Penn St. @ Nebraska preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 19, 2019 ) Nebraska 71, Penn St. 95

No. 23 Penn State answered a three-game losing streak with three consecutive victories and have a great chance to stretch the run to four when it visits Nebraska on Saturday. The Nittany Lions moved ahead of Indiana in the middle of the Big Ten standings by knocking off the Hoosiers 64-49 on Wednesday, surviving some sluggishness on the offensive end by locking down on the other side of the floor.

"The fact that they didn't allow missing shots affect their effort on the defensive end, is something I'm going to focus on," Penn State coach Pat Chambers told reporters after his team tied a season high with 15 steals and held Indiana to 33.3 percent shooting. "I still think we can get a lot better. We haven't clicked on all cylinders yet offensively and defensively." Senior Lamar Stevens, who had 29 points in the most recent meeting with the Cornhuskers last season at home, scored 17 against Indiana and was one of three Penn State starters with four steals. Nebraska is suffering through a six-game slide after a 79-68 loss to Michigan at home Tuesday night. Sophomore Cam Mack continues to be a bright spot amid the difficult season as he put up a team-high 19 points in the setback.

TIME: 7 p.m. ET. TV: Big Ten Network

ABOUT PENN STATE (15-5, 5-4 Big Ten): Stevens averages a team-high 16.7 points per game and sophomore guard Myreon Jones is second at 13.9, despite a five-point effort versus Indiana. Senior center Mike Watkins was held to eight points on 1-of-7 shooting Wednesday and is averaging 7.9 points and 5.3 rebounds in Big Ten play after posting marks of 11.3 and 9.8 in non-conference action. Junior guard Jamari Wheeler joined Stevens and Jones with four steals against the Hoosiers and he leads the Big Ten with 1.8 per contest.

ABOUT NEBRASKA (7-14, 2-8): Mack is leading the team in scoring (13.6) and assists (6.8), and those numbers jump to 14.5 and 7.9, respectively, in Big Ten play. Guard Haanif Cheatham sits second on the team scoring list at 12.3 and, as one of two seniors on the roster, is trying to help his team keep its head up down the stretch. "We're at a point where we have to go all out," Cheatham told reporters Tuesday. "We came in knowing this season was going to have ups and downs. Right now we're in a tough stretch. We have to pull together for these next 10 games and not pull apart."

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Stevens moved into third place on the program's scoring list in his last game and enters this one needing six points to reach 2,000.

2. Cornhuskers freshman F Kevin Cross averages 7.8 points, but has produced exactly 17 in two of his last three games.

3. Nebraska is 7-0 at home against Penn State since joining the Big Ten.

PREDICTION: Penn State 74, Nebraska 67