Penn State Hosts Indiana in White Out at The Palestra SundayPenn State Hosts Indiana in White Out at The Palestra Sunday

Penn State Hosts Indiana in White Out at The Palestra Sunday

12-2 Nittany Lions return to Philadelphia to host Hoosiers in Sunday noon tipoff

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PHILADELPHIA – The 12-2 Penn State men’s basketball team makes its return to Philadelphia Sunday to host Indiana in a White Out inside the historic Palestra on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania. Tipoff is slated for noon on the Big Ten Network.

FOLLOW ALONG

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

  • Palestra Bag Policy: All guests and their belongings are subject to search by security personnel upon entry and within the facility. All bags must be in accordance with the following guidelines: bags should be smaller than 16" x 16" x 8", no large bags, such as duffel or equipment bags. In an effort to expedite the security process upon entry, all guests are expected to comply with The Palestra bag policy. More information on the Palestra bag policy can be found HERE.
  • Mobile Ticketing: Penn Athletics has implemented a mobile-first ticketing strategy. A mo-bile-first strategy will ensure safe, secure, and efficient entry for all fans. Your tickets will be sent to the email address used when purchasing tickets and be available to download to any Apple or Android device. Tickets will also be available through Print-At-Home format as well, which can be printed on an 8.5"x11" sheet of paper prior to attending the game. Please note that Print-At-Home tickets will not scan from a mobile device. Penn Athletics' mobile ticketing guides can be found HERE.
  • Parking: Game day parking is available near The Palestra including the Penn Museum garage, Chestnut 34 garage and Penn Park. The cost of parking on game day is $20. Information on alternate parking options can be found HERE.

OPENING TIPS

  • Penn State is 12-2 on the season, 2-1 in Big Ten play, and returns to the historic Palestra in Philadelphia Sunday afternoon to host Indiana inside "The Cathedral of College Basketball".
  • Penn State ranks top 10 in the country in points per game (87.9) and turnovers forced per game (17.14).
  • Five Nittany Lions are averaging double-digit points, led by Ace Baldwin Jr.'s 15.0 ppg.

IF PENN STATE BEATS INDIANA

  • The Nittany Lions would improve to 13-2 overall, their best start since 1995-96 (29 years).
  • Penn State would start Big Ten play 3-1, their best B1G start since the 1995-96 team began 4-0.
  • The Nittany Lions would improve to 4-1 in Big Ten games played at The Palestra.

SCOUTING THE HOOSIERS

  • The Hoosiers are 11-3 on the season, 2-1 in Big Ten play, and ride a three-game win streak into Sunday's matchup at The Palestra.
  • Indiana's two Big Ten wins both came at home as the Hoosiers picked up an 82-67 win over Minnesota on Dec. 9 and an 84-74 victory over Rutgers in their most recent game on Thursday night. The Hoosiers' conference loss came on Dec. 13 as Indiana fell 85-68 at Nebraska.
  • Malik Reneau leads four Hoosiers in double figures with 14.1 points per game. Mackenzie Mgbako follows with 13.6, while Oumar Ballo is averaging 12.8 points and a team-best 9.4 rebounds per game. Myles Rice contributes 12.2 points per game.

AGAINST INDIANA

  • Penn State and Indiana meet for the first of two times this regular season Sunday afternoon at The Palestra.
  • The Nittany Lions have won four of the last five meetings with the Hoosiers. Penn State swept the regular-season series over Indiana a season ago, marking just the second time in program history and the first time since 2009 that the Nittany Lions swept the Hoosiers.
  • The two teams met in the second round of the 2024 Big Ten Tournament on March 14, with Indiana claiming a 61-59 win.

PENN STATE AT THE PALESTRA

  • The historic Palestra, on the University of Pennsylvania campus in Philadelphia, opened on Jan. 1, 1927. The Palestra has hosted more games, more visiting teams and more NCAA tournaments than any other facility in college basketball. At the time of its construction, it was one of the world's largest arenas.
  • Penn State played its first game at the Palestra on Jan. 27, 1927, less than a month after the building’s opening.
  • Rec Hall, the longtime home for Penn State basketball, was designed by the same architect, Charles Klauder, responsible for The Palestra. The groundbreaking for Rec Hall started in January 1927 and opened two years after The Palestra, in January 1929.
  • The Nittany Lions have a 25-37 record when playing in the Palestra with a 15-9 mark in games played vs. teams other than Penn. Penn State has won five of its last six contests in The Palestra and 14 of its last 22 games played in the historic venue.
  • The Penn State-Michigan State matchup in 2017 was the first regular-season league game to take place in the City of Brotherly Love, with the Nittany Lions earning a 72-63 win. The #21 Nittany Lions took down #23 Iowa in a thriller on Jan. 4, 2020. Penn State held a 37-31 halftime lead over #1 Purdue Jan. 8, 2023, but the top-ranked Boilermakers battled back for a 76-63 win. The Nittany Lions battled back from a 14-point deficit to top Michigan, 79-73, in their most recent game at The Palestra on Jan. 7, 2024.
  • Sunday’s game will count as an alternate-site home game for Penn State and will be counted as a Nittany Lion home game in the NET rankings calculations.

12-2

  • The Nittany Lions are off to a 12-2 start to the season, their best record through the first 14 games of the season since the 2019-20 campaign.
  • Should Penn State beat Indiana on Sunday, the Nittany Lions' 13-2 start would be their best start since the 1995-96 team started 14-1. Penn State would also start Big Ten play 3-1, its best start to B1G action since that same 1995-96 team began 4-0.
  • The Nittany Lions rank top 15 in the country in points per game (87.9 - 7th), turnovers forced per game (17.14 - 8th), assists per game (18.4 - 11th), turnover margin (5.4 - 13th) and scoring margin (+20.0 - 14th).

REWRITING HISTORY…ALREADY

  • The Nittany Lions have accomplished the following Penn State milestones through just the first 14 games of the season:
    • Finished non-conference play at 10-1, marking just the sixth time since Penn State joined the Big Ten in 1992-93 that the Nittany Lions have finished regular-season non-conference action with one or fewer losses.
    • Big Ten-opening win over #8 Purdue was Penn State's first win over a team ranked in the top 10 of the AP Poll since Dec. 2019.
    • Started the season 6-0 for the first time in 25 years (since the 1999-2000 season).
    • Started the season 8-1 for the first time in 10 years (since the 2014-15 season).
    • Scored 100+ points in back-to-back games for the first time in program history (108 vs. Binghamton, 103 vs. UMBC).
    • Scored 80+ points in six-consecutive games for the first time in program history.
    • Scored 100+ in three games in the same season for just the second time in program history. The 1954-55 team scored 100+ on three occasions.

NATIONAL NUMBERS

  • The Nittany Lions currently rank in the top 25 in the country in a number of statistical categories through games on Jan. 2:

Team Stat

Value

National Rank

Points per game

87.9

7

Turnovers forced per game

17.14

8

Assists per game

18.4

11

Turnover margin

5.4

13

Scoring margin

+20.0

14

FG%

50.4%

16

Steals per game

10.0

18

FT made per game

18.7

18

Individual Stat

Value

National Rank

Assists/game – Ace Baldwin Jr.

8.5

4

FT% - Ace Baldwin Jr.

94.4%

6

FT made – Ace Baldwin Jr.

84

11

FG% - Yanic Konan Niederhauser

63.6%

16

Steals – Ace Baldwin Jr.

32

20

3FG% - Zach Hicks

44.7%

24

HIGH OCTANE

  • Penn State is averaging 87.9 points per game, a mark that ranks seventh in the country.
  • The Nittany Lions have scored 80-plus points in 11 of their 14 games this season.

DOMINATION

  • Penn State is outscoring its opponents by an average of 20.0 points per game, a mark that ranks 14th in all of Division I. Eleven of Penn State's 12 wins have been double-digit victories. The Nittany Lions own three 40-plus point victories this season.
  • Penn State has played 560 minutes of basketball this season and trailed for just 97 minutes and 6 seconds.

BALANCED ATTACK

TURNING DEFENSE INTO OFFENSE

  • Penn State ranks eighth in Division I in turnovers forced per game (17.14) and 18th in steals per game (10.0). The Nittany Lions have owned a 294-153 advantage in points scored off turnovers through the first 14 games of the season.

ONE OF ONE

  • Graduate student Ace Baldwin Jr. is the ONLY active Division I player and one of just nine Division I players since the 1947-48 season (77 years) with 1,500+ career points (1,507), 700+ career assists (737) and 300+ career steals (303).
  • He is on track to break into the top 30 in NCAA's all-time career steals leaders this season as #30 on the all-time list sits at 321 career steals.
  • Baldwin Jr. is Division I's active career leader in steals (303) and his 737 career assists are second amongst active Division I players.

GOT AN ACE UP OUR SLEEVE

  • Ace Baldwin Jr. currently ranks fourth in the country with his 8.5 assists per game and sixth in free throw percentage (94.4%). He is averaging stellar marks of 15.0 points, 8.5 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game. He's notched five points-assists double-doubles and has tallied double-digit assists in more games (6) than he did all of last season (4), including a single-game school record 16 helpers on Dec. 14 vs. Coppin State.
  • The reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, Baldwin Jr. earned a spot on the Naismith Trophy Men's College Player of the Year Watch List this preseason, in addition landing on the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Top 20 Preseason Watch List and being named a Preseason All-Big Ten selection.

BIG FELLA BURSTING ONTO THE SCENE

  • Yanic Konan Niederhauser, Penn State's mobile and versatile seven-foot forward, is averaging 13.1 points and team-best marks of 6.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. The Switzerland native transferred to Penn State ahead of the 2024-25 season following two years at Northern Illinois.

Yanic Konan Niederhauser

PSU (2024-25)

NIU (2022-24)

Points per game

13.1 ppg

5.1 ppg

FG%

63.6%

51.4%

Rebounds per game

6.8 rpg

3.2 rpg

ZACH ATTACK

  • Senior Zach Hicks leads the Big Ten in 3-point shooting percentage (44.7%) and ranks second in 3-pointers made per game (2.71).

KERN COMING ON

  • Senior Nick Kern Jr. has scored in 10 of the last 11 games. He has shot 66.3 percent (70-110) from the field this season while averaging 11.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.4 steals per game.

CONSISTENCY

  • Puff Johnson has been a consistent threat for the Nittany Lions this season, averaging career-best marks of 10.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game while shooting 54.1% from the field. He's already tallied more double-digit scoring games this season (8) than all of last year (7).

READY FREDDIE

Dilione V

Nov.

Dec.-Jan.

PPG

8.1

11.7

FG%

39.2%

50.7%

Assists/game

1.0

3.0

FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHT

  • Head Coach Mike Rhoades has inked the highest-ranked recruiting class in program history and the 21st-ranked class in the country as three highly-touted prospects signed to join the Nittany Lions during the November early signing period.
  • Penn State's three-member class ranks 21st in the nation per 247 Sports. The three-member class is comprised of Mason Blackwood (Rochester, N.Y.), Justin Houser (Camp Hill, Pa.) and Kayden Mingo (Farmingdale, N.Y.). The three new Nittany Lions join the program as the Class of 2029 and bring accomplished athletic and academic pedigrees to Penn State.

The 2024-25 Penn State men’s basketball season is presented by Highmark Health.