Panthers head to State College to battle Nittany Lions

The Pitt and Penn State rivalry is not like it was when both schools had perennial football… The Pitt and Penn State rivalry is not like it was when both schools had perennial football national championship contenders, but if you walk around the Oakland campus, by the looks of some of the T-shirt available at the outdoor vendors, you’ll see the rivalry still exists.

Pitt fans still appear to have a hatred for PSU. When the out-of-town scores are posted at football games, if Penn State is losing, Heinz Field erupts like Pitt just scored another touchdown.

Although the two schools haven’t met on a football field since 1999, this rivalry is still considered a football one. The rivalry will move from the gridiron to the hardwood this Saturday as the Panthers travel to the Bryce Jordan Center in State College to take on the Nittany Lions.

This will be the Lions’ third game against a Big East opponent in just 10 days. Penn State (5-3) split with its Big East foes so far, beating Rutgers 83-80 on Dec. 1, then losing to Georgetown 66-53 five days later.

The Nittany Lions feature a lineup that includes five players who average at least 9.5 points a game.

Their leader is junior forward Aaron Johnson, who is currently averaging a double-double through eight games this season. He is averaging 16.5 points per game and 12.4 rebounds per game.

Johnson, who joined the team as a freshman in the 2002-2003 season, exploded onto the scene with an impressive freshman campaign — 8.3 points and 7.5 rebounds a game. He missed the first two weeks of last season while recovering from retina surgery, and had a hard time getting healthy all season.

This season, he currently leads the Big Ten in rebounding. According to Penn State’s athletics Web site, he is now fully healthy, and head coach Ed DeChellis expects big things from him.

Along with Johnson, three other Nittany Lions have started the majority of the their first eight games. Geary Claxton (11 ppg), Travis Parker (10.5 ppg) and Marlon Smith (10.4 ppg) have all been key offensively.

Penn State leads the all-time series 75-68. However, the Panthers have won the last three meetings, including a 64-27 drubbing in the Petersen Events Center last season, where the Nittany Lions were outscored 39-11 in the first half.

Pitt will look to make it four in a row at 2 p.m. on Saturday. The game will be televised by ESPN Plus, and can be seen locally on Fox Sports Pittsburgh.