2019–20 Penn State Nittany Lions basketball team

The 2019–20 Penn State Nittany Lions basketball team represented Pennsylvania State University in the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were led by head coach Pat Chambers, in his ninth season with the team, and played their home games at the Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, Pennsylvania as members of the Big Ten Conference. They finished the season 21–10, 11–9 in Big Ten play to finish in a four-way tie for fifth place. Their season ended following the cancellation of postseason tournaments due to the coronavirus pandemic.

2019–20 Penn State Nittany Lions basketball
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Record	21–10 (11–9 Big Ten)
Head coach	Pat Chambers (9th season)
Associate head coach	Keith Urgo
Assistant coaches	Jim Ferry Kevin Freeman
Home arena	Bryce Jordan Center

2019–20 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings

	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 17 Wisconsin	14	–	6		.700			21	–	10		.677
No. 9 Michigan State	14	–	6		.700			22	–	9		.710
No. 12 Maryland	14	–	6		.700			24	–	7		.774
No. 21 Illinois	13	–	7		.650			21	–	10		.677
No. 25 Iowa	11	–	9		.550			20	–	11		.645
Penn State	11	–	9		.550			21	–	10		.677
No. 19 Ohio State	11	–	9		.550			21	–	10		.677
Rutgers	11	–	9		.550			20	–	11		.645
Michigan	10	–	10		.500			19	–	12		.613
Purdue	9	–	11		.450			16	–	15		.516
Indiana	9	–	11		.450			20	–	12		.625
Minnesota	8	–	12		.400			15	–	16		.484
Northwestern	3	–	17		.150			8	–	23		.258
Nebraska	2	–	18		.100			7	–	25		.219
Note: The 2020 Big Ten tournament was canceled prior to the second round due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

The Nittany Lions finished the 2018–19 season 14–18, 7–13 in Big Ten play to finish in a three-way tie for 10th place. They lost to Minnesota in the second round of the Big Ten tournament.

Offseason

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Reason for departure
Deividas Zemgulis	1	F	6'6"	220	Senior	Kaunas, Lithuania	Graduated
Satchel Pierce	3	F/C	7'0"	255	RS Senior	Barberton, OH	Graduated
Daniil Kasatkin	4	G	6'7"	205	Freshman	Vichuga, Russia	Pursue to play professional basketball
Rasir Bolton	13	G	6'2"	175	Freshman	Petersburg, VA	Transferred to Iowa State
Josh Reaves	23	G	6'4"	210	Senior	Fairfax, VA	Graduated

Incoming transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous School
Curtis Jones	4	G	6'4"	185	Senior	Richmond, VA	Oklahoma State

Recruiting classes

2019 recruiting class

College recruiting information

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Seth Lundy SF	Philadelphia, PA	Roman Catholic High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Oct 5, 2018
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Abdou Tsimbila C	Hagerstown, MD	St Maria Goretti High School	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	Jul 10, 2018
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Patrick Kelly PF	Lynchburg, VA	Virginia Episcopal School	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Feb 2, 2018
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

2020 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2020)
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Dallion Johnson SG	Haverhill, MA	Phillips Academy	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Jul 15, 2019
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Roster

2019–20 Penn State Nittany Lions men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown G 0 Myreon Jones 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) So Lincoln Academy Birmingham, AL F 1 Seth Lundy 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 219 lb (99 kg) Fr Roman Catholic Paulsboro, NJ G 2 Myles Dread 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 215 lb (98 kg) So Gonzaga Burtonsville, MD G 4 Curtis Jones Jr. 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Sr Huntington Prep Oklahoma State Richmond, VA G 5 Jamari Wheeler 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Jr Rock School Gainesville, FL G 10 Kyle McCloskey (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 212 lb (96 kg) RS So Germantown Academy Lower Gwynedd, PA F 11 Lamar Stevens 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Sr Roman Catholic Philadelphia, PA G 12 Izaiah Brockington 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) RS So Archbishop Ryan St. Bonaventure Philadelphia, PA F 14 Patrick Kelly 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Fr IMG Academy Raleigh, NC G 20 Taylor Nussbaum (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Jr Cheshire Academy South Salem, NY F 21 John Harrar 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Jr Strath Haven Atlanta, GA F 22 Grant Hazle (W) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 194 lb (88 kg) Sr Westbury Christian Kingwood, TX F 24 Mike Watkins 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 257 lb (117 kg) RS Sr Phelps School Philadelphia, PA F 35 Trent Buttrick 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 234 lb (106 kg) Jr Community School of Naples (Fla.) Bloomsburg, PA	Head coach Pat Chambers (Philadelphia) Assistant coach(es) Keith Urgo (Fairfield) Jim Ferry (Keene State) Kevin Freeman (Connecticut) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster

Coaching staff

Position	Name	Year	Alma mater
Head coach	Patrick Chambers	2011	Philadelphia University (1994)
Associate head coach	Keith Urgo	2011	Fairfield University (2002)
Assistant coach	Kevin Freeman	2018	University of Connecticut (2000)
Assistant coach	Jim Ferry	2017	Keene State (1990)
Director of Basketball Operations	Ross Condon	2011	Villanova University (2007)
On campus recruiting coordinator	Nicholas Colella	2015	Penn State (2013)
Athletic trainer	Jon Salazer	2001	Penn State (1993)
Director of player development	David Caporaletti	2011	Philadelphia University (1993)
Strength and conditioning coach	Greg Miskinis	2009	Penn State (2008)
Graduate Manager	K.J. Baptiste	2019	Brandeis University (2018)
Graduate Manager	Kevin Hudash	2018	Penn State (2017)

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Regular season
November 5, 2019* 7:00 p.m., BTN Plus		Maryland Eastern Shore	W 84–46	1–0	17 – Stevens	11 – Watkins	6 – M. Jones	Bryce Jordan Center (5,869) University Park, PA
November 9, 2019* 4:00 p.m., BTN Plus		Wagner	W 91–64	2–0	14 – M. Jones	8 – Watkins	5 – Dread	Bryce Jordan Center (6,372) University Park, PA
November 14, 2019* 6:30 p.m., FS1		at Georgetown Gavitt Tipoff Games	W 81–66	3–0	21 – M. Jones	9 – Stevens	5 – Wheeler	Capital One Arena (8,691) Washington, D.C.
November 19, 2019* 6:30 p.m., BTN		Bucknell NIT Season Tip-Off	W 98–70	4–0	27 – Stevens	8 – Stevens	4 – Tied	Bryce Jordan Center (6,797) University Park, PA
November 23, 2019* 4:00 pm, BTN Plus		Yale NIT Season Tip-Off	W 58–56	5–0	15 – Brockington	13 – Stevens	4 – Jones	Bryce Jordan Center (6,091) University Park, PA
November 27, 2019* 5:00 pm, ESPN2		vs. Ole Miss NIT Season Tip-Off semifinal	L 72–74	5–1	22 – Stevens	12 – Watkins	5 – M. Jones	Barclays Center (4,114) Brooklyn, NY
November 29, 2019* 7:00 pm, ESPN2		vs. Syracuse NIT Season Tip-Off 3rd place game	W 85–64	6–1	20 – Stevens	15 – Watkins	4 – Stevens	Barclays Center (4,159) Brooklyn, NY
December 4, 2019* 9:15 p.m., ESPNU		Wake Forest ACC–Big Ten Challenge	W 76–54	7–1	22 – M. Jones	16 – Watkins	3 – Tied	Bryce Jordan Center (6,476) University Park, PA
December 7, 2019 12:00 p.m., BTN		at No. 6 Ohio State	L 74–106	7–2 (0–1)	19 – Brockington	3 – Tied	2 – Tied	Value City Arena (12,901) Columbus, OH
December 10, 2019 7:00 p.m., ESPN2		No. 4 Maryland	W 76–69	8–2 (1–1)	15 – Tied	11 – Watkins	6 – Jones	Bryce Jordan Center (8,643) University Park, PA
December 14, 2019* 2:00 p.m., BTN		Alabama	W 73–71	9–2	18 – Stevens	11 – Stevens	6 – Stevens	Bryce Jordan Center (7,736) University Park, PA
December 20, 2019* 6:00 p.m., BTN	No. 23	Central Connecticut	W 87–58	10–2	21 – M. Jones	8 – Watkins	7 – Wheeler	Bryce Jordan Center (6,404) University Park, PA
December 29, 2019* 12:00 p.m., ESPNU	No. 20	Cornell	W 90–59	11–2	19 – Tied	10 – Watkins	4 – Tied	Bryce Jordan Center (8,316) University Park, PA
January 4, 2020 2:00 p.m., BTN	No. 21	vs. No. 23 Iowa	W 89–86	12–2 (2–1)	23 – Brockington	7 – Dread	4 – Dread	Palestra (7,881) Philadelphia, PA
January 7, 2020 7:00 p.m., BTN	No. 20	at Rutgers	L 61–72	12–3 (2–2)	21 – M. Jones	6 – Tied	2 – Tied	Louis Brown Athletic Center (8,000) Piscataway, NJ
January 11, 2020 2:15 p.m., BTN	No. 20	Wisconsin	L 49–58	12–4 (2–3)	19 – Stevens	13 – Stevens	2 – Tied	Bryce Jordan Center (10,139) University Park, PA
January 15, 2020 9:00 p.m., BTN		at Minnesota	L 69–75	12–5 (2–4)	15 – Tied	5 – Tied	4 – Wheeler	Williams Arena (9,714) Minneapolis, MN
January 18, 2020 12:00 p.m., ESPNU		No. 21 Ohio State	W 90–76	13–5 (3–4)	24 – Stevens	5 – Tied	4 – M. Jones	Bryce Jordan Center (14,785) University Park, PA
January 22, 2020 7:00 p.m., BTN		at Michigan	W 72–63	14–5 (4–4)	19 – Stevens	9 – Stevens	4 – Wheeler	Crisler Center (12,707) Ann Arbor, MI
January 29, 2020 8:30 p.m., BTN	No. 24	Indiana	W 64–49	15–5 (5–4)	17 – Stevens	9 – Stevens	5 – Wheeler	Bryce Jordan Center (7,656) University Park, PA
February 1, 2020 7:00 p.m., BTN	No. 24	at Nebraska	W 76–64	16–5 (6–4)	14 – Dread	17 – Watkins	6 – M. Jones	Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,901) Lincoln, NE
February 4, 2020 8:00 p.m., BTN	No. 22	at No. 16 Michigan State	W 75–70	17–5 (7–4)	24 – Stevens	7 – Stevens	5 – M. Jones	Breslin Center (14,797) East Lansing, MI
February 8, 2020 4:00 p.m., BTN	No. 22	Minnesota	W 83–77	18–5 (8–4)	33 – Stevens	7 – Tied	4 – Harrar	Bryce Jordan Center (15,261) University Park, PA
February 11, 2020 6:30 p.m., BTN	No. 13	at Purdue	W 88–76	19–5 (9–4)	19 – Watkins	10 – Watkins	5 – Tied	Mackey Arena (14,804) West Lafayette, IN
February 15, 2020 12:00 p.m., BTN	No. 13	Northwestern	W 77–61	20–5 (10–4)	23 – Stevens	9 – Watkins	6 – Wheeler	Bryce Jordan Center (14,402) University Park, PA
February 18, 2020 6:30 p.m., FS1	No. 9	Illinois	L 56–62	20–6 (10–5)	13 – Stevens	9 – Stevens	6 – Wheeler	Bryce Jordan Center (9,506) University Park, PA
February 23, 2020 12:00 p.m., FS1	No. 9	at Indiana	L 60–68	20–7 (10–6)	29 – Stevens	10 – Harrar	1 – Tied	Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (17,222) Bloomington, IN
February 26, 2020 7:00 p.m., BTN	No. 16	Rutgers	W 65–64	21–7 (11–6)	16 – Brockington	7 – Tied	7 – Dread	Bryce Jordan Center (8,345) University Park, PA
February 29, 2020 12:00 p.m., BTN	No. 16	at No. 18 Iowa	L 68–77	21–8 (11–7)	20 – Stevens	10 – Stevens	4 – Jones	Carver–Hawkeye Arena (15,056) Iowa City, IA
March 3, 2020 7:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 20	No. 16 Michigan State	L 71–79	21–9 (11–8)	16 – M. Jones	9 – Watkins	5 – Wheeler	Bryce Jordan Center (13,437) University Park, PA
March 7, 2020 4:00 p.m., BTN	No. 20	at Northwestern	L 69–80	21–10 (11–9)	18 – Stevens	14 – Harrar	4 – Tied	Welsh–Ryan Arena (6,084) Evanston, IL
Big Ten tournament
March 12, 2020 9:00 p.m., BTN	(6)	vs. (11) Indiana Second round	Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic					Bankers Life Fieldhouse  Indianapolis, IN
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time.

Rankings

See also: 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	Final
AP	—	—	—	RV	RV	RV	23	20	21	20	RV	24	22	13	9	16	20	RV	RV
Coaches	—	—	RV	RV	RV	—	24	21	21	20	RV	23	20	13	9	14	20	RV	RV

*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings

On December 16, 2019 Penn State was ranked #23 in the Associated Press Poll marking its first appearance in the poll since 1996.