Central Conn. St. @ Penn St. preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 22, 2010 ) Central Conn. St. 61, Penn St. 77

No. 24 Penn State looks to continue its upward trajectory when it hosts Central Connecticut State on Friday. The Nittany Lions knocked off No. 8 Maryland 76-69 before taking down Alabama 73-71 on Saturday to climb into the Top 25 for the first time since 1996, and hope to stay on the right path by extending their home winning streak to 12 games overall.

"To be recognized like this after such a long time is exciting," Penn State coach Patrick Chambers told reporters. "I think it's just awesome for our players … and we're starting to see the fruits of our labor which is really cool." Penn State has won 19 of its last 20 non-conference home games dating back to the 2017-18 campaign, including six in a row this season by an average margin of 20 points. The Nittany Lions are 6-0 against Northeast Conference opponents under Chambers and hope to continue their dominance by beating Central Connecticut State for the third consecutive time. The Blue Devils are left to pick up the pieces following a 76-60 setback to Dartmouth, and hope to end an 11-game losing skid by pulling off a huge upset in Happy Valley.

TV: 6:00 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network

ABOUT CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE (0-11): Jamir Reed knocked down three 3-pointers en route to a team-leading 15 points and grabbed five rebounds in the loss to Dartmouth. Trey Tennyson drained three shots from beyond the arc to finish with 12 points, but the rest of the team went 1-of-8 from 3-point range against the Big Green. Jamir Coleman and Greg Outlaw each added eight points while Myles Baker corralled a career-high six rebounds.

ABOUT PENN STATE (9-2): Lamar Stevens scored 13 of his 18 points in the second half to go along with 11 rebounds, six assists and a career-high five blocked shots to move into a seventh-place tie with Donovan Jack (100) on the program's all-time blocks list. Stevens also registered his second straight double-double and the 14th of his career en route to moving into eighth spot on the Nittany Lions' all-time rebounding list with 747. Curtis Jones Jr. added 18 points and six rebounds while Myreon Jones tallied 17 points against Alabama to finish in double figures for the ninth time in 11 games this season.

TIP-INS

1. The Nittany Lions are 59-9 in non-conference home games under Chambers.

2. Stevens has made 115 straight starts, which is the second-longest streak in the country.

3. Penn State C Mike Watkins needs three points to reach 1,000 for his career.

PREDICTION: Penn State 91, Central Connecticut State 58