UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's basketball team returns home to open a four-game homestand Sunday at noon when the Nittany Lions host Canisius inside the Bryce Jordan Center. The game will be nationally televised on the Big Ten Network.
FOLLOW ALONG
- TICKETS: Tickets
- PROMOTIONS: Kids under 12 get in free – offer available on day of game only at Gate A, Gate B or main ticket office
- TV: Big Ten Network – Wayne Randazzo (pxp) & Jerry Dunn (analyst)
- RADIO: Penn State Sports Network – Steve Jones & Dick Jerardi
- NATIONAL RADIO: Sirius XM Ch. 396 | SXM App. Ch. 976
- LIVE STATS: Live Stats | StatBroadcast
- GAME NOTES: Penn State Notes
OPENING TIPS
- Penn State returns to the Bryce Jordan Center to begin a four-game homestand Sunday when the Nittany Lions welcome Canisius for a noon non-conference tilt.
- Penn State is 7-3 on the season and coming off its largest road win against a ranked Big Ten team in program history last Saturday, a 74-59 win at #17 Illinois.
- Jalen Pickett leads Penn State in scoring (16.2 ppg), rebounds (7.7 rpg) and assists (7.5 apg) and is the only player in the country averaging 16/7/7. Seth Lundy (14.1 ppg), Andrew Funk (11.0 ppg) & Camren Wynter (10.3 ppg) also average double-digit points.
IF PENN STATE BEATS CANISIUS
- Penn State would move to 4-0 all-time against the Golden Griffins.
- The Nittany Lions would improve to 5-1 at home this season.
- Penn State would improve to 17-6 all-time against current members of the MAAC.
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN GRIFFINS
- The Golden Griffins are 2-7 on the season and 0-2 in MAAC conference action.
- Canisius' two wins this season have come against St. Bonaventure (84-80, OT) on Nov. 12 and Fredonia (98-52) on Nov. 20.
- The Golden Griffins will be playing their sixth-straight road game when they travel to Happy Valley Sunday. Canisius is 0-5 in road games thus far this season.
- Tahj Staveskie leads Canisius with 13.7 points per game and 3.2 assists per contest.
- Jordan Henderson (12.9 ppg) and Jamir Moultrie (12.1 ppg) are also averaging double-digit points for Canisius.
AGAINST CANISIUS
- The Nittany Lions own a 3-0 all-time record against Canisius and the two programs are set to meet for the first time since 2015.
- Penn State earned an 81-67 win over the Golden Griffins in the most recent meeting on Dec. 10, 2015 inside the Bryce Jordan Center.
- The teams first met in the 1995 NIT consolation game, a 66-62 Penn State win Madison Square Garden on March 29, 1995.
B1G RANKED ROAD WIN
- Penn State returns to action Sunday against Canisius for the first time since the Nittany Lions picked up their largest road win against a ranked Big Ten team in program history last Saturday when Penn State defeated #17 Illinois 74-59 in Champaign.
- The Nittany Lions handed #17 Illinois its first home loss of the season and its largest loss of the season. The Illini, who were coming off a win over then-No. 2 Texas, had not lost a game by double-digits this season. Penn State controlled a nine-point halftime lead and held off several Illinois runs in the second half while shooting 50.0 percent (12-24) from 3-point range to earn the dominant road win.
- Andrew Funk and Jalen Pickett scored 20 points apiece to lead four Nittany Lions in double figures. Funk was 6-for-9 from deep while Pickett added seven rebounds and six assists to round out his strong overall performance. Seth Lundy finished with 16 points and seven rebounds while Myles Dread nailed five triples for 15 points.
NATIONAL NUMBERS
- Penn State and Nittany Lion players rank in the top 25 in the nation in a number of statistical categories as of Dec. 15:
| Team Stat | Value | National Rank |
| 3FG made/game | 11.7 | 3 |
| Fewest turnovers/game | 9.7 | 7 |
| Assist-to-turnover ratio | 1.59 | 11 |
| 3FG% | 40.2% | 13 |
| FT% | 77.0% | 20 |
| Player Stat | Value | National Rank |
| Assists/game – Jalen Pickett | 7.5 | 4 |
| Assist-to-turnover ratio – Jalen Pickett | 3.95 | 6 |
| 3FG% - Myles Dread | 47.4% | 21 |
THE MAESTRO
- Preseason All-Big Ten selection Jalen Pickett is the only player in the country currently averaging at least 16 points per game, 7 rebounds per game and 7 assists per game. The point guard is averaging 16.2 points, 7.7 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game while shooting 47.8 percent (66-138) from the field through the first 10 games of the season.
- Pickett ranks fourth in the country with a conference-best 7.5 assists per game and his 3.95 assist-to-turnover ratio is the sixth-best in the nation.
- He has proven to be one of the best all-around guards in the Big Ten and currently ranks in the top 10 of the conference in scoring (6th), rebounding (8th) and assists (1st). He's recorded a triple-double and three double-doubles through 10 games this season.
ELITE EFFICIENCY FOR LUNDY
- Senior Seth Lundy is producing at an elite level on both ends of the floor through the first 10 games of the season. The Paulsboro, N.J. native is the only player in the Big Ten that is averaging more 10 points and 6 rebounds per game while shooting at least 60% from 2-point range, 40% from 3-point range and 75% from the charity stripe.
- Lundy is averaging 14.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per game while shooting 67.6% from two, 43.8% from three and 78.0% from the free throw line.
- Lundy has scored in double figures in nine of 10 games this season. In addition to his offensive consistency, Lundy serves as one of the team's top defenders and is consistently tasked with guarding the opposing team's best players.
1-2 PUNCH
- Penn State's duo of Myles Dread and Andrew Funk have provided a lethal 1-2 punch on the perimeter as they both rank in the top three in the Big Ten in both 3-point field goal percentage and 3-pointers made per game.
- Myles Dread (2.7 3-pointers/game) leads the Big Ten in 3-point field goal percentage, converting his looks from deep at a 47.4 percent clip that is 21st in the nation. Andrew Funk has made a Big Ten-best 2.8 3-pointers per contest at a 40.6 percent clip. The two combined for 11 3-pointers in Penn State recent road win at #17 Illinois.
UP NEXT
- Penn State remains home to take on Quinnipiac Thursday at 8:30 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.
The 2022-23 Penn State men's basketball season is presented by Highmark Health.