediocrity. They reached the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in over 50 years in 2001 after upsetting #2 North Carolina in the Round of 32, only to fall to a 3–13 record in the Big Ten the next year. The 2008-09 and 2017-18 teams won the NIT, but did not reach the tournament the next year.
Penn State hoops reached new levels of popularity during the 2019–20 season after fielding a team that peaked at #9 in the Associated Press (AP) poll. The team hosted its first sellout since 2011 in a February showdown against Minnesota,[4] a contest they would win 83–77, extending a mid-season win streak that would eventually reach eight games.
Students rallied around the idea of Penn State as a "basketball school," and players such as seniors Lamar Stevens and Mike Watkins became household names across campus, even among non-basketball fans. In what was referred to as "the most Penn State basketball thing ever" by fans on social media, the season was cancelled prior to the start of the Big Ten Tournament due to the COVID-19 outbreak.[5] Stevens finished only seven points from becoming Penn State's all-time leading scorer, a feat that would almost certainly have been reached had the season not been cut short.[6] Though an NCAA tournament bracket was never officially revealed, head coach Pat Chambers announced that the 2019-20 team would be included on the team banner of tournament appearances.[7]
^Penn State Artwork(PDF). November 6, 2017. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
^"Big Ten College Basketball Attendance and Ticket Sales Data From 2018-19". Stadium. 2019-08-22. Retrieved 2020-03-25.
^"A call for end of prefab noise at Bryce Jordan Center". pennlive. 2018-02-28. Retrieved 2020-03-25.
^Collegian, Justin Morganstein | The Daily. "Penn State men's basketball's sellout against Minnesota has fans appreciating special time in program history". The Daily Collegian. Retrieved 2020-03-25.
^"'Most Penn State Basketball Thing Ever': Fans React To March Madness Closure". Onward State. 2020-03-11. Retrieved 2020-03-25.
^"Penn State's Lamar Stevens weighs in on crushing end to decorated career". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2020-03-25.
^"Penn State basketball coach Pat Chambers hopeful for contract extension". WJET/WFXP/YourErie.com. 2020-03-25. Retrieved 2020-03-25.
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This article is about the men s basketball team at Pennsylvania State University For the women s basketball team see Penn State Lady Lions basketball The Penn State Nittany Lions basketball team is an NCAA Division I college basketball team representing the Pennsylvania State University They play home games at the 15 261 seat Bryce Jordan Center moving there from Rec Hall during the 1995 96 season Their student cheering section is known as the Legion of Blue Penn State Nittany Lions2022 23 Penn State Nittany Lions basketball teamUniversityPennsylvania State UniversityFirst season1896 97Head coachVacantConferenceBig TenLocationUniversity Park PennsylvaniaArenaBryce Jordan Center Capacity 15 261 NicknameNittany LionsStudent sectionLegion of BlueColorsBlue and white 1 UniformsHome AwayNCAA tournament Final Four1954NCAA tournament Elite Eight1942 1954NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen1952 1954 1955 2001NCAA tournament round of 321991 2001 2023NCAA tournament appearances1942 1952 1954 1955 1965 1991 1996 2001 2011 2023Conference tournament championsAtlantic 10 1991Conference division season championsEastern Collegiate League West 1977The program has ten NCAA tournament appearances with its best finish coming in 1954 reaching the Final Four Its most recent appearance was in 2023 when the team beat Texas A amp M in the first round The program also has 11 appearances in the National Invitation Tournament with the most recent being in 2018 when they beat Utah to win the NIT championship They also won the NIT championship in 2009 and 2018 Contents 1 Current coaching staff 2 Coaching history 3 Postseason 3 1 NCAA tournament results 3 2 NIT results 3 3 CBI results 4 Statistical Leaders 4 1 1 000 Point Scorers 4 2 Assists 4 3 Rebounds 650 5 All Americans 6 NBA players 6 1 NBA Draft 6 2 Other players 7 International players 8 Season by Season Records 9 Overcoming historical irrelevance 10 Penn State Men s Basketball Radio Affiliates 11 References 12 External linksCurrent coaching staff EditPosition Name Year Alma materHead Coach Vacant 2023Associate Head Coach Adam Fisher 2021 Penn State 2006 Assistant Coach Aki Collins 2021 Clark Atlanta University 1997 Assistant Coach Mike Farrelly 2021 Saint Joseph s University 2003 Assistant to the Head Coach Tre Whitted 2021 Marshall University 2007 Chief of Staff Nicholas Colella 2015 Penn State 2013 Associate Director of Athletic Training Services Jon Salazer 2001 Penn State 1993 Assistant Director of Performance Enhancement Greg Miskinis 2009 Penn State 2008 Coaching history EditCoach Years Seasons Record Pct Cnf Record Pct Cnf Titles Nat TitlesNo coach 1897 1915 1917 1918 20 131 65 1 668 0Burke M Dutch Hermann 1916 1918 1919 32 15 148 73 716 0Hugo Bezdek 1919 1 11 2 846 0Earl The Spike Leslie 1933 36 4 29 28 509 0 10 000 0 0John Lawther 1937 49 13 150 93 617 17 13 567 0 0Elmer Gross 1949 54 5 80 40 667 0John Egli 1954 68 14 187 135 581 0Johnny Bach 1968 78 10 122 121 502 9 11 450 0 0Dick Harter 1978 83 5 79 61 564 13 11 564 0 0Bruce Parkhill 1983 95 12 181 169 517 82 116 414 1 0Jerry Dunn 1995 2003 8 117 121 492 45 87 341 0 0Ed DeChellis 2003 2011 8 114 138 452 41 95 301 0 0Pat Chambers 2011 2020 9 148 150 497 56 110 337 0 0Jim Ferry 2020 2021 1 11 14 440 7 12 368 0 0Micah Shrewsberry 2021 2023 2 37 31 544 17 23 425 0 0Totals 1897 present 118 1542 1239 1 555 287 488 370 1 0Postseason EditNCAA tournament results Edit The Nittany Lions have appeared in the NCAA tournament 10 times Their combined record is 10 11 Year Seed Round Opponent Result1942 Elite EightRegional 3rd Place Game DartmouthIllinois L 39 44W 41 341952 Sweet SixteenRegional 3rd Place Game KentuckyNC State L 54 82L 60 691954 First RoundSweet SixteenElite EightFinal FourNational 3rd Place Game ToledoLSUNotre DameLa SalleUSC W 62 50W 78 70W 71 63L 54 69W 70 611955 First RoundSweet SixteenRegional 3rd Place Game Memphis StateIowaKentucky W 59 55L 53 82L 59 841965 First Round Princeton L 58 601991 13 First RoundSecond Round 4 UCLA 12 Eastern Michigan W 74 69L 68 71 OT1996 5 First Round 12 Arkansas L 80 862001 7 First RoundSecond RoundSweet Sixteen 10 Providence 2 North Carolina 11 Temple W 69 59W 82 74L 72 842011 10 First Round 7 Temple L 64 662023 10 First RoundSecond Round 7 Texas A amp M 2 Texas W 76 59 L 66 71NIT results Edit The Nittany Lions have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament NIT 11 times Their combined record is 27 9 They were NIT champions in 2009 and 2018 Year Round Opponent Result1966 First Round San Francisco L 77 891980 First Round Alabama L 49 531989 First RoundSecond Round Murray StateVillanova W 89 73L 67 761990 First RoundSecond RoundQuarterfinalsSemifinals3rd Place Game MarquetteMarylandRutgersVanderbiltNew Mexico W 57 54W 80 78W 58 55L 62 75W 83 811992 First Round Pittsburgh L 65 671995 First RoundSecond RoundQuarterfinalsSemifinals3rd Place Game Miami FL NebraskaIowaMarquetteCanisius W 62 56W 65 59W 67 64L 79 81W 66 621998 First RoundSecond RoundQuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinals RiderDaytonGeorgia TechGeorgiaMinnesota W 82 68W 77 74W 77 70W 66 60L 72 792000 First RoundSecond RoundQuarterfinalsSemifinals3rd Place Game PrincetonSienaKent StateNotre DameNC State W 55 41W 105 103W 81 74L 52 73W 74 722006 Opening Round Rutgers L 71 762009 First RoundSecond RoundQuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinals George MasonRhode IslandFloridaNotre DameBaylor W 77 73 OTW 83 72W 71 62W 67 59W 69 632018 First RoundSecond RoundQuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinals TempleNotre DameMarquetteMississippi StateUtah W 63 57W 73 63W 85 80W 75 60 W 82 66CBI results Edit The Nittany Lions have appeared in the College Basketball Invitational CBI once Their record is 1 1 Year Round Opponent Result2014 First RoundQuarterfinals HamptonSiena W 69 65L 52 54Statistical Leaders EditSee also Penn State Nittany Lions basketball statistical leaders 1 000 Point Scorers Edit Rank Player Points Years Rank Player Points Years Rank Player Points Years1 Talor Battle 2 213 2007 2011 17 John Amaechi 1 310 1992 1995 33 Gyasi Cline Heard 1 058 1997 20012 Lamar Stevens 2 207 2016 2020 18 Brandon Taylor 1 289 2012 2016 34 Steve Kuhn 1 057 1976 19803 Jesse Arnelle 2 138 1951 1955 19 Calvin Booth 1 288 1995 1999 35 James Barnes 1 025 1987 19914 Joe Crispin 1 986 1997 2001 20 Seth Lundy 1 283 2019 2023 36 Tony Ward 1 020 1984 19885 D J Newbill 1 812 2012 2015 21 Dan Earl 1 256 1993 1999 37 Mike Edelman 1 019 1978 19826 Shep Garner 1 629 2014 2018 22 Monroe Brown 1 244 1988 1992 38 Gene Harris 1 018 1959 19627 Pete Lisicky 1 605 1994 1998 23 Ron Brown 1 184 1972 1974 39 Mike Lang 1 014 1979 19838 Jamelle Cornley 1 579 2005 2009 24 Mike Watkins 1 171 2016 2020 40 Jeff Miller 1 008 1974 19789 DeRon Hayes 1 570 1989 1993 25 Carver Clinton 1 165 1963 196610 Tim Frazier 1 543 2009 2014 26 Tony Carr 1 161 2016 201811 Geary Claxton 1 542 2004 2008 27 Mark DuMars 1 139 1958 196112 Tom Hovasse 1 459 1985 1989 28 Myles Dread 1 097 2018 202313 Jarrett Stephens 1 372 1995 2000 29 Bob Weiss 1 091 1962 196514 Titus Ivory 1 369 1996 2001 30 Jeff Persson 1 090 1965 196815 Freddie Barnes 1 342 1988 1992 31 Josh Reaves 1 079 2015 201916 Ed Fogell 1 329 1985 1990 32 Jalen Pickett 1 068 2021 2023 2020 B1G Tournament and 2020 NCAA Tournament cancelled due to COVID 19 Pandemic denotes active player Assists Edit Rank Player Assists Years Rank Player Assists Years1 Tim Frazier 641 2009 2014 11 Jalen Pickett 378 2021 20232 Freddie Barnes 600 1988 1992 12 Ron Brown 350 1972 19743 Dan Earl 574 1993 1999 13 Tony Ward 331 1984 19884 Talor Battle 517 2007 2011 14 Tony Carr 325 2016 20185 Joe Crispin 485 1997 2001 15 Shep Garner 317 2014 2018Tom Wilkinson 485 1976 1980 16 Josh Reaves 310 2015 20197 Monroe Brown 450 1988 1992 17 Pete Lisicky 291 1994 19988 Titus Ivory 443 1996 2001 18 D J Newbill 288 2012 20159 Ben Luber 418 2003 2007 19 Brandon Watkins 287 1999 200310 Dwight Gibson 385 1991 1995 20 Lamar Stevens 262 2016 2020Rebounds 650 Edit Rank Player Rebounds Years Rank Player Rebounds Years1 Jesse Arnelle 1 238 1951 1955 12 Carvin Jefferson 713 1975 19792 Mike Watkins 956 2016 2020 13 Randy Meister 712 1972 19753 Mike Lang 912 1979 1983 14 Jarrett Stephens 703 1995 20004 Lamar Stevens 875 2016 2020 15 Andrew Jones 681 2007 20115 Ross Travis 816 2011 2015 16 Gyasi Cline Heard 672 1997 20016 Gene Harris 762 1959 19627 Geary Claxton 755 2004 2008Jamelle Cornley 755 2005 20099 John Amaechi 745 1992 199510 Carver Clinton 734 1963 196611 Calvin Booth 728 1995 1999All Americans EditYear Team Name Outlet1954 1st Team Jesse Arnelle Helms Foundation1955 2nd Team Jesse Arnelle Helms Foundation2023 2nd Team Jalen Pickett AP NABC SNNBA players EditNBA Draft Edit Tony Carr Year Round Pick Name Team1947 3 10 John Rusinko Baltimore Bullets1953 7 2 Herman Sledzik Baltimore Bullets1955 2 13 Jesse Arnelle Fort Wayne Pistons1965 3 22 Bob Weiss Philadelphia 76ers1966 11 6 Carver Clinton Philadelphia 76ers1974 7 17 Ron Brown Boston Celtics1981 3 57 Frank Brickowski New York Knicks1983 8 12 Mike Lang New York Knicks1984 10 211 Dick Mumma Los Angeles Clippers1994 10 211 John Amaechi Cleveland Cavaliers1999 2 35 Calvin Booth Washington Wizards2018 2 51 Tony Carr New Orleans PelicansOther players Edit The following is a list of undrafted Penn State players who have played at least one NBA regular or post season game Bold denotes players with active NBA or NBA G League contracts Chris Babb Lamar Stevens Josh Reaves Tim Frazier Chris Babb John Amaechi Joe Crispin Tom Hovasse Herschel Baltimore John BarrInternational players Edit Trey Lewis Chris Babb born 1990 basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League Tony Carr born 1997 basketball player in the Israeli Premier Basketball League Trey Lewis born 1992 basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League Mike Watkins born 1995 basketball player for Hapoel Haifa in the Israeli Basketball Premier LeagueSeason by Season Records EditMain article List of Penn State Nittany Lions basketball seasonsOvercoming historical irrelevance EditAt a school where the football program captures the vast majority of media and fan interest the basketball program has historically struggled to draw fans and administrative support Penn State is consistently ranked near the bottom of the Big Ten in attendance and revenue 2 which has been attributed to local apathy and noncompetitive teams The Bryce Jordan Center has far more seats than can regularly be filled and large black curtains cover parts of the upper deck during most non conference and weekday games 3 Penn State has come close to breaking through on several occasions in the 21st century only to fall back to mediocrity They reached the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in over 50 years in 2001 after upsetting 2 North Carolina in the Round of 32 only to fall to a 3 13 record in the Big Ten the next year The 2008 09 and 2017 18 teams won the NIT but did not reach the tournament the next year Penn State hoops reached new levels of popularity during the 2019 20 season after fielding a team that peaked at 9 in the Associated Press AP poll The team hosted its first sellout since 2011 in a February showdown against Minnesota 4 a contest they would win 83 77 extending a mid season win streak that would eventually reach eight games Mike Watkins Students rallied around the idea of Penn State as a basketball school and players such as seniors Lamar Stevens and Mike Watkins became household names across campus even among non basketball fans In what was referred to as the most Penn State basketball thing ever by fans on social media the season was cancelled prior to the start of the Big Ten Tournament due to the COVID 19 outbreak 5 Stevens finished only seven points from becoming Penn State s all time leading scorer a feat that would almost certainly have been reached had the season not been cut short 6 Though an NCAA tournament bracket was never officially revealed head coach Pat Chambers announced that the 2019 20 team would be included on the team banner of tournament appearances 7 Penn State Men s Basketball Radio Affiliates Edit 8 WAEB 790 AM Allentown WTNA 1430 AM Altoona WILK FM 103 1 FM Avoca WNNA 106 1 FM Beaver Springs WRAX 1600 AM Bedford WISR 680 AM Butler WCPA 900 AM Clearfield WQQP 95 9 FM DuBois WPSE 1450 AM Erie WFRA 1450 AM Franklin WGET 1320 AM Gettysburg WHVR 1280 AM Hanover WHGB 1400 AM Harrisburg W237DE 95 3 FM Harrisburg WODS 1300 AM Hazleton WRKK 1200 AM Hughesville WDBF FM 106 3 FM Huntingdon WRKY 1490 AM Lancaster WNPV 1440 AM Lansdale WLBR 1270 AM Lebanon WIBF 92 5 FM Lewistown WOGA 92 3 FM Mansfield WMGW 1490 AM Meadville WUZZ 1280 AM New Castle WVNJ 1160 AM New York City NY WNTP 990 AM Philadelphia KQV 1410 AM Pittsburgh WPPA 1360 AM Pottsville WRAW 1340 AM Reading WAAF 910 AM Scranton WLEJ 1450 AM State College WKOK 1070 AM Sunbury WTIV 1230 AM Titusville WTZN 1310 AM Troy WTRN 1340 AM Tyrone W264BZ 100 7 FM Tyrone WICU 1310 AM Warren WNBT FM 104 5 FM Wellsboro WILK 980 AM Wilkes Barre WRAK 1400 AM Williamsport WSBA 910 AM YorkReferences Edit Penn State Artwork PDF November 6 2017 Retrieved April 21 2020 Big Ten College Basketball Attendance and Ticket Sales Data From 2018 19 Stadium 2019 08 22 Retrieved 2020 03 25 A call for end of prefab noise at Bryce Jordan Center pennlive 2018 02 28 Retrieved 2020 03 25 Collegian Justin Morganstein The Daily Penn State men s basketball s sellout against Minnesota has fans appreciating special time in program history The Daily Collegian Retrieved 2020 03 25 Most Penn State Basketball Thing Ever Fans React To March Madness Closure Onward State 2020 03 11 Retrieved 2020 03 25 Penn State s Lamar Stevens weighs in on crushing end to decorated career Pittsburgh Post Gazette Retrieved 2020 03 25 Penn State basketball coach Pat Chambers hopeful for contract extension WJET WFXP YourErie com 2020 03 25 Retrieved 2020 03 25 http www gopsusports com ot nl update affiliates html 2011 2012 PSU Network Affiliates Men s BasketballExternal links EditOfficial website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Penn State Nittany Lions basketball amp oldid 1146159274, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
