Bucknell @ Penn St. preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 28, 2015 ) Bucknell 58, Penn St. 62

Penn State so often leans on Lamar Stevens on the offensive end, but it is showing early on that it can survive when the senior leader is off his game. The Nittany Lions seek another balanced effort when they host in-state rival Bucknell on Tuesday.

Stevens was 4-for-13 from the floor in an impressive 81-66 win at Georgetown on Thursday, with sophomore guard Myreon Jones scoring a career-high 21 points and the team hitting 13-of-29 from 3-point range to run away from the Hoyas. "The fact that he didn't have his best night and we were still up a good amount going into halftime that shows a lot about the talent that we have on this team," Penn State coach Pat Chambers told reporters of Stevens, who still finished with 14 points, nine rebounds and four steals. Picked by Patriot League coaches to finish second in the conference, the Bison are coming off a last-second 83-81 loss to Canisius on Saturday. The 104th meeting between Bucknell and Penn State is part of the NIT Season Tip-Off event.

TV: 6:30 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network

ABOUT BUCKNELL (2-2): Senior guard Avi Toomer scored a career-high 20 points against Canisius after missing the season's first three games with an injury. Sophomore guard Andrew Funk chipped in a season-high 15 points and he is 7-for-15 from 3-point range over the last two games. Junior forward John Meeks ranks second to Toomer in scoring (15.5) and second in rebounding (5.8) to junior center Paul Newman (8.5).

ABOUT PENN STATE (3-0): Chambers was quick to point out the play of senior big man Mike Watkins (four blocks) and junior guard Jamari Wheeler (four steals) in the team's solid defensive effort at Georgetown. "We've been preaching and we know how hard it is to win on the road, and if the shots aren't falling, you better get stops," Chambers told the media. "You better get loose balls, those attitude type plays, and you better get rebounds, and I thought, again, I thought we did a nice job." Watkins is making 62.5 percent of his shots while leading the team in rebounding (9.0) and blocked shots (4.0).

TIP-INS

1. Wheeler entered Monday tied for eighth nationally with 3.7 steals per game.

2. Bison sophomore G Walter Ellis has made 10 of his 16 attempts from 3-point range.

3. Penn State won 14 of the last 15 matchups.

PREDICTION: Penn State 79, Bucknell 64