UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men’s basketball team returns home to the Bryce Jordan Center Monday night to host Rutgers at 6:30 p.m. on Peacock.
FOLLOW ALONG
- TICKETS: Tickets
- TV: Peacock – Paul Burmeister (pxp) & Stephen Bardo (analyst)
- RADIO: Penn State Sports Network – Steve Jones (pxp) & Dick Jerardi (analyst)
- NATIONAL RADIO: Sirius XM Ch. 372 & SXM App. Ch. 372
- LIVE STATS: StatBroadcast
- GAME NOTES: Penn State | Rutgers
OPENING TIPS
- The Nittany Lions are coming off a stretch of three-straight games against top-15 ranked opponents and return home Monday night to host Rutgers.
- The Nittany Lions rank top 20 in the nation in points per game (84.4) and turnovers forced per game (16.06).
- Six Nittany Lions are averaging double-digit points, led by Ace Baldwin Jr.'s 14.2 ppg.
IF PENN STATE BEATS RUTGERS
- The Nittany Lions would snap their four-game losing streak.
- Penn State would improve to 10-1 in home games in the Bryce Jordan Center this season.
- The Nittany Lions would improve to 30-11 all-time when playing Rutgers in Happy Valley.
SCOUTING THE SCARLET KNIGHTS
- Rutgers is 10-8 on the season, 3-4 in Big Ten play, and rides a two-game win streak into Happy Valley Monday night.
- The Scarlet Knights' three conference wins have come at Nebraska (85-82) and at home against UCLA (75-68) and Penn State (80-76).
- Rutgers picked up its first true road win of the season in its most recent game at Nebraska Thursday night.
- The freshman duo of Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey lead the Scarlet Knights with 20.1 and 19.3 points per game, respectively.
AGAINST RUTGERS
- Penn State faces its first two-play opponent of the season Monday night when the Nittany Lions host Rutgers.
- The Nittany Lions are 29-11 all-time when playing Rutgers in Happy Valley.
- The Scarlet Knights won the season's first meeting 80-76 in Piscataway on Dec. 10. The Nittany Lions trimmed a 17-point second-half deficit down to two in the final minutes, but fell just short in the comeback attempt. Zach Hicks led Penn State with 20 points behind six 3-pointers. Freddie Dilione V followed with 14 points, while Nick Kern Jr. tallied 10 points.
HOME SWEET HAPPY VALLEY
- Penn State is 9-1 inside the Bryce Jordan Center this season and has won 12 of its last 13 home games in Happy Valley dating back to last season.
|
Stat |
PSU avg. in BJC games |
|
PPG |
90.4 |
|
FG% |
51.0% |
|
3FG% |
34.9% |
|
3FG made per game |
8.0 |
|
Assists per game |
18.7 |
|
Turnovers forced per game |
17.0 |
|
Steals per game |
10.2 |
LOOKING FOR A BOUNCE BACK
- The Nittany Lions look to snap a four-game losing streak Monday night when Penn State returns home to host Rutgers. Penn State's last three games have all been against top-15 ranked opponents.
- Penn State's Big Ten schedule has been frontloaded with teams that have emerged at the top of the league standings through the first third of the conference slate. The seven teams that Penn State has already played in Big Ten action are a combined 31-16 (.660) in conference play, while the 10 Penn State has left to face in the remainder of its conference slate are a combined 27-39 (.409) in Big Ten play.
REWRITING HISTORY…ALREADY
- The Nittany Lions have accomplished the following Penn State milestones through just the first 18 games of the season:
- Finished non-conference play at 10-1, marking just the sixth time since Penn State joined the Big Ten in 1992-93 that the Nittany Lions have finished regular-season non-conference action with one or fewer losses.
- Big Ten-opening win over #8 Purdue was Penn State's first win over a team ranked in the top 10 of the AP Poll since Dec. 2019.
- Started the season 6-0 for the first time in 25 years (since the 1999-2000 season). Started the season 8-1 for the first time in 10 years (since the 2014-15 season).
- Scored 100+ points in back-to-back games for the first time in program history (108 vs. Binghamton, 103 vs. UMBC).
- Scored 80+ points in six-consecutive games for the first time in program history.
- Scored 100+ in three games in the same season for just the second time in program history.
NATIONAL NUMBERS
- The Nittany Lions currently rank in the top 25 in the country in a number of statistical categories through games on Jan. 17:
|
Team Stat |
Value |
National Rank |
|
Points per game |
84.4 |
17 |
|
Turnovers forced/game |
16.06 |
17 |
|
Turnover margin |
4.3 |
22 |
|
Steals per game |
9.3 |
25 |
|
Individual Stat |
Value |
National Rank |
|
FT% - Ace Baldwin Jr. |
94.2% |
3 |
|
Assists per game – Ace Baldwin Jr. |
8.1 |
4 |
|
Blocks – Yanic Konan Niederhauser |
41 |
11 |
|
FT made – Ace Baldwin Jr. |
97 |
16 |
HIGH OCTANE
- Penn State is averaging 84.4 points per game, a mark that ranks 17th in the country.
- The Nittany Lions have scored 80-plus points in 13 of their 17 games this season.
- Penn State's 84.4 points per game currently tracks to best the program record for single-season scoring average of 78.7 ppg that was set by the 1994-95 team.
BALANCED ATTACK
- Six different Penn State players are averaging double-digit points: Ace Baldwin Jr. (14.2 ppg), Nick Kern Jr. (12.4), Zach Hicks (12.3), Yanic Konan Niederhauser (12.1), Puff Johnson (10.2) and Freddie Dilione V (10.1).
- Nine players have scored in double figures, with six different players recording 20-plus point games, in the Nittany Lions' balanced offensive attack.
TURNING DEFENSE INTO OFFENSE
- Penn State ranks 17th in Division I in turnovers forced per game (16.6) and 25th in steals per game (9.3).
- The Nittany Lions have owned a 355-219 advantage in points scored off turnovers through the first 18 games of the season.
ONE OF ONE
- Graduate student Ace Baldwin Jr. is the ONLY active Division I player and one of just nine Division I players since the 1947-48 season (77 years) with 1,500+ career points (1,539), 700+ career assists (755) and 300+ career steals (303).
- Baldwin Jr. is Division I's active career leader in steals (303) and his 755 career assists are second amongst active Division I players.
GOT AN ACE UP OUR SLEEVE
- Ace Baldwin Jr. currently ranks fourth in the country with his 8.1 assists per game and second in free throw percentage (94.2%). He is averaging stellar marks of 14.2 points, 8.1 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game. He's notched five points-assists double-doubles and has tallied double-digit assists in more games (6) than he did all of last season (4), including a single-game school record 16 helpers on Dec. 14 vs. Coppin State.
- The reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, Baldwin Jr. earned a spot on the Naismith Trophy Men's College Player of the Year Watch List this preseason, in addition landing on the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Top 20 Preseason Watch List and being named a Preseason All-Big Ten selection.
BIG FELLA BURSTING ONTO THE SCENE
- Yanic Konan Niederhauser, Penn State's mobile and versatile seven-foot forward, is averaging 12.1 points and team-best marks of 6.4 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game. The Switzerland native transferred to Penn State ahead of the 2024-25 season following two years at Northern Illinois.
|
PSU (2024-25) |
NIU (2022-24) |
|
|
Points per game |
12.1 ppg |
5.1 ppg |
|
FG% |
60.7% |
51.4% |
|
Rebounds per game |
6.4 rpg |
3.2 rpg |
ZACH ATTACK
- Senior Zach Hicks leads the Big Ten in 3-point shooting percentage (43.4%) and his 2.56 triples per game ranks third in the conference. Hicks is Penn State's leading scorer in conference play, averaging 13.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists per Big Ten game.
KERN COMING ON
- Senior Nick Kern Jr. has scored in double figures in 13 of the last 15 games, including two 20-plus point efforts. He has shot 60.4 percent (87-144) from the field this season while averaging 12.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game.
READY FREDDIE
- Freddie Dilione V has turned it up a notch since the first month of the season:
|
Dilione V |
Nov. |
Dec.-Jan. |
|
PPG |
8.1 |
11.4 |
|
FG% |
39.2% |
46.8% |
|
Assists/game |
1.0 |
2.2 |
FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHT
- Head Coach Mike Rhoades has inked the highest-ranked recruiting class in program history and the 21st-ranked class in the country as three highly-touted prospects signed to join the Nittany Lions during the November early signing period.
- Penn State's three-member class ranks 21st in the nation per 247 Sports. The three-member class is comprised of Mason Blackwood (Rochester, N.Y.), Justin Houser (Camp Hill, Pa.) and Kayden Mingo (Farmingdale, N.Y.). The three new Nittany Lions join the program as the Class of 2029 and bring accomplished athletic and academic pedigrees to Penn State.
The 2024-25 Penn State men’s basketball season is presented by Highmark Health.