Rutgers @ Penn St. preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 27, 2018 ) Rutgers 43, Penn St. 60

Penn State is seemingly getting closer to its first Big Ten win and will try to finally break through when it hosts Rutgers on Saturday. Five of the Nittany Lions' eight conference losses have come by seven points or fewer, including last Saturday's 65-64 setback at Minnesota in a game that saw them lead by as many as 11 points.

"I thought we deserved to win this game," Penn State coach Patrick Chambers told reporters. "We played well enough to win this game on the road. I think free throws, again, were our Achilles heel, really hurt us. So we've got to keep working on free throws. They made theirs." The Nittany Lions hit 12-of-20 foul shots in the game and they are shooting just 59.6 percent from the line in Big Ten play, last in the conference. The Scarlet Knights ended a three-game slide with Monday's 76-69 win over Nebraska at home. Freshman guard Montez Mathis posted career highs of 20 points and nine rebounds while turning the ball over just once as Rutgers had its best offensive output since Nov. 11.

TV: 4:30 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network

ABOUT RUTGERS (9-9, 2-6 Big Ten): Junior forward Eugene Omoruyi leads the Scarlet Knights in scoring (14.1) and rebounding (7.4) after managing eight and six, respectively, in his return from a dislocated knee cap suffered in the Jan. 9 win over Ohio State. Freshman center Myles Johnson has come on of late and dominated Nebraska with 13 points, a career-high 11 rebounds, a career-high four assists and two blocked shots off the bench. "I've been waiting on this," sophomore guard Geo Baker, who scored 16 points in Monday's win, told reporters of Johnson. "He's a beast. He really understands the game, and he's starting to show more as he gets more comfortable."

ABOUT PENN STATE (7-12, 0-8): Junior forward Lamar Stevens entered Friday ranked fourth in the Big Ten in scoring (18.5) after producing 27 while making all three of his 3-point tries at Minnesota, but he continues to get little support from the rest of the team. Freshman guard Rasir Bolton is second on the team with 11.4 points per game but has been held scoreless in two of the past three games as his role is diminished. Junior forward Mike Watkins, who had a career-high 19 rebounds in Penn State's win over Rutgers last season, fell a rebound shy of his fifth double-double in 2018-19 in the loss to the Golden Gophers.

TIP-INS

1. Rutgers is 1-38 in Big Ten road games since joining the league, with the one victory coming two seasons ago at Penn State.

2. Watkins has 24 career double-doubles, tied for third in the program's history.

3. Penn State has won four of the last five meetings.

PREDICTION: Penn State 71, Rutgers 69