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Penn State Basketball: 2019-20 season preview for Nittany Lions

By Jason Burgess

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 13: A general view of the Penn State Nittany Lions bringing the ball up court against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the championship game of the 2011 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament at Conseco Fieldhouse on March 13, 2011 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Ohio State won 71-60. (Photo by Chris Chambers/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 13: A general view of the Penn State Nittany Lions bringing the ball up court against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the championship game of the 2011 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament at Conseco Fieldhouse on March 13, 2011 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Ohio State won 71-60. (Photo by Chris Chambers/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 01: The Penn State Nittany Lions bench celebrates in the first half against the Northwestern Wildcats during the second round of the Big Ten Basketball Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 1, 2018 in New York City (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 01: The Penn State Nittany Lions bench celebrates in the first half against the Northwestern Wildcats during the second round of the Big Ten Basketball Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 1, 2018 in New York City (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

Penn State Basketball has one of the best players in the Big Ten in Lamar Stevens and head coach Pat Chambers also welcomes back most of his depth.

In the eight years under head coach Pat Chambers, Penn State Basketball hasn’t finished higher than sixth in the Big Ten, although the year they did they won the NIT in 2018. Chambers has a record under .500 while with the Nittany Lions and has made the NCAA Tournament just once in 10 years as a head coach, that being with Boston University in 2011.

Last season they finished 14-18 and finished tied for 10th in the Big Ten with a 7-13 record. After finishing the non-conference portion of their schedule last season with a 7-4 record including a win over then No. 13 Virginia Tech, but once league play started, they were immediately behind the eight-ball, losing their first ten league games and they didn’t win their first Big Ten game until Feb. 4 when they beat Northwestern. That win began a solid season-ending stretch where they finished 7-4, with three of those losses coming by a total of 13 points.

The positive finish to last season has fans optimistic that perhaps the Nittany Lions are ready to turn the corner and be more competitive in the Big Ten, with some believing that the 2019-20 Nittany Lions are capable of being an NCAA Tournament team. With the team having expectations of postseason play and even the Big Dance, this could be a do-or-die season for Chambers at PSU, if the team once again falls short of those expectations, Chambers’ seat could get even hotter in the offseason, forcing the program to make a change.

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