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KRT Wire | 01/30/2005 | Wisconsin bounces back to rout Penn State:

“The Penn State faithful let Sharif Chambliss have it Saturday night.

“But instead of booing the Nittany Lion-turned-Wisconsin Badger every time he touched the ball, maybe the fans in Penn State’s student section should have focused their attention on Kammron Taylor.

“Maybe that ‘Chris Rock’ chant that’s been circling the Big Ten Conference would have thrown the sophomore off. Then again, maybe not

“The 6-foot-2 guard who resembles the comedian was no joke against the Nittany Lions, scoring 20 points with three assists and just one turnover in the 18th-ranked Badgers’ 76-50 victory in front of a crowd of 9,142 at the Bryce Jordan Center.

“He set the tone for a crisp performance in which the Badgers attacked the lane at will and produced 17 assists against just six turnovers. Their 53.4 percent shooting was the best against a Big Ten opponent this season.

“‘He’s learning some things,’ UW coach Bo Ryan said. ‘He got to places where not too many guys on our team can get to when he puts it on the floor.’ …”

BadgerNation.com: No. 18 Badgers Hammer PSU:

“Wisconsin handled Penn State at the Jordan Center Saturday night, jumping out to an early lead and cruising to a 76-50 victory.

“Sharif Chambliss returned to the Jordan Center Saturday night, a much different player than the freewheeling gunner who spent three years at Penn State before transferring to Wisconsin.

“This Chambliss was patient. He was efficient. He was methodical. He was unrattled even while being met with a throaty chorus of boos every time he touched the rock.

“Chambliss was, in short, the personification of Bo Ryan’s 18th-ranked Badgers, who, four days after seeing their 38-game home winning streak broken by No. 1 Illinois, calmly dispatched Penn State, 76-50.

“Wisconsin improved to 14-4 overall and 5-2 in the Big Ten, despite playing without leading scorer Alando Tucker (sore foot).

“The Lions fell to 7-13 and 1-6. Never mind 38-game home winning streaks, this outfit can’t win two in a row at home.

“‘I think we picked a really, really bad night to play the worst game we’ve played in a long time,’ PSU coach Ed DeChellis said. ‘… We had no answers. They beat us in every fashion. They’re a very good team.’ … “

BadgerNation.com: Badgers dominate Penn State:

“The University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team may have seemed ripe for the picking Saturday. The 18th-ranked Badgers were coming off a gut-wrenching home loss to Illinois. They were on the road at Penn State’s Bryce Jordan Center, where they had not won since Jan. 1999. To top it all off, Wisconsin had to play without leading scorer Alando Tucker, who sat out Saturday’s game with a right foot injury.

“Plenty of worries. No problems.

“The Badgers used a 12-0 first-half run to jump all over host Penn State, cruising to a 76-50 road victory to improve to 14-4 overall and 5-2 in the Big Ten.

“Sophomore point guard Kammron Taylor replaced Tucker in the starting lineup and scored a game-high 20 points, enjoying another in what has become a series of strong performances on the road.

“‘He’s a fast, quick, good player,’ Penn State coach Ed DeChellis said. ‘He played well.’

“Senior forward Mike Wilkinson and senior guard Clayton Hanson added 11 points each for the Badgers, who received point contributions from 10 players. …”

FightOnState.com: Hoop Preview — Wisconsin:

“Penn State Notes:

• “Penn State has not beaten a ranked opponent since toppling No. 5 North Carolina in the 2001 NCAA tournament. Chambliss was a freshman on that team but did not play in the game. No active member of the Lions was with the team that year.
  
• “Wisconsin plays a patient game, dictating pace and cutting down on opponents’ possessions. That means Penn State must reduce its 16.1 turnovers per game if it hopes to compete.”

JS Online: Badger at heart:

“Madison – Sharif Chambliss, facing one of the biggest decisions of his life, was having second thoughts.

“It was March 2003, and the Racine native heard newly hired Penn State coach Ed DeChellis lay out his vision for the men’s basketball program. The Nittany Lions’ senior-to-be liked what he heard and DeChellis seemed like a good man, but the timing was all wrong.

“Chambliss didn’t have time for rebuilding, especially after enduring rebuilding efforts during his sophomore and junior seasons. DeChellis wanted him to stay but released him from his scholarship when Chambliss stuck to his guns. …”

JS Online: Defense mechanism:

“Madison – Earlier this month, Michael Flowers shared the vision he has for himself as a University of Wisconsin basketball player and spoke of a hustling dynamo who would play with little regard for statistics or his body.

“Former walk-on Clayton Hanson has started every game for the Badgers this season.

“He wanted to be a player identified by his defense, he said, a hard-nosed competitor who wouldn’t think twice about diving on the floor for a loose ball.

“‘Basically a guy like Clayton Hanson,’ the freshman guard said. ‘He’s an ideal player of Coach Ryan’s. I just want to be the next Clayton Hanson.’

“That might be a surprising statement to some, but it speaks to Flowers’ blue-collar mentality as a player and even more to the status achieved in the program by Hanson, a former walk-on. …

“…Hanson’s is a great story but he isn’t the only one in the Big Ten. Wisconsin (13-4, 4-2 Big Ten) gets a close look at another at 7 [Central] tonight when it plays Penn State (7-12, 1-5) at the Bryce Jordan Center in State College, Pa.

“Aaron Johnson, a 6-9, 240-pound junior, is the only player in the conference averaging in double figures in scoring (13.7 points) and rebounding (10.6). He leads the Nittany Lions in both categories.

“Like Hanson, Johnson was an invited walk-on who earned a scholarship. …”

Wisconsin State Journal | Sharif back in town:

“STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – University of Wisconsin senior forward Mike Wilkinson remembers those narrow losses at Penn State’s Bryce Jordan Center.

“He also recalls the long-range marksman who made five 3-point shots and scored 20 points in Penn State’s 51-49 victory Jan. 9, 2002, and who converted four 3-pointers and totaled 16 points in the Nittany Lions’ 58-57 win Feb. 19, 2003.

“‘They had a guy who used to kill us,’ Wilkinson said. ‘He’s on our team now.’

“Wilkinson is glad to have senior guard Sharif Chambliss on his side entering the Big Ten Conference men’s basketball game between 18th-ranked UW (13-4 overall, 4-2 Big Ten) and Penn State (7-12, 1-5) tonight at 7 at the Bryce Jordan Center.

‘I’m looking forward to going out with my new team and doing all we can to get a win,’ said the 6-foot-1 Chambliss, who has 1,007 points in his career after scoring 14 in UW’s loss to top-ranked Illinois Tuesday in Madison. …”

Centre Daily Times | 01/29/2005 | Penn State plays host to former teammate:

“There will be smiles, handshakes, applause from the crowd, but don’t expect too much fanfare tonight when Sharif Chambliss returns home.

“The Nittany Lion-turned Badger is more concerned with getting Wisconsin, which meets Penn State at 8 p.m. at the Bryce Jordan Center, back on track than with the team he will try to do it against.

“Penn State, too, has enough to worry about already. The Nittany Lions (7-12, 1-5 Big Ten), who haven’t cracked 70 points in a month, will face the conference’s best scoring defense. Coming off a 75-65 loss to No. 1 Illinois that snapped its 38-game home winning streak, Wisconsin (13-4, 4-2) has lost six of its last eight games in the Jordan Center, most recently a 58-57 defeat in February 2003.

“Chambliss, then a sophomore at Penn State, led all scorers with 16 points in that game. He led the Nittany Lions in scoring in both 2001-02 and 2002-03 and was the Big Ten’s best 3-point shooter in 2003.

“But Chambliss wanted to play point guard, and then-Penn State coach Jerry Dunn wanted him at shooting guard. Chambliss asked for and was granted his release from the team following the 2003 season. When Dunn resigned three days later, Chambliss decided to linger until Dunn’s replacement was hired and go over his options with the new Penn State coach. He met with Ed DeChellis in early April before announcing he would transfer to Wisconsin….”

Centre Daily Times | 01/28/2005 | Penn State expanding back yard to recruit:

“Very little separated the Penn State and Ohio State men’s basketball teams Wednesday night in Columbus. Experience, certainly — the Buckeyes played one freshman and four juniors, the Nittany Lions four freshmen and two juniors — and, of course, the six points on the scoreboard.

“The distinction Penn State coach Ed DeChellis found the most telling, though, was geographical. Nine of 14 Buckeyes hail from Ohio; three of the nine active Nittany Lions are from Pennsylvania.

“Sounds easy. Worry about the kids in your own backyard, particularly if that backyard is as lush with high school talent as Penn State’s. While recruiting home-grown players is certainly no guarantee for success, the nation’s top collegiate teams at least have the option.

“When you’ve won eight Big Ten games in three and a half seasons, though, your recruiting pool shrinks. At the same time, your hunting ground expands, out of the state and lately, across the ocean.

“As they continue to build for the future, the Nittany Lions are finding the best recruits they can wherever they can. Finland, Serbia & Montenegro, junior colleges throughout the U.S. They would love to pluck the top prizes from Philadelphia or the state’s other fertile recruiting areas, but they know there is only so much elbow room for teams with their recent record.

“‘Until we can get there, we’ve got to try to piece this thing together,’ DeChellis said. ‘Mix and match.’

“Midway through Year 2 of the DeChellis era, the Nittany Lions already have a pieced-together feel. The starting forwards are a former walk-on and the team’s first JUCO in 20 years. The starting guards are Pennsylvania products who rely more on their wits than sheer athletic ability…”

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Claxton makes presence felt against Ohio State:

“If there has been one constant for the Penn State men’s basketball team all season long, it’s been inconsistency. Brief flashes of solid play have been overshadowed by youthful mistakes.

“In spite of these lapses, freshman Geary Claxton has found a way to be the Nittany Lions’ (7-12, 1-5 Big Ten) most consistent player, day-in and day-out. Last night’s 68-62 road loss to Ohio State (13-7, 2-4) was no different.

“With 18 points, the forward was the only Lion to reach double digits in scoring and was two away from tying his career high of 20 points.

“He did tie a career high with rebounds, collecting nine on the evening. …”