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PSU Athletics/Selders

Penn State Hosts #3 Purdue In Noon Saturday Showdown


UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's basketball team has a big opportunity to keep its momentum going after back-to-back Big Ten wins Saturday at noon when the Nittany Lions host #3 Purdue inside the Bryce Jordan Center on Big Ten Network. The 2021-22 Penn State men's basketball season is presented by Highmark Health.
 
FOLLOW ALONG


OPENING TIPS

  • Penn State looks to stay hot Saturday when the third-ranked Boilermakers roll into Happy Valley for a Saturday noon showdown inside the Bryce Jordan Center.
  • PSU has won its last two games, a 61-58 Quad 2 home victory over Indiana Sunday and a gritty 74-70 Quad 1 comeback win at Northwestern Wednesday night.
  • Four Nittany Lions are averaging double-digit points, led by junior Seth Lundy's 14.8 ppg. Seniors Jalen Pickett (12.7 ppg) and Sam Sessoms (12.4 ppg) follow, while grad student John Harrar is averaging a double-double with 10.8 ppg and 10.5 rpg.

 
IF PENN STATE BEATS PURDUE

  • Penn State would earn its second-ever win over a top-three ranked team and first win over a top-three team inside the Bryce Jordan Center.
  • The Nittany Lions would win their third-straight Big Ten contest.

 
SCOUTING THE BOILERMAKERS

  • The third-ranked Boilermakers come to town with a 12-2 overall record and 1-2 mark in Big Ten play.
  • Purdue's two losses came at the hands of Rutgers (68-70, Dec. 9) and Wisconsin (69-74, Jan. 3).
  • Purdue's potent offense ranks fourth in the country with 85.9 points per game. The Boilermakers make an average of 10 3-pointers per contest and register 18.9 assists per game.
  • The Purdue attack is led by Jaden Ivey's 16.5 ppg. The two-headed big man monster of Zach Edey (15.6 ppg, 7.5 rpg) and Trevion Williams (13.0 ppg, 8.8 rpg) provide a key inside presence, while Sasha Stefanovic shoots 42.4 percent from downtown with 11.2 ppg.

 
AGAINST PURDUE

  • Purdue owns a 41-13 advantage in the all-time series, but 10 of Penn State's 13 wins over the Boilermakers have come in Happy Valley.
  • The Boilermakers have won 11 of the last 12 meetings, with the lone Penn State win coming in the form of an 88-76 road victory on Feb. 11, 2020.
  • Purdue swept last season's two-game series, earning a 73-52 win at the BJC on Feb. 26, 2021 and an 80-72 win in Mackey Arena on Jan. 17, 2021.

 
BACK-TO-BACK B1G WINS

  • Penn State returned from a 22-day layoff from game action to win back-to-back Big Ten games with a Quad 2 win over Indiana (61-58, Jan. 2) and a Quad 1 win at Northwestern (74-70, Jan. 5).
  • The Penn State defense set the tone against the Hoosiers, holding Indiana nearly 20 points below its season scoring average of 77.2. The Nittany Lions dominated the glass, out-rebounding Indiana 39-29. Penn State shot a season-best 50.0 percent (11-for-22) from 3-point range to provide timely offense.
  • The Nittany Lions mounted a gritty comeback to take down the Wildcats Wednesday. Northwestern led for 33 minutes and Penn State trailed by as much as 10 at 55-45 with 9:37 to play. The Nittany Lion offense came to life in the final 9:14 as Penn State shot 9-for-13 from the field, 4-for-6 from 3-point range and 7-for-8 from the FT line in the final nine-plus minutes. Seth Lundy scored a game-high 23 points, including 10 points in the final 2:25.

 
FROM PURDUE TO PSU

  • Saturday's game is sure to be a big one for Penn State head coach Micah Shrewsberry. Shrewsberry spent four seasons on Purdue head coach Matt Painter's staff in West Lafayette, including the last two seasons as Associate Head Coach.
  • Saturday's matchup will pit Matt Painter against one of his former assistants as the leader on the other sideline for the first time.
  • Shrewsberry's most recent stint at Purdue as Associate Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator came during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons. He was also on Painter's staff as an assistant coach during the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons before serving six seasons as an assistant coach with the Boston Celtics.
  • Penn State video coordinator Grady Eifert also has Boilermaker roots. Eifert started on Purdue's 2019 Elite Eight team before spending the last two seasons as a graduate assistant on Painter's staff.

 
COMEBACK KIDS

  • The Nittany Lions have erased 10-point deficits to come back and win on two occasions this season.
  • Penn State trailed Northwestern 55-45 with 9:37 to play Wednesday night in Evanston. A Dallion Johnson 3-pointer sparked a 29-15 game-closing run for the Nittany Lions at the 9:14 mark of the second half. Seth Lundy contributed 12 points during that stretch, 10 of which came in the final 2:25. Lundy's impressive close in the final 2:25 included a four-point play, a three-point play and the go-ahead 3-pointer.
  • Penn State also trailed Cornell by 10 on Nov. 22 in Happy Valley when the Big Red held a 27-17 lead with 7:52 to play in the first half. Three-point firepower and a 21-7 game-closing run in the final six minutes led the team to a gritty 85-74 come-back victory.

 
HISTORIC OPPORTUNITY

  • The Nittany Lions will be in search of their highest-ranked home win in program history Saturday when #3 Purdue comes to Happy Valley.
  • Penn State has beaten a #2 team once – a 65-63 win over #2 Michigan State on March 9, 2001, but it was a neutral-site Big Ten Tournament contest at the United Center in Chicago.
  • Penn State has beaten three different fourth-ranked teams and one fifth-ranked team inside the BJC, most recently a 76-69 win over No. 4 Maryland on Dec. 10, 2019.

 
UP NEXT

  • The Nittany Lions remain home Tuesday to host Rutgers in Penn State's annual THON game. Tipoff is slated for 6:30 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.