Penn State forward Ivan Juric (3) shoots as Northwestern forward Tre Singleton, left, and forward Arrinten Page look on during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Evanston, Ill., Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

UNIVERSITY PARK – The Penn State men’s basketball team is back on the road Thursday night to face No. 2 Michigan. Tipoff from the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor is slated for 6:30 p.m. on FS1.

FOLLOW ALONG

TV: FS1 – Connor Onion (pxp) & Bill Raftery (analyst)

RADIO: Penn State Sports Network – Steve Jones (pxp) & Dick Jerardi (analyst)

NATIONAL RADIO: SiriusXM Ch. 381 & SXM App Ch. 971

OPENING TIPS

The Nittany Lions are back on the road Thursday night for a tough test inside the Crisler Center against #2 Michigan.

Penn State is coming off its first Big Ten win of the season after Kayden Mingo scored the game-winning shot with one second to play to lift the Nittany Lions to a 77-75 win over Minnesota Sunday.

Penn State’s trio of Kayden Mingo (14.1 ppg), Freddie Dilione V (13.9 ppg) and Josh Reed (10.0 ppg) are all averaging double-digit points.

IF PENN STATE BEATS #2 MICHIGAN

Penn State would earn its first-ever true road win against a top-five team.

The Nittany Lions would earn just their fourth-ever road win in Ann Arbor.

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

SCOUTING THE WOLVERINES

#2 Michigan is 20-1 on the season and tied for first place in the Big Ten standings with a 10-1 conference record.

The Wolverines’ only loss of the year came on Jan. 10, an 88-91 defeat to Wisconsin.

Michigan has won its last six games heading into Thursday night’s meeting with Penn State.

The Wolverines rank top 10 in the country in points per game (9th – 90.5), scoring margin (4th – +21.6), field goal percentage defense (36.9% – 2nd), blocks per game (5th – 6.0) and assists per game (8th – 18.8).

AGAINST #2 MICHIGAN

The Nittany Lions and Michigan meet for the second time this season Thursday night in Ann Arbor.

Penn State trimmed a 15-point deficit down to one with 1:04 to play and had a chance at a game-tying or game-winning shot on the final possession, but #2/1 Michigan was able to hold on for a 74-72 victory in the season’s first meeting on Jan. 6 in Happy Valley.

Each of the last four matchups between Penn State and Michigan have been decided by single digits.

The Nittany Lions are 3-24 all-time when playing Michigan in Ann Arbor. Penn State last won inside the Crisler Center on Jan. 22, 2020, the Nittany Lions’ first win in Ann Arbor since 2010.

B1G DUB

Penn State earned its first Big Ten win of the season Sunday afternoon as rookie guard Kayden Mingo scored on a game-winning left-handed scoop shot with one second left to play to lift the Nittany Lions to a gutsy 77-75 win over Minnesota inside the Bryce Jordan Center. The short-handed Nittany Lions were without big men Ivan Jurić, Saša Ciani and Tibor Mirtič due to illness and injury.

Redshirt junior Freddie Dilione V led Penn State with 25 points and five rebounds while adding three steals. Senior Josh Reed tallied 18 points, four rebounds, two assists and a steal. Mingo finished with 14 points, 12 of which game in the second half. Sophomore Dominck Stewart rounded out the double-digit Penn State scorers with 12 points, two rebounds and three assists.

HISTORIC OPPORTUNITY

The Nittany Lions will be looking for their first-ever true road win against a team ranked in the top five of the AP Poll Thursday night when Penn State travels to #2 Michigan.

Penn State is 0-23 all-time in true road games against top-five teams.

The Nittany Lions are 1-25 in all games (home, road, neutral) against top-two teams, with the lone win coming on March 9, 2001 in the neutral-site Big Ten Tournament against #2 Michigan State (65-63).

The Nittany Lions are looking for their first top-five win under head Coach Mike Rhoades. During Rhoades’ three-year tenure, Penn State owns four wins against top-15 ranked teams and one against a top-10 ranked squad.

RIGHT INTO THE FIRE

The Nittany Lions, the youngest team in the Big Ten, have faced the conference’s fire power right away in the early part of the B1G season. The Nittany Lions have played eight of the top 10 teams in the conference standings through games on Feb. 2.

Penn State’s first 11 Big Ten opponents (Indiana, Michigan State, Illinois, Michigan, UCLA, Maryland, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Northwestern & Minnesota) are a combined 70-50 (.583) thus far in conference play, while Penn State’s remaining six opponents are a combined 27-38 (.415) so far in Big Ten action (through games on Feb. 2).

Four of Penn State’s first five Big Ten games were against top-20 ranked opponents, with three being against top-10 teams, all of which were decided by single-digit margins and an average of 5.5 points.

UP NEXT

Penn State returns home Sunday to host USC at noon in Penn State’s annual THON game inside the Bryce Jordan Center. The game will air nationally on Big Ten Network.