Iowa @ Penn St. preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 16, 2019 ) Iowa 89, Penn St. 82

Two of the bigger surprises in the Big Ten early in the season return to conference play looking to stay hot when 25th-ranked Iowa visits No. 21 Penn State on Saturday at the Palestra in Philadelphia. The host Nittany Lions started their current four-game winning streak with an upset of then-No. 4 Maryland for their first Big Ten victory and they concluded non-conference action with a 90-59 rout of Cornell on Sunday while holding a team under 60 points for the fifth time.

"I feel like we were really active with our hands," Penn State sophomore Izaiah Brockington told reporters. "Trying to create discomfort and controlled chaos on the defensive end. Once we get the steal, I feel like we're one of the fastest teams in the Big Ten and the country." The Hawkeyes also own four straight wins and enter this one coming off a runaway victory against an overmatched opponent. Junior center Luka Garza scored 23 points and senior forward Ryan Kriener had a career-high 20 in Sunday's 93-51 win over Kennesaw State as Iowa scored at least 80 points for the seventh time. "We knew we had to get out here and take care of business," Garza told reporters. "I thought we did a good job of that, executing (the game plan). We all came back (from winter break) in shape. We really pushed each other every day in practice. For this game, we were focused, taking care of this."

TIME: 2 p.m. ET. TV: Big Ten Network

ABOUT IOWA (10-3, 1-1 Big Ten): Garza entered Friday leading all Big Ten players in scoring (21.6) and was third in rebounding (10.0) after going 9-for-11 from the floor and hauling in eight boards Sunday. Sophomore guard Joe Wieskamp averages 12.8 points after pouring in 18 versus Kennesaw State while freshman guard CJ Fredrick is third on the team in scoring at 11.2 per contest while hitting 23-of-44 from 3-point range. Freshman guard Joe Toussaint posted personal bests of seven assists and five steals in 22 minutes Sunday.

ABOUT PENN STATE (11-2, 1-1): Senior Mike Watkins will provide a stiff challenge for Garza and the Nittany Lions' big man is coming off his fifth double-double of the season with 19 points and 10 rebounds Sunday. "He definitely is enjoying playing the game of basketball," coach Patrick Chambers told reporters of Watkins, who is 13-of-14 from the floor over his last two games and leads all Big Ten players with 3.5 blocks per game. "He's in a good space day-to-day." Senior forward Lamar Stevens leads the team in scoring (16.4) and ranks second to Watkins on the glass (7.2).

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Nittany Lions G Jamari Wheeler is expected to play after leaving Sunday's contest when he took an elbow to the face.

2. Kriener made all nine of his shots Sunday while also notching a season-high two blocked shots.

3. Garza had 22 points and 12 rebounds to help Iowa claim last season's only meeting 89-82 at Penn State.

PREDICTION: Penn State 80, Iowa 77