Nittany Lions Head to Iowa for Friday Night Road TestNittany Lions Head to Iowa for Friday Night Road Test

Nittany Lions Head to Iowa for Friday Night Road Test

Penn State and Iowa tipoff at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT Friday on FS1

TV - FS1 Listen Live Stats Game Notes

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men’s basketball team hits the road for a Friday night showdown at Iowa at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT on FS1.

FOLLOW ALONG

OPENING TIPS

  • The Nittany Lions are coming off an 80-72 win over Rutgers Monday night and look to take that momentum on the road when Penn State visits Iowa Friday night in Iowa City.
  • The Nittany Lions rank top 20 in the nation in points per game (84.2) and turnovers forced per game (16.11).
  • Six Nittany Lions are averaging double-digit points, led by Ace Baldwin Jr.'s 14.7 ppg.

IF PENN STATE BEATS IOWA

  • The Nittany Lions would earn just their second win in Iowa City in the last 22 years.
  • Penn State would earn its first Big Ten road win of the season.
  • The Nittany Lions would earn back-to-back conference wins for the first time this season.

SCOUTING THE HAWKEYES

  • The Hawkeyes are 12-7 on the season and 3-5 in Big Ten play.
  • Iowa has lost its last three games, including a 72-67 home loss to Minnesota on Tuesday night in their most recent game.
  • The Hawkeyes are 10-2 in home games this season.
  • Iowa's offense leads the Big Ten with 87.3 points per game, but the Hawkeyes also give up a league-high 78.5 points per contest.
  • Owen Freeman leads Iowa with 16.9 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. Payton Sandfort follows closely with 16.5 points per game, while Josh Dix is averaging 14.1 points per game.

AGAINST IOWA

  • Penn State and Iowa meet for the only time this regular season Friday night in Iowa City.
  • The Nittany Lions will be looking for their fifth-ever road win in Iowa City and just the second in the last 22 years. Penn State won on the road at Iowa in 2017 for the first time since 2001.
  • The two teams split last season's regular-season series, with Penn State earning an 89-79 win in Happy Valley on Feb. 8 and Iowa claiming a 90-81 decision on Feb. 27 in Iowa City.

BACK ON TRACK

  • The Nittany Lions got back in the win column Monday night when Penn State took down Rutgers, 80-72, inside the Bryce Jordan Center. The Nittany Lions shot a season-high 46.7 percent (10-21) from 3-point range and 81.5 percent (22-27) from the free throw line in the win.

FRONT LOADED

  • 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 35-22 (.614) in conference play, while the 10 Penn State has left to face in the remainder of its conference slate are a combined 34-45 (.430) in Big Ten play.

REWRITING HISTORY…ALREADY

  • The Nittany Lions have accomplished the following Penn State milestones through just the first 19 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. 22:

Team Stat

Value

National Rank

Turnovers forced per game

16.11

13

Points per game

84.2

17

Turnover margin

4.3

20

Assists per game

17.2

22

FT made per game

17.6

23

Individual Stat

Value

National Rank

Assists per game – Ace Baldwin Jr.

8.1

4

FT% - Ace Baldwin Jr.

92.9%

7

Blocks – Yanic Konan Niederhauser

42

11

FT made – Ace Baldwin Jr.

104

18

HIGH OCTANE

  • Penn State is averaging 84.2 points per game, a mark that ranks 17th in the country.
  • The Nittany Lions have scored 80-plus points in 14 of their 19 games this season.
  • Penn State's 84.2 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

TURNING DEFENSE INTO OFFENSE

  • Penn State ranks 13th in Division I in turnovers forced per game (16.11) and 27th in steals per game (9.3).
  • The Nittany Lions have owned a 372-236 advantage in points scored off turnovers through the first 19 games of the season.

CLOSE LOSSES

  • Penn State has been within four points in the final two minutes of five of its six losses this 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 (1,561), 700+ career assists (763) and 300+ career steals (308).
  • Baldwin Jr. is Division I's active career leader in steals (308) and his 763 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 seventh in free throw percentage (92.9%). He is averaging stellar marks of 14.7 points, 8.1 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 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.

CONSISTENCY FOR KERN

  • Senior Nick Kern Jr. has scored in double figures in 14 of the last 16 games, including two 20-plus point efforts. He leads the Nittany Lions with 15 double-digit scoring efforts this season and is currently Penn State's second-leading scorer on the year.
  • He has shot 61.5 percent (91-148) from the field this season while averaging 12.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.3 steals per game.

BIG FELLA BURSTING ONTO THE SCENE

  • Yanic Konan Niederhauser, Penn State's mobile and versatile seven-foot forward, is averaging 12.4 points and team-best marks of 6.4 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game. The Switzerland native transferred to Penn State ahead of the 2024-25 season following two years at Northern Illinois.

Yanic Konan Niederhauser

PSU (2024-25)

NIU (2022-24)

Points per game

12.4 ppg

5.1 ppg

FG%

62.2%

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 (42.9%) and his 2.53 triples per game ranks second in the conference.
  • Hicks is averaging 13.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game in conference play.

READY FREDDIE

Dilione V

Nov.

Dec.-Jan.

PPG

8.1

11.4

FG%

39.2%

47.5%

3FG%

15.8%

40.9%

Assists/game

1.0

2.3

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.