GAME NOTES: Former rivals from the Atlantic 10 Conference get together at the Bryce Jordan Center on Sunday, as the Penn State Nittany Lions host the George Washington Colonials.

Since losing to Charlotte in a pair of overtime sessions back on Nov. 20, the Nittany Lions have been untouchable with a seven-game win streak -- the longest run of any team in the Big Ten Conference at the moment. The squad is a perfect 6-0 inside the Bryce Jordan Center, thanks in part to a narrow 64-62 triumph over Duquesne on Wednesday night.

The last time the Nittany Lions found themselves with this strong of a start to a campaign was in 2000-01 when the program made it to the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16.

Over on the other side, the Colonials are also off to a strong start with six wins in eight chances. Following a close loss to Seton Hall near the end of last month, George Washington has put together a three-game win streak, which includes an 81-68 victory over DePaul three nights ago.

After this matchup the Colonials take some time off before heading to Hawaii for three games in four days during the Diamond Head Classic.

Penn State leads the series, 19-11, although this is the first meeting since 1991. The Lions have won seven of the last nine encounters, including a victory in the 1991 Atlantic 10 championship game on campus at Rec Hall.

While the game may have featured two ties and six lead changes, there was little doubt the Colonials would come out on top against DePaul as the hosts produced a 20-point advantage at the break and led by as many as 24 late in the meeting. Patricio Garino converted all but one of his nine field goals for 19 points, followed by Kevin Larsen and Joe McDonald with 18 points apiece for a team that shot better from the floor (.571) than it did at the free-throw line (.519).

Scoring in double figures in all but one game thus far, Garino leads the offensive attack for the Colonials with his 15.1 ppg, connecting on 59.5 percent from the field, yet just 2-of-14 on the perimeter. Also struggling on the outside is Kethan Savage (12.8 ppg) at 23.5 percent, the same going for McDonald (10.0 ppg, 38 assists) who has knocked down a mere 2-of-20 from 3- point range through eight games.

The Nittany Lions are off to their best start in more than a decade, but the team nearly had a significant win streak come to an end before squeezing out the two-point victory against visiting Duquesne a few nights back. Geno Thorpe played a major role for PSU with his 19 points off the bench, followed by Shep Garner with 13 points and both D.J. Newbill and Donovon Jack with 11 apiece as the team survived a disappointing 37.7 percent shooting effort from the floor and a dismal 4-of-19 showing beyond the arc.

Playing more than 38 minutes per game, Newbill is one of the top offensive stars in the Big Ten with 22.1 ppg, shooting 40.0 percent behind the 3-point line. As someone who is more than willing to force the action at the offensive end, Newbill has made more free throws (53) than any of his teammates has yet to attempt. Garner pitches in with another 10.5 ppg as the pair has combined for 52 of the unit's 97 assists.

As well as the Nittany Lions have played this season, there have been far too many close calls to call this team a real contender in the Big Ten. If PSU can't put some significant distance between itself and GW, expect the Colonials to push for the victory on the road.