UNIVERSITY PARK – The Penn State men’s basketball team returns to the Bryce Jordan Center to host the undefeated #2/1 Michigan Wolverines Tuesday night. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. and the game will air nationally on FS1.

FOLLOW ALONG

TICKETS: Tickets

PROMOTIONS:

Bryce Jordan Center 30th Anniversary Celebration

30% off tickets at this link

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TV: FS1- Connor Onion (pxp) & Donny Marshall (analyst)

LISTEN: 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 | Michigan

OPENING TIPS

Nittany Lions return to the Bryce Jordan Center looking to make history when they host #2/1 Michigan Tuesday night in Happy Valley.

The Nittany Lions are 9-5 on the season and will be searching for their first Big Ten win of the year.

Rookie guard Kayden Mingo leads the Nittany Lions in points (14.9 ppg), rebounds (3.9 rpg), assists (4.5 apg) and steals (2.5 spg). Freddie Dilione V (14.1 ppg) and Melih Tunca (10.6 ppg) are also averaging double-digit points.

IF PENN STATE BEATS #2/1 MICHIGAN

Penn State would defeat a team that is ranked #1 in either the AP or Coaches Polls for the first time in program history.

Penn State would earn its fifth win over a top-15 ranked team in the Mike Rhoades era.

SCOUTING THE WOLVERINES

The #2/1 Wolverines are one of six undefeated teams in the nation, sitting at a perfect 13-0 on the season and 3-0 in Big Ten play.

Michigan owns 10 wins by 20+ points, including eight by 30+, six by 40+, one by 50+, and three victories over nationally ranked opponents.

The Wolverines have beaten three-straight ranked opponents by 30+ points, a first in AP Poll history.

Michigan leads the country in scoring margin (+30.2 ppg), field goal percentage defense (34.6%) and defensive rebounds per game (33.1).

The Wolverines are coming off a 96-66 win over #24 USC Friday night in their most recent game.

Five Wolverines are averaging double-digit points, led by Yaxel Lendeborg’s 15.0 points per game. Morez Johnson Jr. follows with 14.8 points per game and a Big Ten-best 68.2 FG%.

AGAINST MICHIGAN

Penn State and Michigan meet for the first of two times this season Tuesday night in Happy Valley.

The two teams met just once last season, a tight 76-72 Michigan win in Ann Arbor. Penn State had a five-point lead with 2:08 to play, but the Wolverines scored the final nine points of the game to claim the home victory.

Ten of Penn State’s 17 all-time wins against Michigan have come in Happy Valley.

HISTORIC OPPORTUNITY

The Nittany Lions have an opportunity to make history Tuesday night as Penn State looks for its first-ever win against a team that is ranked No. 1 in either the Coaches Poll or AP Poll.

Penn State is 0-15 all-time against the number one team in the nation, but the Nittany Lions have come close before. The Nittany Lions took #1 Indiana to double-overtime in an 84-88 loss in 1993, fell by one point (49-50) at #1 Temple in 1988 and dropped a 50-56 game in overtime to #1 North Carolina in 1981.

This is Penn State’s first meeting with a top-ranked team since Jan. 13, 2024 when the Nittany Lions fell 78-95 at #1 Purdue.

30 YEARS FOR THE BJC

The Nittany Lions will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Bryce Jordan Center Tuesday night when Penn State hosts #2/1 Michigan.

The Bryce Jordan Center opened on Jan. 6, 1996. The Nittany Lions played their first game inside the BJC on Jan. 11, 1996, when Penn State took down Minnesota 76-61. Penn State owns a 308-168 record inside the BJC.

The Bryce Jordan Center is a 15,261-seat multi-purpose arena that is the largest such indoor venue in Pennsylvania outside of those in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. In addition to being home to the Nittany Lion basketball team, the BJC also hosts concerts and events that have included major stars such as Garth Brooks, Taylor Swift, Zach Bryan, Justin Timberlake, Jonas Brothers, Metallica, Kanye West, Elton John, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Prince, Jay-Z, Drake, The Weeknd, and Aerosmith.

RIGHT INTO THE FIRE

Four of Penn State’s first five Big Ten games are against top-20 ranked opponents:

Dec. 13 – #9 Michigan State

Jan. 3 – #20 Illinois

Jan. 6 – #2 Michigan

Jan. 10 – at #5 Purdue

ONE OF ONE

Rookie guard Kayden Mingo is the ONLY freshman in the country averaging 14+ points (14.9 ppg), 4+ assists (4.5 apg), 3.5+ rebounds (3.9 rpg) and 2+ steals (2.5 spg) per game through games on Jan. 3.

MINGO MAKING HIS MARK

Rookie Kayden Mingo is the third-highest scoring freshman in the Big Ten and he leads the Nittany Lions in points (14.9 ppg), rebounds (3.9 rpg), assists (4.5 apg) and steals (2.5 spg) through the first 14 games of the season.

He has scored in double figures in 12 of 14 games, including two 20-plus point efforts. Mingo leads the Big Ten and ranks 14th nationally with 2.5 steals per game and he collected a single-game program record-tying eight steals against Sacred Heart on Nov. 29.

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.

STEADY FREDDIE

Redshirt junior Freddie Dilione V, Penn State’s only returning starter from a season ago, has been an improved and consistent presence for the Nittany Lions thus far this season. Dilione ranks second on the team with 14.1 points per game to go along with his 3.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.

He has scored in double figures in 11 games this season, including career-best 23-point performances against #9 Michigan State and Pittsburgh.

Dilione V Stat

2024-25

2025-26

Improvement

Points per game

9.4

14.1

+4.7 ppg

Rebounds per game

2.8

3.5

+0.7 rpg

Assists per game

1.7

2.4

+0.7 apg

Turnovers per game

1.5

1.1

-0.4 tpg

FG%

41.6%

49.4%

+7.8 FG%

3FG%

28.9%

33.3%

+4.4 3FG%

FT%

70.9%

84.4%

+13.5 FT%

UP NEXT

Penn State hits the road for a Saturday afternoon showdown at #5 Purdue. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m. on Big Ten Network.