Bucknell University Athletics
Bison Visit Penn State Wednesday Night
11/12/2013 4:04:00 PM | Men's Basketball
What: Bucknell Bison (0-1) at Penn State (1-0)
Where: Bryce Jordan Center, University Park, Pa.
When: Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2013, 7 p.m.
Internet Video: Big Ten Digital Network (subscription required)
Radio: Eagle 107 (107.3 WEGH)
Internet Radio: BucknellBison.com
Live Statistics: goPSUsports.com
With a Win over Penn State, Bucknell Would ...
•... improve to 1-1 on the season.
•... give head coach Dave Paulsen his 100th Bucknell victory.
• ... defeat the Nittany Lions for the first time since Jan. 14, 1976 (69-64 at Bucknell).
• ... defeat the Nittany Lions in State College for the first time since Feb. 21, 1968 (74-73 OT).
• ... defeat a Big 10 team for the first time since last year's season opener (at Purdue).
Headlines
• Bucknell opened its 119th season of basketball last Friday night at Stanford, and the Cardinal prevailed 72-68 in a game that was not decided until the final minute.
• This is a “new-look” Bison squad, as three standout players from last year's NCAA Tournament team have graduated (Mike Muscala, Bryson Johnson, Joe Willman). Three Bucknell players made their first career starts on Friday (Brian Fitzpatrick, Dom Hoffman, Ben Brackney).
• The Bison were picked to finish fourth in the Patriot League in a preseason poll of the league's head coaches and sports information directors. Senior guard Cameron Ayers was a Preseason All-Patriot League selection.
• Bucknell returns two starters and 11 lettermen from last year's squad that won a school-record 28 games, captured Patriot League regular-season and tournament titles, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time in program history.
• Penn State opened the season with a 74-62 home victory over Wagner on Saturday. Standout guard Tim Frazier, who missed most of last season with an injury, logged 25 points and 10 rebounds, while backcourt mate D.J. Newbill collected 18 points and 11 rebounds.
How to Get the Game
• The Bucknell-Penn State game will not be televised live. Online webcast is available through the Big Ten Digital Network. The broadcast will air on a tape-delayed basis on the Big Ten Network on Friday at 9:30 a.m.
• The game can be heard in the Susquehanna Valley on the radio on Eagle 107 (WEGH 107.3 FM), with Doug Birdsong calling the action. The pregame show begins 30 minutes before tip-off.
• The audio feed is available online free of charge via BucknellBison.com.
• Live stats can be accessed at gopsusports.com.
Preseason Prognostications
• The Bison were picked fourth in the Patriot League Preseason Poll of head coaches and sports information directors. Bucknell received 113 points in the poll. Voters are not permitted to consider their own teams or players.
• In addition, senior guard Cameron Ayers was named to the Preseason All-Patriot League Team for the second year in a row.
• Boston University and Loyola Maryland are both in their first year as members of the Patriot League.
Patriot League Preseason Poll
1. Boston University 162 (18 first-place votes)
2. Lafayette 130 (2)
3. Army 115
4. Bucknell 113
5. Loyola 109
6. Lehigh 93
7. Holy Cross 70
8. Colgate 49
9. American 36
10. Navy 23
Series Notes
• This is the 101st meeting between Bucknell and Penn State in a series that dates all the way back to 1897.
• Bucknell has played only four other opponents as many as 100 times: Lehigh (160), Lafayette (154), Gettysburg (126) and Colgate (100).
• Penn State brings an 12-game series winning streak into Wednesday's clash, including a 60-57 decision last season at the Bryce Jordan Center.
• Bucknell's last series win came on Jan. 14, 1976 in Davis Gym. That was a 69-64 victory, paced by 10 points apiece from Scott Hebditch, Tom Muller and Roger Clark.
• The Bison have never won at the Bryce Jordan Center (0-10), and their last victory in State College was a 74-73 overtime decision on Feb. 21, 1968 at Rec Hall. Jim Wherry led Bucknell with 33 points and Craig Greenwood had 15 points and 19 rebounds in that game.
• Last season at the BJC, Jermaine Marshall scored 17 points to lead the Nittany Lions past the Bison 60-57. The loss dropped Bucknell to 5-1 on the season and was one of only six losses all year. The Bison led 22-16 after a sloppy first half, but Penn State exploded for 44 points in the second stanza. Bryson Johnson led Bucknell with 18 points and Cameron Ayers had 14.
• Penn State is scheduled to visit Sojka Pavilion for the first time next season.
Bucknell vs. The Big Ten
• The Bison are 25-83 (.231) against current members of the Big Ten (24-76 vs. Penn State, 1-0 vs. Purdue, 0-1 vs. Michigan State, 0-1 vs. Ohio State, 0-1 vs. Iowa, 0-1 vs. Northwestern, 0-1 vs. Wisconsin, 0-1 vs. Minnesota), however all 24 of the wins vs. Penn State came prior to 1976, before the Nittany Lions joined the Big Ten.
• The Bison are 1-18 against active Big Ten members (0-12 vs. Penn State, 1-0 vs. Purdue, 0-1 vs. Michigan State, 0-1 vs. Ohio State, 0-1 vs. Iowa, 0-1 vs. Northwestern, 0-1 vs. Wisconsin, 0-1 vs. Minnesota), with the lone victory coming last season at Purdue (70-65).
• Bucknell has faced one Big Ten team in the NCAA Tournament, a 71-62 loss to Wisconsin in the second round in 2005.
Last Time Out
• Bucknell opened the season with a hard-fought 72-68 loss at Stanford on Friday. There were 11 lead changes in the contest, and it was just a two-point game after Steven Kaspar hit a driving layup with 54 seconds left. Dwight Powell scored for Stanford with 38 ticks remaining to make it 72-68, and the Bison had two 3-point attempts rim out in the final 30 seconds.
• Ben Brackney, Brian Fitzpatrick and Dom Hoffman all played well in their first collegiate starts. Brackney led the team with 13 points and 8 rebounds in 36 minutes. Each of those figures was a career high. Fitzpatrick matched his personal best with 10 points, and Hoffman added eight.
• Kaspar was terrific at the point guard position. He scored 12 points, grabbed seven rebounds and put on a passing clinic with nine assists (all career highs). Kaspar either scored or set up 13 of Bucknell's final 15 points of the night.
• Cameron Ayers had an off shooting night (5-16 FG, 1-8 3FG), but still finished with 11 pts., 5 reb., 3 asst.
• Bucknell held its own on the glass against the much-taller Cardinal. Stanford finished with a 38-32 rebounding edge and had nine offensive boards, but four of those came in one flurry in the opening minutes of the game. The Bison finished with a 12-4 advantage in second-chance points.
• Bucknell committed only seven turnovers while collecting 14 assists. The Bison went 8-for-9 from the foul line, while Stanford was 15-for-21.
Big Shoes to Fill
• Bucknell must overcome the loss of one of the most successful senior classes in program history. The Class of 2013 won a school-record 92 games against only 42 losses, and it was a part of three Patriot League regular season championships, two Patriot League Tournament titles, two NCAA Tournament appearances and one NIT appearance.
A Look Back at 2012-13
• Bucknell last season became the first team in Patriot League history to win three straight outright regular-season championships. The Bison started out the year 5-0 and were 13-3 entering league play, with the only losses coming on the road at Penn State (60-57), Princeton (79-67) and No. 12 Missouri (66-64). Bucknell went 12-2 in the league, earned the No. 1 seed for the Patriot League Tournament, and then swept Navy, Army and Lafayette to capture the league title.
• Bucknell earned a No. 11 seed at the NCAA Tournament — the second-highest seed in program history — and was sent to Lexington, Ky., to face No. 6 Butler. The Bison used a 19-2 second-half run to flip an 11-point deficit into a six-point lead, but Butler went back on top with an 8-0 run of its own and pulled out a 68-56 victory. Joe Willman had a career day for the Bison, scoring 20 points on 10-for-16 shooting.
• Among Bucknell's regular-season wins were Purdue, George Mason, La Salle and New Mexico State. La Salle would go on to advance to Sweet Sixteen and end the year ranked No. 24 nationally. New Mexico State won the WAC title. The Purdue win was Bucknell's first over a team from the Big Ten.
Dave Paulsen Climbing Career Victory Chart, on Verge of Milestone
• Sixth-year head coach Dave Paulsen has already moved up to fourth on Bucknell's career list for coaching wins and second in winning percentage.
• Paulsen's next win will be his 100th at Bucknell.
Most Coaching Wins, Bucknell History
1. Charlie Woollum 1975-94 318
2. Pat Flannery 1994-08 234
3. Malcolm Musser 4 stints 110
4. Dave Paulsen 2008-pres. 99
5. Ben Kribbs 1952-62 97
Best Coaching Winning Percentage, Bucknell History*
1. George Hoskins 1908-11 .667
2. Dave Paulsen 2008-pres. .600
3. Charlie Woollum 1975-94 .590
4. George Cockill 1914-17 .576
5. Pat Flannery 1994-08 .568
* Minimum 3 seasons
Who's Got Next?
• Bucknell's home opener is slated for this Saturday, Nov. 16 against Saint Francis (Pa.) at 7 p.m. at Sojka Pavilion.
• The Red Flash opened with an 87-67 loss at Fordham, and they played Navy on Monday in Johnstown, Pa. before visiting Dayton on Wednesday.
• Bucknell defeated Saint Francis 76-49 in Loretto, Pa., last season.
