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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Nittany Lion basketball team (10-15, 2-10) returns to the Bryce Jordan Center on Saturday against Nebraska (11-12, 3-9) for the annual Coaches vs. Cancer game.  Penn State will Band Together to fight cancer, with $3 from every ticket sold going to Coaches vs. Cancer.

Penn State has played four of its last five games on the road.  The Nittany Lions enter their second clash with the Cornhuskers looking to snap a five-game losing skid.  Penn State battled back from a 22-point deficit to close within five in the second half at No. 11 Michigan State on Wednesday night before the Spartans pulled away late.

Coach Chambers' message at the postgame press conference was simply put.  Penn State showed spurts of the effort necessary to win, but it needs 40 minutes of consistency.  Playing hard, defending and rebounding are the staples for the Nittany Lions, but Penn State needs to find its shooting touch inside the Jordan Center on Saturday afternoon.

Former walk-on Nick Colella is coming off a strong outing at Michigan State on Wednesday.  Colella, who started his first career game against the Spartans, played a career-high 37 minutes and knocked down a trio of 3-pointers for a nine-point outing.

In the first meeting against the Huskers, Tim Frazier poured in 30 points on 10-for-15 shooting to the lead the Lions.  However, Penn State managed just 33 percent shooting for the game and 3-for-24 from 3-point range.  The Lions trailed 34-22 at the half, but played even in the second half.

Nebraska guards Bo Spencer (19 points) and Toney McCray (13 points) led four Huskers in double digits.  The Huskers shot 55 percent from the field during the game.  Nebraska enters Saturday's game on a three-game losing streak after a 62-46 home setback to Michigan on Wednesday night.

The story will likely be different inside the Bryce Jordan Center, but Penn State still needs to find a way to knock down open looks and play consistently on the defensive end of the floor.  With Saturday being the first of two-straight home games, the Nittany Lions have an opportunity to build some momentum as they head into the final stretch of the season.

Including Saturday, Penn State has six games to play before the Big Ten Tournament.  That span includes four home games - Nebraska, Iowa, Northwestern and Michigan - and two road games against Wisconsin and Purdue.  The Nittany Lions are 8-5 inside the Bryce Jordan Center this season.

Penn State will wear all gray alternate uniforms for the second time on Saturday against Nebraska.  The Lions knocked off Illinois in the first appearance for the gray uniforms.  Penn State has hosted Nebraska just once in its history.  The Lions defeated the Huskers on Dec. 21, 1981 by a score of 60-58.  Tipoff is slated for 1 p.m. in the BJC with television coverage on ESPNU.


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By Kelsey Detweiler, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Nittany Lions welcome their first conference competition of the season to Rec Hall for another weekend full of bumping, setting, spiking and digging.

Fifth-ranked Penn State hosts Rutgers-Newark to open the weekend Friday night at 7p.m., and then it meets NJIT the following evening at the same time.

All three of the teams featured in Rec Hall this weekend are members of the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association, better known as the EIVA. Last season, the Lions went 10-0 in conference competition to take home their 27th regular season title in the last 35 years.

But this season, the EIVA looks a bit different.

Before this year, the conference was made up of two divisions, the Hay and Tait divisions. The two divisions split up the 11 total teams that made up the conference. This season three of those 11 teams (Juniata, NYU and Springfield) moved down to Division III competition, and left the EIVA with just eight Division I squads and one conference division.

This means that the EIVA will see more regular competition between strictly Division I teams, and it also means that Penn State will be playing each of its conference opponents twice throughout the season for a total of 14 EIVA matches.

The Nittany Lions have been successful in their conference in recent years and stretching even further back as they have won 13 straight EIVA Championships and 23 overall. The last time that the team dropped a conference match was more than a year ago on March 27, 2010, against none other than Rutgers-Newark.

Winning a conference championship is especially important for Penn State because, at the end of the season, it gives the team a spot in the NCAA Championships and can allow the squad to host a part or all of that final tournament on its home court.

With a young lineup and a 6-1 start this season, head coach Mark Pavlik says that he is ready for another go-around.

"We get to kick off our EIVA schedule and that's the most important thing we have," said Pavlik. "We have to win the EIVA to get to the national championships and this is the way that we want to start off. Our goal is to make sure we host the EIVA Semifinals and Finals here at Rec Hall in April and we've got to take our first steps this weekend."

Looking ahead at the weekend, Pavlik particularly noted the veteran offensive power that the Scarlet Raiders will be bringing to the court on Friday night as the Rutgers-Newark roster is made up of a four seniors, one junior and three freshmen. The conference opponent is 4-1 overall this season and 1-0 in EIVA competition.

"They're always dangerous," said Pavlik. "In the men's game, you get people who can serve the ball well and hit the ball well and all of the sudden they can shorten games for their team."

On Saturday, Penn State will face a 4-3 team as the Highlanders from NJIT come to Happy Valley for the first time since 2009. Pavlik says that he knows the New Jersey team has struggled in recent years, but expects nothing short of a battle from a team led by head coach Ryan McNeil.

"Ryan McNeil has had some good experience coaching at Lewis," said Pavlik. "There's no doubt in my mind that his team's going to walk in here and try to be physical with us. We're just going to have to maintain a pretty consistently high level of play and force teams to play well for a long period of time to beat us."

This weekend marks the second in a row that the Lions will be playing competing on their home court. Pavlik said that he can see the difference when his Lions can go to their classes, sleep in their own beds, be with friends and family and prepare in their own locker room.

"It's just a feeling of comfort," said Pavlik. "Everything is just familiar and I think that goes a long way to just getting guys relaxed and in the proper mindset to compete."

0:00 - Penn State 69, Wisconsin 54
Penn State never trailed in another dominant performance inside the Bryce Jordan Center.  The Badgers got as close as eight in the second half, but an 11-0 scoring run covering 5:11 on the clock put the game away for the Lady Lions.  Penn State turned in another superb performance on the defensive end of the floor, limiting Wisconsin to just 37 percent shooting.  Offensively, Lucas finished with 16, while Bentley and Edwards finished with 14 points.  Nickson added 11 points and six rebounds.  Penn State's largest lead was 19 early in the second half.

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By Scott Traweek, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - It's rare for a college baseball player to be drafted by a Major League team after his junior season.  When drafted, the player must then decide whether to accept the invitation or go back to school for their senior year.  Penn State third baseman Jordan Steranka's decision to remain a Nittany Lion after being drafted his junior year wasn't easy.

"It was pretty difficult," said Steranka.  "It's always been my dream to play professional baseball and when I got drafted it was kind of a dream come true."

Steranka was selected by the Houston Astros in the 30th round of the 2011 MLB Draft after an impressive junior season where he led the team with 57 RBIs bolstered by a .323 batting average and eight home runs.  Following the draft, Steranka discussed his options with his parents and decided that his education came first.

"My parents always instill that in me," said Steranka.  "Getting your education first and that's what I decided to do."

Despite declining a bid to train with the Astros, Steranka drew confidence from the fact that he was offered the opportunity to play at the highest level.

"Knowing that I got picked and have that ability to play at the next level is huge," said Steranka.  "It's a big confidence booster for me."

His decision to remain at school has further motivated Steranka to work even harder and increase his stock for the next MLB draft.  He proceeded to spend the summer in Happy Valley taking classes and training to improve his game in preparation for the upcoming season.

"I worked really hard on my flexibility, getting faster, in the offseason," said Steranka.  "I spent actually my whole summer at Penn State taking classes, working out every day, making a few small adjustments to my swing."

Steranka was the anchor of a formidable Nittany Lion offense in 2011 and his fellow players are excited to have him back.  His experience will be instrumental in preparing newcomers for the collegiate stage and his offensive prowess will set opposing pitchers on edge.

"It's really good having him back and having that bat in the middle of the order," said senior outfielder Sean Deegan, Steranka's close friend and roommate.  "Just having his leadership back there and also having his defense is huge."

"It's huge having him come back," added senior first baseman Joey DeBernardis.  "Him being a four-year starter now, this year, he's got the most experience on the team."

Steranka's experience brings with it an air of respect and leadership. Though in the past he has taken more of a quiet, lead-by-example role, Steranka is looking to be more vocal this spring.  His leadership is key, as younger players will listen to the advice he has to offer and learn from the way he approaches different situations.

"I'm impassive in leading by example, but this year I'm taking more of a vocal role," said Steranka.  "We have a lot of young guys too that are looking up to me."

Deegan referred to Steranka as a role model for the younger teammates who are just getting used to the college atmosphere.

"He's always going to be there on time," said Deegan.  "He's always going to be doing the right thing, never going to be getting in trouble and sets a good example for the younger guys on how you should carry yourself as a collegiate athlete."

DeBernardis described Steranka as a humble, easygoing teammate, who enjoys blasting his music in the locker room.

"He likes his music," recalled DeBernardis.  "That's what everyone probably knows him best for is his music he likes to play."

"He's very humble about himself and what he does and what he accomplishes and just a good guy to be around," DeBernardis added.

The Nittany Lions return a host of veterans in 2012 and with the Big Ten vs. Big East challenge fast approaching, Steranka is eager for the season to start.  He sees the potential for his team to have a great season.

"This is by far the best team I've been on since I've been here," said Steranka.  "We have a great pitching staff, really good defense and offensively we're great, so we're going to take it one game at a time, but we definitely have big expectations."

Head coach Robbie Wine respects Steranka's decision to remain with the team for his senior year.  He praised Steranka's character and team-oriented attitude.

"Doing something special as a team means more to him than actually getting a half a season of pro ball under his belt," said coach Wine.  "It tells me a little something about his character.  He's a team guy and he cares."

By Jeff Sattora, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State Lady Lions head coach Coquese Washington knows a little bit about point guards.  The former point guard herself who not only was a top college player, but a professional one as well, and knows what it takes to be successful at that position.

She's been able to see a lot of those characteristics in a player she's coaching, the Lady Lions own Alex Bentley.

The junior guard Bentley has been a strong presence for the team all season long, and is starting to gain national attention with her play as she was recently named to the John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 20 list.

Being named on that list was an honor for the junior, but in true point guard fashion she quickly spread the credit to her teammates as well.

"It means our team is having great success and we're playing great basketball," Bentley said of the honor.  "I wouldn't be able to be on there if it wasn't for my teammates and the hard work we all put in."

As much as Bentley wants to spread the credit around, for Coach Washington, Alex is the one that makes the team go.

"Alex is the heartbeat of this team," said the coach on her point guard.

That heartbeat is currently averaging 14.5 points per game, to go along with a team-leading 5.2 assists per contest for the Lady Lions.

"We go as she goes," Washington said.  Also bringing up that the junior's leadership, confidence and ability to manage the game have all improved from her freshman and sophomore campaigns.

"We were looking at her stats from this year to last year and they're about the same," Washington said.  "What's different with her is her leadership and ability to manage the game is much better, I think she's a lot more confident."

As the point guard's leadership has improved so have other parts of her game.   Washington also mentioned how Bentley has been able to become much more of a true point guard as she has gotten older, as opposed to more of a scorer as a freshman.

Bentley's skills and leadership changes have not only been noticed by her coach, but teammates as well.

"I wouldn't rather have any other point guard in the country," said senior guard Zhaque Gray.  "She scores the ball, passes the ball great, gets out there on defense, she does it all."

As much as Bentley has done this season for the Lady Lions she is still looking to do more. 

"I think I've been playing okay, definitely not my best," Bentley said on her play this season.  Adding she hopes to improve her defensive stops and ability to take care of the ball on the offensive end.

Bentley will get another chance to keep improving Thursday night as she and the Lady Lions take on the Wisconsin Badgers at home at the Bryce Jordan Center.

Penn State was able to roll over the Badgers last time the two teams met with an 82-49 win early in conference play, and are hoping to do the same again.

Despite the lopsided first win Washington and the players are not expecting the same Wisconsin team.

"They're not the same team, that's for sure," Washington said.  "They're playing a lot better basketball now than they were early in the season."  Also adding they are getting more contributions from different players.

"They've gotten a lot better since last time we played them," guard Maggie Lucas added.  "They shoot a lot of threes, we have a lot to prepare for.  They're a talented team."

With Bentley leading the way once again and continuing to improve her play Wisconsin will need quite a bit of improvement to take down this Lady Lions squad. 

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Less than 48 hours from directing the New England Patriots offense in Super Bowl XLVI, head coach Bill O'Brien returned to Happy Valley on Tuesday for his first full-time day as head coach of the Nittany Lion football team.

Coach O'Brien flew into Happy Valley at mid-day before attending a human resources orientation at Beaver Stadium throughout the afternoon.

"I flew in around noon time and went over to a human resources orientation meeting," Coach O'Brien said.  "I met a wide range of people, from Herb Combs, the field guy, to Dr. Sebastianelli, our team doctor, and everybody in between.  It was a great day, and I met a bunch of special people that are going to help us towards our goals at Penn State."

As Coach O'Brien gets settled into program, the first item on the agenda is analyzing the returning Nittany Lions on the roster.

"We need to get together as a staff and start talking about our current roster," Coach O'Brien said.  "We will evaluate the roster and start plugging guys in where we see them fitting in for our football team.  We will get on top of our academics with our players...And then we will start hammering out our playbooks."

Standing outside his newly-renovated second floor office inside the Lasch Football Building, Coach O'Brien talked about the experience of coaching in the Super Bowl for the second time during his career.

"Any time you have the chance to go to the Super Bowl, it is a special team and a special experience," Coach O'Brien said.  "The Giants made a few more plays than we did on that night...We had a very special season, and it was a team I was proud to be associated with.  Hopefully, I keep in touch with those guys for the rest of my life."

Coach O'Brien said that getting to know the players on the roster better is something he is really looking forward to leading up to spring practice.

"One of the things I have been very impressed with here is our players," Coach O'Brien said.

Take a look at a video interview with Coach O'Brien on his first full-time day at Penn State.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - GoPSUsports.com talks with undefeated and top-ranked sophomore David Taylor in the latest installment of This Week In Penn State Wrestling.