INSIDE THE NUMBERS

2000-01 record: 7-21; 3-13 in Big Ten (11th) Postseason: None. Last NCAA appearance was in 2001. RETURNING LEADERS Points: Chambliss 14.6 Rebs: Jagla 5.8 Assists: Watkins 4.1 FG: Watkins 43.4% 3pt: Chambliss 42.1% FT: Chambliss 89.1% 01-02 Stats: Penn State | Big Ten KEY LOSSES Tyler Smith | 12.0 ppg PROJECTED STARTERS G | Sh. Chambliss | Junior G | Br. Watkins | Senior F | Jamaal Tate | Junior F | Jan Jagla | Soph F | Daren Tielsch | Soph Player to Watch Sharif Chambliss Junior Guard The Big Ten's bomber hoisted up 235 treys last season -- hitting 99 of 'em. DATE TO REMEMBER Dec. 7 A year ago, Penn State was rolled by 30 points at Pittsburgh. This year, the Panthers have to make the trip to State College for a game that might get fans to forget about football for a day. .

 

PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS

Two years ago Penn State reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament. A year ago, the Nittany Lions finished last in the Big Ten. Coaches like to talk about just how difficult it is to sustain success and gain consistency. And Penn State is a perfect example of that. This Nittany Lion team has a young talent in forward Jan Jagla and Jerry Dunn has an underrated backcourt of Brandon Watkins and Sharif Chambliss, but they also have significant liabilities. Penn State struggled to defend and rebound a year ago -- two issues that still linger. The Nittany Lions don't appear to have significant depth. And Dunn's team struggled with good shot selection, settling too often for the 3-pointer and rarely threw the ball inside. Dunn thinks this team should be better this season simply because of experience. He likes the way this team is tough mentally and his players have worked hard. However, Penn State will have to find a way to make up for the graduation of Tyler Smith, the team's biggest inside threat and most physical player.

TOUGH ENOUGH..............................
Watkins and Chambliss don't have a lot of name recognition with Big Ten fans let alone on a national level. But the two are very solid. Watkins is a guard who likes to beat defenders off of the dribble and get to the basket. Chambliss led the Big Ten with 99 made three-pointers and shot better than 42 percent in the process. The two combined to average 27.9 points and 5.7 assists per game.

TOUGH ENOUGH?..............................
Can this team grab a rebound? The Nittany Lions finished last in the Big Ten in rebounding margin a year ago and that was with 6-8 forward Tyler Smith in the lineup. The problem is twofold. First, Penn State simply lacks significant height. Second, with the large number of three-pointers, tracking down rebounds becomes more difficult.

BOTTOM LINE..............................
Penn State should be better this season, but the Nittany Lions simply don't have the same kind of talent as the rest of the league. Add in the fact that there isn't a lot of depth in Happy Valley and it's hard to project a lot of success. A .500 record and an NIT trip would be very successful.