Nittany Lions Set for Saturday Night Showdown with Sacred HeartNittany Lions Set for Saturday Night Showdown with Sacred Heart
Mark Selders

Nittany Lions Set for Saturday Night Showdown with Sacred Heart

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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men’s basketball team looks to continue is home success Saturday night when the Nittany Lions host Sacred Heart inside the Bryce Jordan Center. Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m. and the game will air nationally on Peacock and NBCSN.

FOLLOW ALONG

OPENING TIPS

  • The Nittany Lions remain home for the second game of a three-game homestand Saturday evening when Penn State hosts Sacred Heart.
  • Penn State is off to a 6-1 start to the season and the Nittany Lions are coming off their best offensive showing of the season Tuesday night in Penn State's 96-87 win over Boston University.
  • Four Nittany Lions are averaging double-digit points, led by freshman Kayden Mingo's 14.4 ppg. Freshman Melih Tunca (14.1 ppg), junior Freddie Dilione V (13.1 ppg) & senior Josh Reed (10.1 ppg) follow.

IF PENN STATE BEATS SACRED HEART

  • The Nittany Lions would start the season 7-1 for the second-straight year.
  • Penn State would win its 14th-straight non-conference home game played inside the Bryce Jordan Center and move to 18-1 in non-conference home games under third-year head coach Mike Rhoades.

SCOUTING THE PIONEERS

  • The Pioneers are 2-4 on the young season and coming off a 106-108 overtime loss at Central Connecticut State on Monday night.
  • Sacred Heart's two wins this season came against Merchant Marine (103-46) and Holy Cross (79-66).
  • The Pioneers are 0-4 in road games and 2-0 in home games this season.
  • Anquan Hill leads the team with 18.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per game.
  • Dashon Gittens (15.6 ppg) and Nyle Ralph-Beyer (10.0 ppg) are also averaging double-digit points.
  • Sacred Heart is coming off a 2024-25 season that saw the Pioneers go 15-18 overall and 10-10 in MAAC play.

AGAINST SACRED HEART

  • Penn State and Sacred Heart meet for the fourth time in program history and the first time since 2009 Saturday evening.
  • The Nittany Lions have won all three previous meetings between the two teams, with the most recent being an 87-75 victory on Nov. 25, 2009.
  • All three previous matchups have been played in Happy Valley.

6-1

  • Penn State is off to a 6-1 start to the season. The Nittany Lions began the year 5-0 before dropping their first game of the season last Saturday against Providence, 65-77. Penn State bounced back with its best offensive game of the season Tuesday night in a 96-87 win over Boston University.

HOME SWEET HAPPY VALLEY

  • Penn State has won 13-straight non-conference homes games played inside the Bryce Jordan Center. The Nittany Lions are 17-1 in non-conference home games under the direction of third-year head coach Mike Rhoades.

DISCIPLINED

  • Penn State's young squad has shown tremendous discipline as the Nittany Lions lead the country in fewest turnovers per game (7.1). The Nittany Lions committed just three turnovers Tuesday night vs. Boston University, the fewest turnovers Penn State has surrendered in a game since Dec. 22, 2022.
  • Penn State's young team also ranks top 10 in the country in fewest fouls per game (13.1 - 7th).

DEPTH ON DISPLAY

  • The Nittany Lions have showcased their depth through the first seven games of the season, as Penn State's 33.7 bench points per game ranks third in the Big Ten and is a top-50 mark in the nation.
  • The Penn State bench has outscored the opponent bench by an eye-popping total of 236-97 through seven games this season.

NATIONAL NUMBERS

  • The Nittany Lions currently rank in the top 30 in the country in a number of statistical categories (rankings listed thru games on Nov. 25):

Team Stat

Value

National Rank

Fewest turnovers per game

7.1

1

Fewest fouls per game

13.1

7

Assist-to-turnover ratio

2.04

9

Turnover margin

5.1

30

DYNAMIC ROOKIE DUO

  • Penn State is one of just three schools in Division I to have two freshmen both averaging 14 or more points per game through games on Nov. 25.
    • Penn State: Kayden Mingo (14.4 ppg) & Melih Tunca (14.1 ppg)
    • Illinois: David Mirkovic (15.1 ppg) & Keaton Wagler (15.0 ppg)
    • Arkansas: Maleek Thomas (18.3 ppg) & Darius Acuff Jr. (16.8 ppg)

BURSTING ONTO THE SCENE

  • Rookie Kayden Mingo is the fourth highest-scoring freshman in the Big Ten and he leads the Nittany Lions in points (14.4 ppg) and assists (4.1) while ranking second in rebounds (4.3) through the first seven games of the season. He has scored in double figures in six of seven games this season and put together a career-best 24-point performance in Penn State's win over Harvard on Nov. 19.
  • Mingo, the highest-ranked recruit in program history, was named an ESPN Top 50 Impact Newcomer in late October. He was ranked as the No. 34 recruit nationally per 247Sports & No. 39 recruit nationally per ESPN out of high school. He was named the 2025 New York Gatorade Player of the Year following standout senior season at Long Island Lutheran.

OH MY MELIH

  • Istanbul, Turkey native Melih Tunca has been on fire to start the season, scoring in double figures in all seven of Penn State's game while shooting 55.7 percent (34-61) from the field and 44.4 percent (8-18) from 3-point range.
  • Tunca ranks second on the squad in points (14.1 ppg), assists (3.7 apg) and steals (1.1 spg).

STEADY FREDDIE

  • Redshirt junior Freddie Dilione V, Penn State's only returning starter from a season ago, has been a consistent presence for the Nittany Lions thus far this season.
  • Dilione is averaging 13.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game with just five total turnovers in 181 minutes of playing time.
  • He has scored in double figures in five games this season, including a career-best 22 points and nine rebounds against Providence on Nov. 22.

UP NEXT

  • Penn State closes out its three-game homestand against Campbell Tuesday night at 6 p.m. in the Nittany Lions’ final tune-up before December Big Ten play. The game will air nationally on Big Ten Network.