Nittany Lions Host #19 Michigan State Tuesday to Open Busy WeekNittany Lions Host #19 Michigan State Tuesday to Open Busy Week
PSU Athletics/Selders

Nittany Lions Host #19 Michigan State Tuesday to Open Busy Week


UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – A busy week for the Penn State men's basketball team begins Tuesday night at the Bryce Jordan Center when the Nittany Lions host #19 Michigan State at 6:30 p.m. on the Big Ten Network. The 2021-22 Penn State men's basketball season is presented by Highmark Health.
 
FOLLOW ALONG

 
OPENING TIPS

  • Penn State returns home after a stretch of five of seven games on the road to host #19 Michigan State in a Tuesday night tilt at the Bryce Jordan Center.
  • The Nittany Lions have dropped their last three games, all by six points or less.
  • After the brutal road stretch, Penn State will now play four of its next five at home.
  • Four Nittany Lions are averaging double-digit points, led by Seth Lundy's 12.9 ppg. Jalen Pickett (12.8 ppg) and Sam Sessoms (11.8 ppg) follow, while John Harrar is nearly averaging a double-double with 10.3 ppg and 9.4 rpg.

 
IF PENN STATE BEATS MICHIGAN STATE

  • The Nittany Lions would earn their first win over a top-20 team since Jan. 30, 2021 when Penn State defeated #14/13 Wisconsin 81-71 at the BJC.
  • Penn State would improve to 8-4 at home this season.

 
SCOUTING THE SPARTANS

  • The 19th-ranked Spartans own an 18-6 overall record and 9-4 mark in Big Ten play.
  • Coming off back-to-back losses at Rutgers and against Wisconsin, Michigan State got back on track in its most recent game Saturday with a 76-61 home victory over Indiana.
  • The Spartans own a balanced offensive attack that scores 73.3 points per game. Gabe Brown leads Michigan State with 12.3 points per game, while Malik Hall follows with 10.5 points per contest.

 
AGAINST MICHIGAN STATE

  • Michigan State leads the all-time series 42-9. Four of Penn State's nine wins against the Spartans have come in Happy Valley.
  • The two teams met in the second conference game of the season in mid-December, with the Spartans earning an 80-64 in East Lansing, Mich.
  • The Spartans raced out to a 42-29 lead at halftime before the Nittany Lions kept it closer in the second half.
  • Seth Lundy led four Nittany Lions in double figures with 18 points while adding seven rebounds. John Harrar recorded a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Jalen Pickett added 13 points, while Sam Sessoms chipped in 12.

 
HAPPY TO BE HOME

  • Penn State has played five of its last seven games on the road, and now returns home to open a stretch of four of the next five in the Bryce Jordan Center.
  • The Nittany Lions have found much more success at home, sitting at 7-4 inside the Bryce Jordan Center compared to their 1-7 record in true road games.

 
CLOSE BATTLES

  • Penn State has lost its last three games by a combined nine points.
  • The stretch began on Feb. 5 at then-#11 Wisconsin. The Nittany Lions ran into travel troubles, arriving in Madison just 2.5 hours before tipoff, before taking the Badgers to the wire in a two-point, 49-51, loss.
  • The Nittany Lions then suffered a one-point loss at home to Michigan on Feb. 8 and a six-point loss at Minnesota on Feb. 12. Penn State played both of those games without key big man Greg Lee (7.8 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 24.6 mpg).
  • Five of Penn State's nine Big Ten losses have come by seven points or less: #3 Purdue (67-74), at #16 Ohio State (56-61), at #11 Wisconsin (49-51), Michigan (57-58) and at Minnesota (70-76).

 
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE

  • Penn State sits 9th in the nation in the NET strength of schedule metric.
  • According to the NET rankings, Penn State's strength of schedule is the highest in the Big Ten. Wisconsin is the next highest Big Ten team, coming in at No. 12 in the NET strength of schedule rankings.
  • A tough schedule is nothing new for Penn State, as the Nittany Lions finished the 2020-21 season with the No. 1 spot in both the NET and KenPom strength of schedule metrics.

 
PAINT PARTY

  • Penn State has held an advantage in points in the paint in six of its last eight games, despite having the smallest roster by height in the Big Ten as ranked by KenPom's avg, height metric.
  • The Nittany Lions rank 14th out of the 14 Big Ten teams, and 232nd out of 358 Division I teams in average roster height according to KenPom. 
  • Penn State has averaged 26.8 points in the paint per game over the last eight contests, compared to its opponents' 21.25 paint points per contest.
  • Despite the height disadvantage, Penn State has also out-rebounded its opponent or tied its opponent in rebounding in nine of 13 Big Ten contests.

 
LOCKDOWN LUNDY

  • Junior Seth Lundy is the team's leading scorer, averaging 12.9 points per game. But it's his defense that has stolen the show as he proves himself as a legitimate two-way player in the Big Ten.
  • Take a look at the work he's done on some of the nation's best that he has been tasked with guarding:
Team – Player Guarded by Lundy Season Average Vs. Penn State
Minnesota – Jamison Battle 16.7 ppg, 45.2 FG% 8 points, 3-7 FG
Michigan – Caleb Houstan 10.2 ppg, 40.5 FG% 6 points, 1-4 FG
Wisconsin – Johnny Davis 20.3 ppg, 43.2 FG% 4 points, 2-13 FG
Rutgers – Ron Harper Jr. 15.7 ppg, 42.3 FG% 7 points, 2-9 FG
Purdue – Jaden Ivey 17.4 ppg, 47.5 FG% 12 points, 5-15 FG
Ohio State – EJ Liddell 20.1 ppg, 51.6 FG% 14 points, 4-9 FG
Miami (Fla.) – Kam McGusty 17.8 ppg, 47.2 FG% 12 points, 5-10 FG
LSU – Darius Days 13.2 ppg, 41.9 FG% 8 points, 4-14 FG

 
SESSOMS' STEP UP

  • Senior Sam Sessoms has stepped into a larger role this season and currently ranks third on the team with 11.8 points per game and second with 3.0 assists per contest.
  • Sessoms has led Penn State offensively over the last three games, averaging 15.0 points per game. He tied his Big Ten career-best with 18 points Saturday at Minnesota.
  • He scored his 1,500th career point during Penn State's victory over Rutgers on Jan. 11 and sits just five points away for the 1,600 point mark.

 
UP NEXT

  • The Nittany Lions face Minnesota for the second time in five days Thursday afternoon when Penn State hosts the Gophers at 4 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.