Nittany Lions Host Minnesota in THON Game Saturday NightNittany Lions Host Minnesota in THON Game Saturday Night
Penn State Athletics

Nittany Lions Host Minnesota in THON Game Saturday Night




UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's basketball team returns to action Saturday night inside the Bryce Jordan Center when the Nittany Lions host Minnesota in Penn State's annual THON game. Tipoff is slated for 6:30 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.
 
FOLLOW ALONG

 
OPENING TIPS

  • The Nittany Lions return to action off a mid-week bye Saturday night when Penn State hosts Minnesota inside the Bryce Jordan Center in PSU's annual THON game.
  • Penn State sits 3-5 in Big Ten play with conference wins over Ohio State, Michigan and #11 Wisconsin.
  • Kanye Clary is averaging a team-best 18.8 points per game, while Ace Baldwin Jr. has contributed 13.0 points, a team-best 4.8 assists and a Big Ten-best 2.84 steals per game. Baldwin Jr.'s 2.84 steals per game ranks sixth in the country.

 
IF PENN STATE BEATS MINNESOTA

  • Penn State would win its fourth-straight game against Minnesota.
  • The Nittany Lions would improve to 9-2 inside the Bryce Jordan Center this season.

 
FOR THE KIDS

  • Saturday's game will be Penn State's annual THON game. The Penn State student section will don colorful t-shirts and in-game activities will be focused around raising awareness for the largest student-run philanthropy in the world.
  • The Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, or THON, is a year-long effort which raises funds and awareness for the fight against childhood cancer. With the support of students from all across the commonwealth of Pennsylvania and supporters all around the world, THON continues to make great strides towards finding a cure for all childhood cancers and has raised over $219 million since it began.
  • THON efforts culminate with a 46-hour, no-sitting, no-sleeping dance marathon in February. This year's dance marathon is set for Feb. 16-18 in the Bryce Jordan Center.

 
SCOUTING THE GOPHERS

  • The Gophers started the season 12-3, but have since dropped their last four games and sit at 12-7 on the season and 3-5 in Big Ten play.
  • Minnesota's three Big Ten wins came against Nebraska (76-65 - Dec. 6), Michigan (73-71 - Jan. 4) and Maryland (65-62 - Jan. 7).
  • Dawson Garcia leads Minnesota with 17.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Mike Mitchell Jr. (10.3 ppg), Joshua Ola-Joseph (10.2 ppg) and Cam Christie (10.1 ppg) follow.

 
AGAINST MINNESOTA

  • Penn State and Minnesota meet for the first of two times this season Saturday night in Happy Valley.
  • Penn State has won each of the last three and five of the last six matchups with the Gophers. The Nittany Lions own a 14-11 all-time advantage in games played in Happy Valley and haven't lost a home game to Minnesota since Jan. 15, 2018, a 95-84 overtime loss.
  • The Nittany Lions won last season's lone meeting 76-69 on Feb. 18 in Minneapolis, just Penn State's fourth-ever win when playing the Gophers in their home arena. Current Denver Nugget Jalen Pickett led the Nittany Lions with 32 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.

 
TURN UP THE PRESSURE

  • The Nittany Lions have forced their opponents into 15.84 turnovers per game, a mark that leads the Big Ten and ranks 15th in the nation. Penn State's +4.9 turnover margin ranks seventh in the country.
  • The Nittany Lions have scored a Big Ten-best average of 17.0 points off turnovers per game thus far this season, while Penn State's opponents have only scored 10.3 points per game off Nittany Lion turnovers.

 
FIRST-YEAR OFFENSE

  • Penn State enters Saturday's game averaging 76.4 points per game in Mike Rhoades' debut season.
  • That mark is on track to be Penn State's best offensive output since the 2000-01 team averaged 76.8 points per game en route to a Sweet 16 appearance.
  • It is also on pace to be Penn State's best offensive output under a first-year head coach since 1954-55 when the Nittany Lions put up 78.7 ppg under John Egli.

 
SOPHOMORE LEAP

  • Sophomore guard Kanye Clary has seen the second-highest PPG increase by a Division I player from last season to this season. Clary's +15.1 ppg increase in scoring production trails only SIU's Xavier Johnson's +16.4 ppg difference. 
  • The Virginia Beach, Va. native played limited minutes as a freshman behind Penn State's veteran 2022-23 backcourt that included two 2023 NBA Draft picks and five 1,000-point scorers.
Kanye Clary 2023-24 2022-23 Increase
Points per game 18.8 3.7 +15.1
FG% 47.5% 43.4% +4.1%
Rebounds per game 3.2 0.9 +2.3
Assists per game 2.7 0.7 +2.0

 
CAN'T STOP CLARY

  • Five-foot-eleven Kanye Clary's 18.8 points per game is the highest scoring output by any power conference player under six-foot tall this season.
  • Clary is on track to be one of only two Big Ten players under 6'0 to average more than 18 points per game in a season since 1992-93. Only Purdue's 5'11 Carsen Edwards has accomplished the feat:
    • 2018-19 - Carsen Edwards (5'11) - 24.3 ppg
    • 2023-24 - Kanye Clary (5'11) - 18.8 ppg
    • 2017-18 - Carsen Edwards (5'11) - 18.5 ppg
  • Clary is the third-highest scoring sophomore in the country. Clary's 20.5 points per Big Ten game ranks fourth amongst conference players, while his 18.8 points per game overall ranks fifth in the conference.

 
GOT AN ACE UP OUR SLEEVE

  • Senior point guard Ace Baldwin Jr. has stuffed the stat sheet through his first 19 games as a Nittany Lion, averaging 13.0 points per game, a team-best 4.8 assists per contest and a Big Ten-best 2.84 steals per game. His 2.84 steals per game ranks sixth in the nation.
  • Baldwin Jr. has proven to be one of the most dynamic players in the conference. He is the first Big Ten player to have a 25+ point game (vs. VCU & Michigan), 13+ assist game (at Purdue) and 8+ steal game (vs. Northwestern) in a single season since Michigan State's Mateen Cleaves during the 1997-98 season.
  • Baldwin Jr. scored his 1,000th career point on Dec. 29 in Penn State's win over Rider and notched his 500th career assist in his 13-assist performance at Purdue on Jan. 13. His 237 career steals rank fourth amongst active Division I players.

 
KERN COMING ON

  • Nick Kern Jr. has turned it up a notch as of late, slotting in as Penn State's second-highest scorer over the last six games.
Nick Kern Jr. Last Six Games First 13 Games
Points per game 12.2 ppg 5.8 ppg
FG% 62.8% 49.1%
Rebounds per game 4.7 4.3

 
 
UP NEXT

  • The Nittany Lions are on the road for back-to-back games next week, beginning with a Wednesday night test at Rutgers. Tipoff is slated for 8:30 p.m. on Big Ten Network.

 
The 2023-24 Penn State men's basketball season is presented by Highmark Health.