Nittany Lions Return Home to Host Iowa Thursday NightNittany Lions Return Home to Host Iowa Thursday Night

Nittany Lions Return Home to Host Iowa Thursday Night





UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Coming off back-to-back double-digit road wins, the Penn State men's basketball team returns to the friendly confines of the Bryce Jordan Center Thursday night to host Iowa in a key Big Ten battle. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. on Big Ten Network.
 
FOLLOW ALONG

 
OPENING TIPS

  • The Nittany Lions return home after a two-game road swing looking to stay hot when Iowa comes to Happy Valley Thursday night.
  • Penn State sits 5-6 in Big Ten play and is coming off back-to-back road wins at Rutgers (61-46) and Indiana (85-71).
  • Kanye Clary is averaging a team-best 18.4 points per game, while Ace Baldwin Jr. has contributed 13.6 points, a team-best 5.2 assists and a Big Ten-best 2.82 steals per game. Baldwin Jr.'s 2.82 steals per game ranks sixth in the country.

 
IF PENN STATE BEATS IOWA

  • Penn State would win its third-straight conference game and move to 6-6 in Big Ten play. 
  • The Nittany Lions would improve to 9-3 in games played inside the BJC this season.

 
SCOUTING THE HAWKEYES

  • The Hawkeyes are 13-9 on the season and 5-6 in conference play entering Thursday's game which will have major implications in the tightly-packed Big Ten standings. 
  • Iowa is coming off a 79-77 home win over Ohio State Friday in the Hawkeyes' most recent game.
  • Iowa ranks second in the conference with 84.2 points per game, but second-worst in the Big Ten in scoring defense as the Hawkeyes allow their opponents to score an average of 77.2 points per contest.

 
AGAINST IOWA

  • Penn State and Iowa meet for the first of two times this regular season Thursday night in Happy Valley.
  • The home team has won each of the last six regular-season matchups between the two teams.
  • Penn State owns a 14-10 advantage when playing Iowa in Happy Valley.
  • The Nittany Lions won last season's lone meeting 83-79 on Jan. 1, 2023 inside the Bryce Jordan Center. Penn State led by double-digits for much of the game until Iowa made a late run to get within two with 16 seconds to play. A steal and pair of made free throws in the final seconds from current Atlanta Hawk Seth Lundy sealed the victory for Penn State.

 
BACK-TO-BACK DOUBLE-DIGIT ROAD WINS

  • Penn State returns home Thursday after picking up back-to-back double-digit road wins last week at Rutgers (61-46) and Indiana (85-71). It marked the first time in program history that Penn State won consecutive Big Ten road games by more than 12 points each.
  • Penn State did it with defense at Rutgers on Jan. 31 as the Nittany Lions forced 20 Rutgers turnovers and held the Scarlet Knights to a 34.0 percent (17-50) clip from the field and 5.9 percent (1-17) mark from 3-point range. The Nittany Lion offense was the catalyst in the win at Indiana on Feb. 3 as Penn State outscored the Hoosiers 62-37 in the final 25 minutes. Penn State shot a season-high 57.4 percent (31-54) from the field and 54.5 percent (12-22) from 3-point range as the Nittany Lions earned their first win in Bloomington since 2014.
  • With leading scorer Kanye Clary out for both games due to injury, Ace Baldwin Jr. orchestrated masterfully, averaging 18.5 points, 9.0 assists, 3.5 steals and 3.5 rebounds per game while shooting 52.0% (13-25) from the field in the two games combined.

 
ON THE RIGHT RHOADES

  • Penn State has made great strides throughout its first year under head coach Mike Rhoades. Notable accomplishments so far in Rhoades' first year at the helm include:
    • Defeated No. 11 Wisconsin on Jan. 16 - the highest-ranked win under a first-year head coach in program history.
    • Defeated Indiana at Assembly Hall for the first time under a first-year head coach in program history and the first time overall since 2014.
    • Won Big Ten home opener (vs. Ohio State) for the first time under a first-year Penn State head coach since 2012.
    • On track to have the highest-scoring offense under a first-year head coach at Penn State since 1954-55.
    • Signed top-40 recruiting class in the country (per 247Sports & Rivals).

 
FIRST-YEAR OFFENSE

  • Penn State enters Thursday's game averaging 76.0 points per game in Mike Rhoades' debut season.
  • That mark is on track to be Penn State's best offensive output since the 2000-01 team averaged 76.8 points per game en route to a Sweet 16 appearance.
  • It is also on pace to be Penn State's best offensive output under a first-year head coach since 1954-55 when the Nittany Lions put up 78.7 ppg under John Egli.

 
TURN UP THE PRESSURE

  • The Nittany Lions have forced their opponents into 15.73 turnovers per game, a mark that leads the Big Ten and ranks 15th in the nation. Penn State's +5.0 turnover margin ranks eighth in the country.
  • The Nittany Lions have scored a Big Ten-best average of 16.9 points off turnovers per game thus far this season, while Penn State's opponents have only scored 10.5 points per game off Nittany Lion turnovers.

 
DEFENDING THE ARC

  • Penn State leads the Big Ten in three-point percentage defense (through games on Feb. 4) as the Nittany Lions have allowed their opponents to shoot just 30.9 percent from downtown thus far this season.

 
COMEBACK CATS

  • Three of the Nittany Lions' five conference victories have seen Penn State erase a double-digit deficit to come back and win.
Opponent (Date) Deficit – Time Left Final Score
at Indiana (2/3) 11 – 5:15 1st half 85-71
Michigan (1/7) 14 – 3:15 1st half 79-73
Ohio State (12/9) 18 – 15:31 2nd half 83-80

 
GOT AN ACE UP OUR SLEEVE

  • Senior point guard Ace Baldwin Jr. is stuffing the stat sheet, averaging 13.6 points per game, a team-best 5.2 assists per contest and a Big Ten-best 2.82 steals per game. His 2.82 steals per game ranks sixth in the nation.
  • Should he finish the season averaging 13+ points per game, 5+ assists per game and 2+ steals per game, Baldwin Jr. would be one of just four Big Ten players to do so since 1992-93 (31 years) and the first since former Nittany Lion standout Tim Frazier did so in 2011-12:
    • 2023-24: Ace Baldwin Jr. (PSU) - 13.6/5.2/2.8
    • 2011-12: Tim Frazier (PSU) - 18.8/6.2/2.4
    • 1997-98: Mateen Cleaves (MSU) - 16.1/7.2/2.4
    • 1992-93: Tracy Webster (WIS) - 14.1/6.4/2.4
  • Baldwin Jr. currently owns career marks of 1,129 points, 534 assists and 245 steals. He is on track to be the only active Division I player with 1,000+ points, 500+ assists and 250+ steals once he records his 250th career steal. His 245 career steals rank third amongst active Division I players.

 
DO IT ALL

  • Ace Baldwin Jr. has proven to be one of the most dynamic players in the conference. He turned in a 15-point, 10-assist, 5-rebound, 5-steal performance on Jan. 31 in Penn State's road win at Rutgers. He is the first Big Ten player since at least the 2010-11 season (13 years) to notch a 15/10/5/5 game.
  • He is the first Big Ten player to have a 25+ point game (vs. VCU & Michigan), 13+ assist game (at Purdue) and 8+ steal game (vs. Northwestern) in a single season since Michigan State's Mateen Cleaves during the 1997-98 season.

 
SOPHOMORE LEAP

  • Sophomore guard Kanye Clary has seen the second-highest PPG increase by a Division I player from last season to this season. Clary's +14.7 ppg increase in scoring production trails only SIU's Xavier Johnson's +16.5 ppg difference.
  • The Virginia Beach, Va. native played limited minutes as a freshman behind Penn State's veteran 2022-23 backcourt that included two 2023 NBA Draft picks and five 1,000-point scorers.
Kanye Clary 2023-24 2022-23 Increase
Points per game 18.4 3.7 +14.7
FG% 46.5% 43.4% +3.1%
Rebounds per game 3.2 0.9 +2.3
Assists per game 2.8 0.7 +2.1

 
CAN'T STOP CLARY

  • Five-foot-eleven Kanye Clary's 18.4 points per game is the highest scoring output by any power conference player under six-foot tall this season.
  • Clary is on track to be one of only two Big Ten players under 6'0 to average more than 18 points per game in a season since 1992-93. Only Purdue's 5'11 Carsen Edwards has accomplished the feat:
    • 2018-19 - Carsen Edwards (5'11) - 24.3 ppg
    • 2023-24 - Kanye Clary (5'11) - 18.4 ppg
    • 2017-18 - Carsen Edwards (5'11) - 18.5 ppg
  • Clary is the second-highest scoring sophomore in the country. Clary's 19.4 points per Big Ten game ranks fifth amongst conference players, while his 18.4 points per game overall ranks sixth in the conference.

 
BIG Q

  • Veteran big man Qudus Wahab owns career marks of 1,238 points and 913 rebounds. His 913 rebounds rank 16th amongst active Division I players and he is one of just 19 active Division I players with upwards of 1,000 career points and 900 career rebounds.
  • Wahab is having the most efficient season of his five-year collegiate career, shooting a career-best 64.2 percent (79-123) from the field.

 
KERN COMING ON

  • Nick Kern Jr. has turned it up a notch as of late, scoring in double figures in six of the last nine contests.
Nick Kern Jr. Last 9 First 13
Points per game 10.1 ppg 5.8 ppg
FG% 55.7% 49.1%

 
HOME SWEET HAPPY VALLEY

  • The Bryce Jordan Center home court advantage has been friendly to the Nittany Lions, as Penn State is 8-3 inside the BJC this season and 71-33 (.6983) dating back to the 2017-18 season.

 
UP NEXT

  • The Nittany Lions are back on the road this weekend to take on Northwestern Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. ET/Noon CT on Big Ten Network.

 
The 2023-24 Penn State men's basketball season is presented by Highmark Health.