UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's basketball team (7-8, 4-7) travels to East Lansing to face Michigan State (9-7, 3-7) at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 9, in the Breslin Center. Tuesday night's game, set to air on ESPN2, is the only regular-season game scheduled for the two teams in 2020-21.
The Nittany Lions and Spartans are both coming off weekend home wins as Penn State defeated Maryland, 55-50, and Michigan State topped Nebraska 66-56.
WATCH: ESPN2 and ESPN mobile app
Dave Flemming (pxp) and Dan Dakich (analyst)
LISTEN: Penn State Sports Network
Steve Jones (pxp) & Dick Jerardi (analyst)
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Listen online: GoPSUsports.com/lionvision
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LIVE STATS: Penn State vs. Michigan State
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ROSTER: Penn State | Michigan State
SCHEDULE: Penn State | Michigan State
STATS: Penn State | Michigan State
GAME NOTES: Penn State | Michigan State
MICHIGAN STATE
Coach: Tom Izzo (Kansas, 1977)
Michigan State Record: 637-248 (26th season)
Career Record: Same
2020-21 Record: 9-7, 3-7 Big Ten
Leading Scorer
#00 Aaron Henry, Jr., F – 14.0 ppg
Leading Rebounder
#20 Joey Hauser, R-Jr., F – 7.1 rpg
Assists Leader
#00 Aaron Henry, Jr., F – 3.6 apg
PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS
Interim Head Coach: Jim Ferry (Keene State, 1990)
Penn State Record: 7-8 (First season)
Career Record: 321-273 (20th season)
Top Scorer
#12 Myreon Jones, Jr., G – 15.6 ppg
Top Rebounder
#21 John Harrar, Sr., F – 8.1 rpg
Assists Leaders
#5 Jamari Wheeler, Sr., G – 3.8 apg
PENN STATE LAST GAME STARTERS
F -- 1 – Seth Lundy – Sr. | 11.7 ppg | 4.2 rpg
Note: Averaging 11.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg over last 8 games; scored game-high 26 at Ohio State
F -- 21 – John Harrar – Sr. | 8.7 ppg | 8.4 rpg
Note: Averaging a double-double with 10.0 points, 10.1 rebounds over last 8 games. Had 9 points vs. Maryland in win, including 5 from free throw line. Passed ball to Myles Dread for his trey at 4:34 to give Nittany Lions a 7-point lead
G – 0 – Myreon Jones -- Jr. | 14.7 ppg | 2.8 rpg
Note: Ranks No. 7 on Penn State career list for 3-point field goal percentage at 40.1 percent; Has 10+ points in all but two games this season
G – 5 – Jamari Wheeler -- Sr. | 5.1 ppg | 3.9 rpg | 3.8 apg
Note: Floor general dictates pace, ranks 16th on Penn State career list with 298 assists and has 196 in Big Ten games
G – 12 – Izaiah Brockington -- Jr. | 14.7 ppg | 4.6 rpg
Note: Played all but 79 seconds in Maryland win; Penn State's No. 2 scorer and rebounder with six rebounds and team-best 13 points in Maryland win.
STARTING 5
Penn State plays in its 500th Big Ten Conference game Tuesday night. The men's basketball program is playing its 125th overall season in 2020-21 and 29th as a member of the Big Ten.
As of the Feb. 8 NCAA NET rankings, Penn State is at 28, one of eight Big Ten teams in the top 30. The Nittany Lions are among the nine Big Ten teams in the top 30 of the kenpom.com ratings.
Penn State not only claims the top rankings for this year's strength of schedule, but the Nittany Lions' 2020-21 schedule is currently the toughest schedule recorded in kenpom.com history (+19.53), dating back to the 2001-02 season.
Senior forward John Harrar has corralled 37 offensive rebounds in the last eight games for 4.6 per game. He ranks seventh nationally with an average of 3.73 overall.
Senior guard Jamari Wheeler has 298 career assists (16th on PSU's career list) and needs four more for 200 total in Big Ten Conference games.
SERIES vs. MICHIGAN STATE
Penn State and Michigan State play only once in the regular season this year, their 50th meeting in the series. The two teams split their meetings in 2019-20 with each winning away from home.
Prior to last season's win in the Breslin Center (75-70, 2/4/2020), Penn State last won at Michigan State in 2009, recording the program's second win in East Lansing in 25 tries.
Series streak: Michigan State, W1
Last game: University Park, Pa., 3/3/2020
No. 16 Michigan State 79, No. 20 Penn State 71
Overall series: MSU leads 40-9 (PSU A: 2-23)
Ferry vs. Michigan State & Izzo: 0-1
(LIU | L, 2012 NCAA tournament, Columbus, Ohio)
Series record and last 20 results are on page 5 of the game notes.
DEFENSIVE EFFORT BEYOND ARC
Penn State ranks No. 1 in the Big Ten in 3-point field goal percentage defense at 31.3 percent in all games. The Nittany Lions have held six teams below that 3-point field goal percentage in 2020-21 with the lowest of the year (17.6) by Maryland Friday night.
HOME & AWAY
Even this year, without the Legion of Blue and tremendous fan support, there's something to be said about being at home in the Bryce Jordan Center. The Nittany Lions are better in almost all stat categories in Big Ten games played on their home court.
| Stat | Home Games (5) | Road Games (6) | Total (11) |
| Record | 4-1 | 0-6 | 4-7 |
| Points per game | 74.6 | 69.2 | 71.6 |
| Rebounds per game | 35.6 | 35.7 | 35.6 |
| Rebound margin | +4.4 | -0.3 | +1.8 |
| FG percentage | 45.7 | 37.7 | 41.1 |
| 3-FG percentage | 32.1 | 34.7 | 33.6 |
| FT percentage | 74.0 | 71.4 | 72.7 |
| Fouls per game | 15.0 | 20.1 | 18.8 |
NET & KENPOM.COM
Penn State is one of eight Big Ten teams ranked in the top 30 in the Feb. 8, 2021 NCAA NET rankings and the only team among the group at or below .500. The kenpom.com calculations have Penn State, one of nine Big Ten teams in the top 30, at No. 30, the highest rated team with a record at or below .500.
Feb. 8, 2021
NCAA NET – 28
Kenpom.com – 30
ESPN BPI – 48
BY THE NUMBERS
13.8 – The Nittany Lions have turned over their B1G opponents an average
of 13.8 times per game, the top per-game average in the league. Penn State is second in the Big Ten in turnover margin (2.73 overall, 1.82 B1G games).
+14 – Penn State's rebound margin of +14 in the second half vs. Maryland (25-11), its highest total in a half since a Jan. 2011 game vs. Ohio State (+14, 2H). .
+19.53 – Penn State's 2020-21 schedule is currently the toughest in kenpom.com history (dating back to 2001-02) with a +19.53 rating.
37 – Senior forward John Harrar has 37 offensive rebounds in the last eight games (4.6 o-rpg). He currently ranks seventh nationally with 3.73 offensive rebounds per game overall.
55 – The 55 points Friday was the lowest point total in a win since the Nittany Lions defeated No. 24 Minnesota 52-50 (1/14/17). The 31.5 field goal percentage vs. Maryland was the lowest since the 2017 game vs. the Golden Gophers (30.4) as well.
500 – Penn State plays in its 500th Big Ten Conference game Tuesday night. The men's basketball program is playing its 125th overall season in 2020-21 and 29th as a member of the Big Ten.
LAST TIME OUT: NITTANY LIONS WIN DEFENSIVE BATTLE AGAINST MARYLAND
Penn State remained composed and held off a late Maryland rally for a 55-50 win. Jamari Wheeler made two free throws with 23 seconds left for the final margin after the Nittany Lions kept Maryland without a field goal for the final 7:32.
Wheeler tied his Big Ten career best with three 3-pointers and he hit a corner triple just before the shot clock expired at 11:33 of the second half to break a tie at 36. His triple sparked a Nittany Lion 7-0 run for their largest lead of the night, to that point, at 43-36.
Maryland cut the Nittany Lions' lead to one at 45-44 with 7:32 to play after an Eric Ayala layup, the Terps' last basket of the night. Maryland's final six points came from the free throw line and the Terps stole the ball with nine seconds left.
Penn State free throw shooting proved to be the deciding factor, as the Nittany Lions went 16-18 from the charity stripe, with all attempts in the second half. PSU dominated on the boards in the second half as well, with a 25-11 advantage. Senior forward John Harrar, with a game-best 12 rebounds, pulled down nine in the final 20 minutes and second seven of his nine points in the second half as well.
Junior guard Izaiah Brockington led Penn State in scoring with 13 points and Wheeler accompanied him in double figures with 11. Maryland's Ayala led all scorers with 23 points.
The game was tied for 7:36, but Penn State never relinquished the lead after Wheeler's 3-pointer for the 39-36 Nittany Lion advantage.
The Nittany Lions and Terrapins defensive struggle was evident from the opening tip and the half ended with tie at 23. Neither team shot well from the get-go with the Terps' first basket coming 6:12 into the game and Penn State starting 3-10 from the field.
Maryland was hampered by a slew of early turnovers, finishing the half with 11. Penn State scored 10 points off the Maryland miscues.
Maryland built its largest lead of the game, using a 12-0 run to take a 23-14 lead with 2:47 to play in the first half. The Nittany Lions finished the half on a 9-0 run to tie the game as Brockington drilled a jumper with 25 seconds remaining in the half to tie it at 23-23.
FOLLOW PENN STATE MEN'S BASKETBALL VIRTUALLY
Please stay connected and follow Penn State men's basketball virtually throughout season. While we are unable to host fans this season due to COVID-19 protocols, fans are able to join the interest list for tickets for the 2021-22 men's basketball season. Sign up for the 2021-22 interest list by clicking here.