UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men’s basketball team is set for its final tune-up before December Big Ten play Tuesday night when the Nittany Lions host Campbell at 6 p.m. inside the Bryce Jordan Center. The game will air nationally on Big Ten Network.
FOLLOW ALONG
- TICKETS: Tickets
- TV: Big Ten Network – Ryan Burr (pxp) & Austin Johnson (analyst)
- RADIO: Penn State Sports Network – Steve Jones (pxp) & Dick Jerardi (analyst)
- NATIONAL RADIO: SiriusXM Ch. 372 & SXM App Ch. 372
- LIVE STATS: StatBroadcast
- GAME NOTES: Penn State Notes | Campbell Notes
OPENING TIPS
- The Nittany Lions close out their three-game homestand Tuesday night when Penn State hosts Campbell in the Nittany Lions' final tune-up before December Big Ten play begins.
- Penn State is off to a 7-1 start to the season and the Nittany Lions are coming off back-to-back 90-plus point efforts in wins over Sacred Heart (90-59) and Boston University (96-87).
- Three Nittany Lions are averaging double-digit points, led by freshman Kayden Mingo's 14.3 ppg. Freshman Melih Tunca (13.9 ppg) and redshirt junior Freddie Dilione V (12.8 ppg) follow.
IF PENN STATE BEATS CAMPBELL
- The Nittany Lions would start the season 8-1 for the second-straight year.
- Penn State would win its 15th-straight non-conference home game played inside the Bryce Jordan Center and move to 19-1 in non-conference home games under third-year head coach Mike Rhoades.
SCOUTING THE FIGHTING CAMELS
- Campbell is 3-4 on the young season and will be playing their first game in a week Tuesday night when the Fighting Camels travel to Happy Valley.
- Campbell is coming off a 51-99 loss at Wake Forest on Nov. 25.
- The Fighting Camels' three wins have come over UT Arlington (71-67), Mid-Atlantic Christian (108-55) and Western Michigan (91-82).
- Campbell is 0-4 in road games this season.
- Four Fighting Camels are averaging double-digit points, led by D.J. Smith's 19.6 points per game. Dovydas Butka (14.9 ppg, 8.7 rpg), Chris Fields Jr. (12.7 ppg, 7.4 rpg) and Jeremiah Williamson-Johnson (11.1 ppg) follow.
- The Fighting Camels are in their first season under head coach John Andrezejek, who was an assistant on last year's national champion Florida Gators staff.
AGAINST CAMPBELL
- Penn State and Campbell meet for just the second time in program history Tuesday night.
- The only other meeting between the two programs came on Nov. 10, 2017, an 86-75 Penn State win inside the Bryce Jordan Center.
- Tony Carr scored 33 points and flirted with a triple-double to lead the way for the Nittany Lions, finishing with nine rebounds and seven assists.
7-1
- Penn State is off to a 7-1 start to the season. The Nittany Lions began the year 5-0 before dropping their first game of the season on Nov. 22 against Providence, 65-77. Penn State has since bounced back with its two highest-scoring games of the season, putting up back-to-back 90-plus point efforts in wins over Sacred Heart (90-59) and Boston University (96-87).
HOME SWEET HAPPY VALLEY
- Penn State has won 14-straight non-conference homes games played inside the Bryce Jordan Center. The Nittany Lions are 18-1 in non-conference home games under the direction of third-year head coach Mike Rhoades.
BACK-TO-BACK
- Penn State has scored 90-plus points in each of its last two games. It marks the first time that Penn State has scored 90-plus in back-to-back games since opening the 2024-25 season with three-straight 90-plus point efforts.
|
Stat |
Last 2 Games |
First 6 Games |
|
PPG |
93.0 |
79.2 |
|
FG% |
55.9% |
49.0% |
|
3FG% |
42.9% |
36.0% |
|
Rebound margin |
+9.0 |
+2.0 |
|
Steals per game |
10.0 |
7.0 |
DISCIPLINED
- Penn State's young squad has shown tremendous discipline as the Nittany Lions rank third in the country in fewest turnovers per game (8.4). The Nittany Lions committed just three turnovers on Nov. 25 vs. Boston University, the fewest turnovers Penn State has surrendered in a game since Dec. 22, 2022.
- Penn State's young team also ranks sixth in the country in fewest fouls per game (13.3).
DEPTH ON DISPLAY
- The Nittany Lions have showcased their depth through the first eight games of the season, as Penn State's 33.75 bench points per game ranks second 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 270-123 through eight 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. 29):
|
Team Stat |
Value |
National Rank |
|
Fewest turnovers/game |
8.4 |
3 |
|
Fewest fouls/game |
13.3 |
6 |
|
Turnover margin |
5.4 |
17 |
|
Assist-to-turnover ratio |
1.78 |
22 |
DYNAMIC ROOKIE DUO
- Penn State is one of just four schools in Division I to have two freshmen both averaging 13 or more points per game through games on Nov. 29.
- Penn State: Kayden Mingo (14.3 ppg) & Melih Tunca (13.9 ppg)
- Illinois: David Mirkovic (14.3 ppg) & Keaton Wagler (13.5 ppg)
- Arkansas: Maleek Thomas (17.6 ppg) & Darius Acuff Jr. (17.4 ppg)
- Portland: Joel Foxwell (15.6 ppg) & Timo George (13.4 ppg)
BURSTING ONTO THE SCENE
- Rookie Kayden Mingo is tied as the highest scoring freshman in the Big Ten and he leads the Nittany Lions in points (14.3 ppg) and assists (4.3 apg) and steals (2.0 spg) while ranking third in rebounds (4.1) through the first eight games of the season. He has scored in double figures in seven of eight games this season and is coming off a record-tying performance Saturday against Sacred Heart, collecting a single-game program record-tying eight steals against the Pioneers.
- 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 eight of Penn State's game while shooting 56.7 percent (38-67) from the field and 47.4 percent (9-19) from 3-point range.
- Tunca ranks second on the squad in points (13.9 ppg) and assists (3.8 apg).
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 12.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game with just seven total turnovers in 202 minutes of playing time.
- He has scored in double figures in six games this season, including a career-best 22 points and nine rebounds against Providence on Nov. 22.
UP NEXT
- The Nittany Lions open up Big Ten play on Tuesday, Dec. 9 when Penn State travels to #25 Indiana for an 8:30 p.m. tipoff on FS1.