For Penn State, where there’s a will, there’s a D.J.

IOWA CITY - A season that began with promise has faded into a year of malaise for Penn State basketball. But the Nittany Lions (15-13, 3-12 Big Ten) boast one shining star that peers through their hazy horizon, and that's senior guard D.J. Newbill.

No matter the defense or the opponent, Newbill finds a way to score. Twice he put up 29 points against Wisconsin. He popped Purdue for 37. He scored 27 on Michigan State and 25 against Maryland. Wherever there's a will, there's a D.J.

'He's one of the best players in the Big Ten,” said Iowa guard Mike Gesell, whose team faces Penn State at 5 p.m. Saturday (ESPNU). 'He's got the green light. They're going to him, running stuff for him. He's going to stay aggressive for them the whole game, and he's definitely going to be in our game plan. It doesn't start with just me or just Pete (Jok) stopping him. It's going to be a team thing. It starts with everyone, from our help side to fighting through ball screens, showing on ball screens. Not one guy is going to stop him.”

Newbill (6-foor-4) leads the Big Ten in overall scoring at 20.8 points a game, which is the most of any player in a power-five conference (Big Ten, Big 12, ACC, SEC, Pac-12). His 37-point game was the highest by a Big Ten player this season. He scored 35 against Charlotte, which tied for the second-most.

Newbill's production hasn't dipped since entering the Big Ten, either. He averages a league-best 19.7 points despite Penn State's league record. Only once was he held in single figures this season, and that was a surprisingly low three points against Northwestern last week.

But he's been strong against Iowa (18-10, 9-6 Big Ten). In three previous games, Newbill averages 22.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists against the Hawkeyes.

'He's got a great understanding of how to play,” Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery said. 'He scores a lot. I don't think he really hunts shots. He played point guard a few years ago when Timmy (Frazier) got hurt. I think that really helped him, and he kind of show everybody that his game is complete. He play the point, he can play off guard. He can small forward, he's powerful. He's a guy that on any given day, he can go for a huge number.”

Newbill also leads the Nittany Lions in steals and assists and ranks third in rebounds.

'Anybody that plays them is going to pay him a great deal of attention,” McCaffery said.

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