Penn State Hosts Butler in Gavitt Tipoff Games Monday NightPenn State Hosts Butler in Gavitt Tipoff Games Monday Night
Penn State Athletics

Penn State Hosts Butler in Gavitt Tipoff Games Monday Night


UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's basketball team faces an early-season test Monday night when the Nittany Lions host Butler in the Gavitt Tipoff Games inside the Bryce Jordan Center. Tipoff is slated for 8:30 p.m. and the game will air nationally on FS1. The 2022-23 Penn State men's basketball season is presented by Highmark Health.
 
FOLLOW ALONG

 
OPENING TIPS

  • Penn State hosts Butler Monday night in the 2022 Gavitt Tipoff Games to close a three-game, season-opening homestand.
  • The potent Penn State offense has scored 90 or more points in both of its games this season while averaging 17.0 made 3-pointers on a 50.0% (34-68) clip from deep.
  • Preseason All-Big Ten pick Jalen Pickett is averaging 14.0 points and 8.0 assists per game to lead five Nittany Lions in double figures. Camren Wynter (13.5 ppg), Andrew Funk (12.5 ppg), Myles Dread (12.0 ppg) and Seth Lundy (10.0 ppg) follow.

 
IF PENN STATE BEATS BUTLER

  • Penn State would improve to 3-0 on the season for the first time since 2019-20.
  • The Nittany Lions would improve to 3-1 all-time in Gavitt Tipoff Games matchups.
  • Penn State would even the all-time series with Butler at 2-2.

 
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS

  • The Bulldogs are 1-0 on the young season and haven't played since opening night on Nov. 7.
  • Butler took down New Orleans 89-53 at home last Monday night. The Bulldogs shot 56.3 percent (36-64) from the field, but just 16.7 percent (4-24) from 3-point range in the victory.
  • Six-foot-eleven center Manny Bates had a 25-point, 11-rebound double-double in the Bulldog victory, while Chuck Harris added 17 points.
  • Butler is in its first season under head coach Thad Matta. Matta returned to his alma as head coach for the second time as he also guided the Bulldogs during the 2000-01 season. Matta owns a stellar 440-154 record in his 17-plus years as a head coach, which includes stints at Butler, Ohio State and Xavier.

 
AGAINST BUTLER

  • Penn State and Butler meet for the fourth time in program history and the first time in 30 years.
  • The Nittany Lions and Bulldogs last met in a home-and-home series in 1992, which was Penn State's independent year between its time in the Atlantic 10 and Big Ten. The home team won each of the meetings in that home-and-home set.

 
FROM BULLDOGS TO NITTANY LIONS

  • Penn State head coach Micah Shrewsberry spent four seasons on the Butler sideline under head coach Brad Stevens. He started his time with the Bulldogs as the coordinator of basketball operations before serving as an assistant coach for three seasons. With Shrewsberry on the bench, the Bulldogs reached the 2010 and 2011 National Championship games, compiled an 87-21 record, won two Horizon League regular-season championships and two Horizon League Tournament titles, and made three NCAA Tournament appearances. He aided in the development of Gordon Hayward, who was the 2009 Horizon League Newcomer of the Year, 2010 Horizon League Player of the Year in 2010 and on the Final Four All-Tournament Team in 2010.
  • Penn State Director of Player Development Mike Green is one of Butler's all-time great players. Green amassed numerous accolades as two-year starter for Butler, including 2007-08 Horizon League Player of the Year, Most Outstanding Player of the 2008 Horizon League Tournament, 2007-08 Horizon League All-Defensive Team, Associated Press All-America honorable mention, 2007-08 Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award winner, 2007-08 Chip Hilton Award winner and 2006-07 Horizon League Newcomer of the Year.

 
GAVITT TIPOFF GAMES

  • Penn State is 2-1 all-time in Gavitt Games matchups and makes its return to the event for the first time since 2019 when the Nittany Lions earned a dominant 81-66 win at Georgetown. Penn State's previous three Gavitt Games contents are below:
Date Opponent Result
11/14/2019 at Georgetown W, 81-66
11/15/2018 at DePaul L, 70-72 (OT)
11/17/2015 DePaul W, 68-62
  • The Gavitt Tipoff Games is a unique early-season series played between the Big Ten and the BIG EAST, and named in honor of Hall of Famer Dave Gavitt, founder of the BIG EAST and basketball visionary. The Big Ten has won the series twice, the BIG EAST claimed victory once, and the two conferences tied 4-4 in the event on three occasions.

 
PROJECT 44

  • Penn State will help raise awareness for Project 44 ahead of and during Monday night's game. Project 44 is a non-profit organization created in honor of former Butler basketball player Andrew Smith who passed away in 2016 from blood cancer. Andrew was a member of Butler's NCAA Finals teams in 2010 and 2011 while Penn State head coach Micah Shrewsberry was an assistant coach with the Bulldogs. Project 44's mission is to save lives by raising awareness and support for bone marrow donation.

 
FIRING ON ALL CYLINDERS

  • Penn State has scored 90 or more points in both of its games this season as the Nittany Lions are 2-0 on the young season. Penn State has made 34 3-pointers and tallied 45 assists on 66 made baskets between the first two games.
  • The 2022-23 season is less than a week old, but here's a look at where Penn State's offensive marks rank nationally as of Nov. 12:
Statistic Value National Rank
3FG made/game 17.0 3
Effective FG% 0.709 3
3FG% 50.0% 10
Assist/Turnover Ratio 2.37 16
Assists/game 22.5 17

 
MAKE IT RAIN

  • The 3-point line has existed in the college game for 36 years. Heading into this season, Penn State had never made more than 15 3-pointers in a single game, but the Nittany Lions have done so twice in the first two games of the season.
  • Penn State drilled a program-record 18 3-pointers in Monday night's season opener against Winthrop, besting the previous school mark of 15 that was reached on three occasions, most recently on Nov. 21, 2021 against Cornell. The Nittany Lions followed that up with 16 treys Thursday night against Loyola Maryland.
  • Penn State is shooting 50.0 percent (34-68) from deep and the Nittany Lions are the only team in the country shooting 50 percent or better with at least 30 3FG makes thus far into the season (as of 11/12).

 
90+

  • Penn State's 90 points against Loyola Maryland and 93 points against Winthrop marks the first time since December 2016 that Penn State has scored 90 points in back-to-back games (92 in win over St. John's on Dec. 18, 2016 and 96 in win over Morgan State on Dec. 21, 2016).

 
SHARING THE ROCK

  • The Nittany Lions dished 21 assists Thursday against Loyola Maryland after tallying 24 in Monday night's season opener. It marks the first time Penn State has recorded 20-plus assists in back-to-back games since Jan. 2, 2018 (20 at Maryland) and Dec. 30, 2017 (22 vs. Coppin State).

 
NITTANY LION DEPTH

  • The Penn State bench has scored 61 points through the first two games.
  • Seven Nittany Lions are averaging 6.5 or more points per game. All 13 scholarship players have scored so far this season, while 10 different players have made a 3-pointer.

 
1,500/500/500

  • Jalen Pickett (1,580 points, 514 rebounds, 614 assists) and Camren Wynter (1,684 points, 500 rebounds, 583 assists) are two of just three active Division I players with career marks of 1,500+ points, 500+ rebounds and 500+ assists.
  • Wyoming's Hunter Maldonado (1,732 points, 676 rebounds, 526 assists) is the only other active DI player to have reached the multi-faceted achievement.

 
BEWARE OF THE BACKCOURT

  • Penn State boasts a strong and experienced backcourt for the 2022-23 season. The six upperclassmen of Jalen Pickett, Myles Dread, Andrew Funk, Dallion Johnson, Seth Lundy and Camren Wynter have combined for 6,347 career points, 2,071 career rebounds and 1,650 career assists throughout their collegiate careers.

 
UP NEXT

  • Penn State plays away from home for the first time this season when the Nittany Lions head to the Charleston Classic Thursday-Sunday. The three-game event begins Thursday with an 11:30 a.m. opening round matchup against Furman on ESPNU.