Big Ten Basketball: Power ranking the conference after week 6

Penn State falls a couple of slots to the No. 9 spot despite winning their only game this last week. The Nittany Lions haven’t been able to pick up any quality wins, which might hurt them later on in March.

In the last week, the Nittany Lions picked up a 72-54 road victory at George Mason. Lamar Stevens had 23 points and 14 rebounds, while Mike Watkins added 14 points and 12 rebounds. This was a solid win against an inferior George Mason team.

Although the Nittany Lions have a favorable record, this may have been their best win so far this season. They have no wins against the RPI top-100, failing to beat teams like North Carolina State and Texas A&M. Pat Chambers’ team really needs to get some wins against quality opponents to have a chance at a return to the NCAA Tournament.

Stevens (14.5 ppg, 6.9 rpg) and Watkins (12.7 ppg, 8.3 rpg) join three other players in double-figures scoring this season. Tony Carr (20.0 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 4.4 apg) continues to lead the team in scoring. Other players to score in double figures are Shep Garner (10.6 ppg) and Josh Reaves (10.8 ppg).

Schedule for this week:

Binghamton (8-4) at Penn State on Dec. 19

Rider (6-5) at Penn State on Dec. 22