UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's basketball team returns to Happy Valley for just its second home game in the last 27 days Tuesday night when the Nittany Lions host Michigan in a 9 p.m. tipoff on ESPN2. The 2021-22 Penn State men's basketball season is presented by Highmark Health.
FOLLOW ALONG
- TV: ESPN2 - John Schriffen (pxp) & Jon Crispin (analyst)
- RADIO: Penn State Sports Network (PDF) with Steve Jones and Dick Jerardi – 103.7 FM & 1450 AM
- NATIONAL RADIO: Sirius XM – XM Ch. 372 | SXM App Ch. 372
- LIVE STATS: Live Stats
- GAME NOTES: Penn State Notes | Michigan Notes
- TICKETS: Tickets
- PROMOTIONS: Wear White!
OPENING TIPS
- Penn State returns home for a much-needed home game Tuesday night after a stretch of four of five on the road.
- The Nittany Lions have won four of their last five home games, with the only loss being a narrow defeat to then #3 Purdue.
- Four Nittany Lions are averaging double-digit points, led by Seth Lundy's 13.0 ppg. Jalen Pickett (12.8 ppg) and Sam Sessoms (11.4 ppg) follow, while John Harrar is nearly averaging a double-double with 10.3 ppg and 9.5 rpg.
IF PENN STATE BEATS MICHIGAN
- The Nittany Lions would improve to 8-3 inside the Bryce Jordan Center this season.
- Penn State would earn its third win over Michigan in the last four tries.
- Penn State would even its season record at 10-10.
SCOUTING THE WOLVERINES
- The Wolverines have had an up-and-down 2021-22 season after earning a No. 1 seed in last year's NCAA Tournament.
- Michigan is 11-9 overall and 5-5 in conference play. The Wolverines are 7-2 at home and 2-6 in true road games.
- Michigan has lost two of its last three games, both road contests at nationally-ranked squads #4 Purdue and #13 Michigan State.
- The Wolverines are led by All-American center Hunter Dickinson, who averages 18.1 points and 7.9 rebounds per game.
- Eli Brooks (11.7 ppg) and Caleb Houstan (10.5 ppg) also average double-digit points.
AGAINST MICHIGAN
- The Wolverines own a 37-14 advantage in the all-time series, but Penn State has won two of the last three meetings.
- Penn State and Michigan haven't met in Happy Valley since Feb. 12, 2019 when an unranked Nittany Lion squad stunned sixth-ranked Michigan 75-69 behind 26 points and 12 rebounds from current Cleveland Cav Lamar Stevens.
- The two teams met just once last season, with Michigan earning a tight 62-58 win in Ann Arbor. The Nittany Lions outscored the Wolverines 31-26 in the second half as the back-and-forth battle went until the final buzzer.
HOME SWEET HAPPY VALLEY
- Penn State has played four of its last five games on the road, and now returns home to open a stretch of five of the next seven in the Bryce Jordan Center.
- The Nittany Lions have found much more success at home, sitting at 7-3 inside the Bryce Jordan Center compared to their 1-6 record in true road games.
- The home court advantage has been friendly to the Nittany Lions, as Penn State is 72-32 (.692) when playing inside the Bryce Jordan Center since the start of the 2015-16 season.
- Penn State's only three home losses this season came against teams that are currently ranked or receiving votes in the latest AP Poll - Purdue (currently #4), Ohio State (currently #16) and Miami (RV).
RECENT SUCCESS VS. MICHIGAN
- Penn State and Michigan meet inside the Bryce Jordan Center for the first time since the Nittany Lions pulled off a stunning 75-69 upset of the #6 Wolverines on Feb. 12, 2019.
- The Nittany Lions entered that game at 1-11 in the Big Ten, and rode Lamar Stevens' 26 points and 12 rebounds to an upset of the sixth-ranked Wolverines and a post-game court storm in Happy Valley.
- A season later, the Nittany Lions picked up just their third-ever win in Ann Arbor, taking down the Wolverines 72-63 on the road.
- Last season's lone meeting was a nailbiter, as the then-undefeated Wolverines earned a 62-58 win in Ann Arbor. The Nittany Lions trailed 60-58 with 24 seconds to play, and after a pair of missed free throws by Michigan, saw the Wolverines escape with the win after a layup attempt rimmed out. Michigan added two free throws for the 62-58 final.
DE-FENSE!
- Penn State's defense has held 12 of its last 16 opponents at least 10 points under (in regulation - not including OT periods) their season scoring averages entering the game.
- Penn State has held its opponents to a dismal average of 61.6 points per game in its nine wins. Nittany Lion opponents have shot just 38.2 percent (207-542) from the floor and 31.7 percent (64-202) from 3-point range in Penn State's nine wins.
- The Nittany Lions allow just 65.8 points per game overall, the fourth-best mark in the Big Ten.
| Team | Season Avg. | Vs. PSU | Margin |
| Wisconsin | 72.1 | 51 | -21.2 |
| Iowa (Jan. 31) | 82.6 | 66 ( | -16.6 |
| Iowa (Jan. 22) | 83.9 | 68 | -15.9 |
| #16 Ohio St. | 75.6 | 61 | -14.6 |
| Rutgers | 70.4 | 49 | -21.4 |
| #3 Purdue | 85.9 | 74 | -11.9 |
| Indiana | 77.2 | 58 | -19.2 |
| Wagner | 69.0 | 54 | -15 |
| Miami | 73.3 | 63 | -10.3 |
| Oregon State | 69.2 | 45 | -24.2 |
| LSU | 85.4 | 58 | -27.4 |
| Cornell | 87.8 | 74 | -13.8 |
LOCKDOWN LUNDY
- Junior Seth Lundy is the team's leading scorer and averaging 13.0 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 |
| Wisconsin – Johnny Davis | 20.6 ppg, 42.1 FG% | 4 points, 2-13 FG |
| Rutgers – Ron Harper Jr. | 15.9 ppg, 43.0 FG% | 7 points, 2-9 FG |
| Purdue – Jaden Ivey | 17.3 ppg, 47.7 FG% | 12 points, 5-15 FG |
| Ohio State – EJ Liddell | 19.9 ppg, 47.7 FG% | 14 points, 4-9 FG |
| Miami (Fla.) – Kam McGusty | 17.6 ppg, 47.7 FG% | 12 points, 5-10 FG |
| LSU – Darius Days | 13.3 ppg, 41.7 FG% | 8 points, 4-14 FG |
PICKETT'S POP
- Senior transfer Jalen Pickett is averaging 14.6 points, 3.9 assists and 3.7 rebounds per Big Ten contest.
- Pickett has played 112.5 minutes over the last three games with 10 assists and just one turnover during that three-game stretch. Pickett's 37.35 minutes per conference game ranks second in the Big Ten.
- Pickett secured the first points-assists double-double by a Big Ten player in a conference game this season when he went off for 21 points and 10 assists against #3 Purdue on Jan. 8.
B1G JOHN
- Penn State graduate student John Harrar owns season-long marks of 10.3 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. His 9.5 rebounds per game rank second in the Big Ten and 20th nationally. as of Sunday, Feb. 6.
- The Wallingford, Pa. native has tallied six double-doubles thus far, pulled down double-digit rebounds in nine contests, and is shooting 64.3 percent (72-112) from the field. Harrar owns 12 career double-doubles, making him one of just 17 Penn State players all-time to register double-digit double-doubles in their Penn State career.
UP NEXT
- Penn State returns to the road Saturday night when the Nittany Lions travel to Minnesota for an 8:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. CT tipoff on Big Ten Network.