The holiday was a little more than a week ago, but Penn State would love to have its own version of “Groundhog Day” tonight. The 1993 movie centers on a bored, Pennsylvania weatherman, played by Bill Murray, covering the yearly spectacle around how much longer the winter would last. In the film, Murray’s character winds up living that same Groundhog Day over and over and over again. The Nittany Lions (15-9, 3-8 Big Ten) would love for that scenario to come true — but only for one day in particular, when they travel to Columbus to again take on the No. 23 Ohio State Buckeyes (18-6, 7-4) at 7 p.m. tonight in Columbus, Ohio. For coach Patrick Chambers, the biggest win in last year’s 16-18 campaign came on Jan. 29, 2014, when his team knocked off the Buckeyes on the road in overtime. While the Lions probably wouldn’t mind living that precise day over and over again, all they are seeking, for now, is a single re-creation. Both teams have lost starting point guards to graduation — Penn State has lost Tim Frazier, and Ohio State said farewell to Aaron Craft. While the Lions have seen some successful contributors enter the program — Shep Garner has started every game, and Devin Foster has been a strong piece off the bench lately— none of them are on the level of Buckeyes’ super-freshman D’Angelo Russell. Russell, who was a five-star recruit according to Rivals, has lived up to the hype since arriving to play for coach Thad Matta. The 6-foot-5-inch guard is now the leading scorer among Big Ten conference players during games within conference play after notching a triple-double in the Buckeyes’ latest game, going for 23 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists in Ohio State’s dispatching of Rutgers on Sunday. …
Continue Reading: Penn State men’s basketball will look to slow No. 23 Ohio State’s D’Angelo Russell down
