Penn State Faces Virginia Tech in Charleston Classic Semifinals FridayPenn State Faces Virginia Tech in Charleston Classic Semifinals Friday
Tim Cowie/Tim Cowie Photography

Penn State Faces Virginia Tech in Charleston Classic Semifinals Friday

CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Penn State men's basketball team is set for a noon Friday battle with RV/RV Virginia Tech in the Charleston Classic semifinal round on ESPN2. The winner advances to Sunday's 3:30 p.m. tournament championship game.
 
FOLLOW ALONG

HOW THEY GOT HERE

  • The Nittany Lions earned their way into the winner's bracket after fending off a furious Furman comeback attempt in a 73-68 win over the Paladins in Thursday's quarterfinal round. Penn State got off to a hot start and led by as much as 21 in the first half. Furman heated up in the second half, slowly chipping away at the Penn State lead until it was a one-point game in the final two minutes. The Penn State defense held on, however, and added four clutch points from Seth Lundy in the final 1:22 to close out the 73-68 victory. Lundy finished with 20 points and a team-best seven rebounds, while senior+ guard Jalen Pickett finished with 20 points and team-best seven assists. Myles Dread knocked down three triples for nine points.
  • Virginia Tech's Thursday game looked quite similar as the Hokies led Old Dominion 39-25 at halftime. The Monarchs chipped away in the second half, eventually pulling within two points in the final minute, but the Hokies held on for the 75-71 win. Five Hokies finished in double figures, led by Sean Pedulla's 18 points and seven assists. Grant Basile followed with 15 points off the bench.

 
IF PENN STATE BEATS VIRGINIA TECH

  • Penn State would improve to 5-0 on the season for the first time since 2019-20.
  • The Nittany Lions would advance to Sunday's Charleston Classic championship game that is set for a 3:30 p.m. tipoff on ESPN2.
  • Penn State would win its fourth-straight game against the Hokies.

 
SCOUTING THE HOKIES

  • The Hokies are off to a 4-0 start to the season after earning wins over Old Dominion (75-71), William & Mary (94-77), Lehigh (78-52) and Delaware State (95-57).
  • Virginia Tech advanced to Friday's Charleston Classic semifinal round with its 75-71 win over Old Dominion Thursday afternoon. The Hokies held a 14-point lead at the half, but the Monarchs chipped away and eventually pulled within two points in the final minute before the Hokies held on for the 75-71 win. Five Hokies finished in double figures, led by Sean Pedulla's 18 points and seven assists. Grant Basile followed with 15 points off the bench.
  • Pedulla leads the team for the season with 19.5 points per game, while Grant Basile averages 17.3 ppg. Darius Maddox (12.0 ppg) and Hunter Cattoor (11.0 ppg) are also averaging double-digit points.
  • The Hokies average 11.3 3-pointers per game and are shooting 44.6 percent (45-101) from downtown.
  • Virginia Tech is coming off a 2021-22 season that saw the Hokies make an NCAA Tournament appearance. The Hokies were 23-13 overall and won the ACC Tournament Championship in 2021-22.

 
AGAINST VIRGINIA TECH

  • Penn State and Virginia Tech are set to meet for the 11th time in program history Friday.
  • Virginia Tech leads the all-time series 6-4, but Penn State has won the last three matchups.
  • The Nittany Lions and Hokies last met in the 2020 Big Ten/ACC Challenge, with Penn State earning a dominant 75-55 road win at 15th-ranked Virginia Tech on Dec. 8, 2020. The Penn State win ended Virginia Tech's 34-game non-conference home winning streak. The Nittany Lions led the game for nearly 39 minutes, trailing only after the first basket of the game and the victory was milestone win number 1,500 for the program.
  • Penn State earned a pair of close wins in the previous two contests, a 63-62 home victory on Nov. 27, 2018 and a 61-58 home win on Dec. 3, 2014.

 
QUICK TIPS

  • Penn State is off to its first 4-0 start to the season since the 2019-20 slate.
  • The potent Penn State offense is averaging 81.0 points per game and the Nittany Lion defense hasn't allowed a team to score more than 68 points this season.
  • The Nittany Lions are averaging 13.8 3-pointers per game and shooting the longball at a 46.2 percent (55-119) clip.
  • Preseason All-Big Ten pick Jalen Pickett leads in points (15.8 ppg), rebounds (5.5 rpg), assists (8.5 apg), steals (5) and blocks (4).
  • Penn State's well-balanced offensive attack also features Seth Lundy (12.5 ppg), Camren Wynter (11.3 ppg), Andrew Funk (10.5 ppg) and Myles Dread (9.8 ppg).
  • The Nittany Lions are shooting 51.1 percent from the field and average 19.8 assists per game.
  • Jalen Pickett (1,615 points, 528 rebounds, 632 assists) and Camren Wynter (1,702 points, 506 rebounds, 589 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 (1,747 points, 687 rebounds, 530 assists) is the only other active DI player to have reached the multi-faceted achievement.
  • Penn State's bench has scored 91 points (22.8 ppg) through the first four games of the season.
  • Myles Dread is shooting a team-best 59.1 percent (13-22) from 3-point range this season and leads Penn State with 13 made 3-pointers. He owns 245 career treys, the fifth-most all-time in Penn State history.

 
UP NEXT

  • The winner of the Penn State-Virginia Tech game advances to Sunday's tournament championship game at 3:30 p.m., while the loser will play in the third-place game at either 12:30 p.m. or 6 p.m. Sunday.

The 2022-23 Penn State men's basketball season is presented by Highmark Health.