Penn State Returns Home to Host Buffalo on Sunday – Penn State

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men’s basketball team returns home to the Bryce Jordan Center Sunday to host Buffalo at 2 p.m. on Big Ten Network.

FOLLOW ALONG

OPENING TIPS

• Penn State is off to a 6-1 start to the season and returns home Sunday to host Buffalo in the Nittany Lions’ final non-conference tune-up before early-December Big Ten play begins.
• The Nittany Lions started the season 6-0 for the first time in 25 years before suffering their first loss of the season to Clemson (67-75) in Tuesday’s Sunshine Slam championship game.
• Five Nittany Lions are averaging double-digit points, led by Ace Baldwin Jr.’s 16.3 ppg.

IF PENN STATE BEATS BUFFALO

• Penn State’s 7-1 start to the season would be its best since the 2019-20 team started 7-1.
• The Nittany Lions would win their eighth-straight home game dating back to last season.
• Penn State would improve to 7-2 all-time vs. Buffalo.

SCOUTING THE BULLS

• The Bulls are 4-3 this season and riding a two-game win streak into Happy Valley.
• Buffalo’s wins have come over N.C. A&T (82-81), Morgan State (82-73), Fredonia (87-78) and Old Dominion (83-82). The Bulls have fallen to Notre Dame (77-86), Bryant (64-87) and Vermont (67-78).
• Ryan Sabol leads the Bulls with 18.6 points per game.
• Tyson Dunn follows with 13.3 points, 6.1 rebounds and 7.0 assists per contest.
• Buffalo is coming off a 2023-24 season that saw the Bulls finish 4-27 overall and 2-16 in MAC play in head coach George Halcovage III’s first season at the helm.

AGAINST BUFFALO

• Penn State and Buffalo meet for the ninth time in program history and the first time since 2004 when the Bulls come to Happy Valley Sunday.
• The Nittany Lions own a 6-2 advantage in the all-time series that dates back to 1921.
• The two teams last met on Dec. 21, 2004 when Buffalo earned a tight 72-70 victory in State College.

6-1

• The Nittany Lions are off to a 6-1 start to the season. Penn State started the season 6-0 for the first time in 25 years before suffering its first loss of the season to 2024 Elite Eight team Clemson in Tuesday’s Sunshine Slam Championship game.
• Penn State is eyeing its first 7-1 start since the 2019-20 season when the Nittany Lions face Buffalo Sunday.
• The Nittany Lions rank top 10 in the country in points per game (91.9 ppg), steals per game (11.3) and field goal percentage (51.6%).

REWRITING HISTORY…ALREADY

• The Nittany Lions have accomplished the following Penn State milestones through just the first seven games of the season:
  • Started a season 6-0 for the first time in 25 years (since the 1999-2000 season).
  • Scored 100+ points in back-to-back games for the first time in program history (108 vs. Binghamton, 103 vs. UMBC).
  • Scored 80+ points in six-consecutive games for the first time in program history.
  • Scored 100+ in three games in the same season for just the second time in program history. The 1954-55 team scored 100+ on three occasions.

NATIONAL NUMBERS

• The Nittany Lions currently rank in the top 25 in the country in a number of statistical categories through games on Nov. 28:

DOMINATION

• The Nittany Lions have played 280 minutes of basketball this season and trailed for just 37 minutes and 36 seconds.
• Penn State is outscoring its opponents by an average of 23.9 points per game, a mark that ranks 15th in all of Division I. All six of Penn State’s wins have come by at least 13 points.

HIGH OCTANE

• Penn State is averaging 91.9 points per game through the first seven games of the season, a mark that ranks fifth in the country.
• The Nittany Lions scored 85-plus points in each of their first six games this season, marking the first time in program history that Penn State scored 80+ in six consecutive games.
• The Nittany Lions are shooting 51.6% from the field, which ranks ninth in Division I.

TURNING DEFENSE INTO OFFENSE

• Penn State ranks in the top 10 in Division I in steals per game (11.3) and top 15 in both turnovers forced per game (17.57) and turnover margin (5.4)
• The Nittany Lions have owned a 151-80 advantage in points scored off turnovers, a 112-62 edge in second-chance points and 100-70 advantage in fast-break points through the first seven games of the season.

BALANCED ATTACK

• Nine of the 13 players that have dressed in Penn State’s first seven games of the season have scored in double figures, with four different players recording 20-plus point games, in the Nittany Lions’ balanced offensive attack.
• Five different players are averaging double-digit points through the first seven games of the season.

ONE OF ONE

• Graduate student Ace Baldwin Jr. is the ONLY active Division I player with 1,000+ career points (1,411), 600+ career assists (675) and 250+ career steals (287).
• Baldwin Jr. is Division I’s active career leader in steals (287) and his 675 career assists are second amongst active Division I players.

ZACH ATTACK

• Senior Zach Hicks leads the Big Ten and ranks top 40 in Division I with 3.29 3-pointers made per game. He’s shooting triples at a stellar 48.9% (23-47) clip.
• Hicks has scored in double figures in five of seven games this season and is averaging 14.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.0 blocks per game while shooting 55.4% (36-65) from the field.

GOT AN ACE UP OUR SLEEVE

• Ace Baldwin Jr. earned a spot on the Naismith Trophy Men’s College Player of the Year Watch List this preseason, in addition landing on the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Top 20 Preseason Watch List and being named a Preseason All-Big Ten selection.
• Baldwin Jr. currently ranks fourth in the country with his 8.1 assists per game. He is averaging stellar marks of 16.3 points, 8.1 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game while shooting 43.8 percent (32-73) from the field, 38.7 percent (12-31) from 3-point range and 90.5 percent (38-42) from the free throw line. He’s notched three points-assists double-doubles through seven games this season in Penn State’s games against Virginia Tech, Purdue Fort Wayne and Clemson.

BIG FELLA BURSTING ONTO THE SCENE

• Yanic Konan Niederhauser, Penn State’s mobile and versatile seven-foot forward, has burst onto the scene in his first seven games in the Blue & White.
• Konan Niederhauser is averaging 12.4 points and team-best marks of 7.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game while shooting 67.4 percent (31-46) from the field. He notched his first double-double in the Blue & White with 16 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks against Purdue Fort Wayne.

FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHT

• Head Coach Mike Rhoades has inked the highest-ranked recruiting class in program history and the 20th-ranked class in the country as three highly-touted prospects signed to join the Nittany Lions during the November early signing period.
• Penn State’s three-member class ranks 20th in the nation per 247 Sports. The three-member class is comprised of Mason Blackwood (Rochester, N.Y.), Justin Houser (Camp Hill, Pa.) and Kayden Mingo (Farmingdale, N.Y.). The three new Nittany Lions join the program as the Class of 2029 and bring accomplished athletic and academic pedigrees to Penn State.

LIONS IN THE LEAGUE

• Penn State is well represented in NBA and G League organizations this season:
  • Jalen Pickett ’23 – Denver Nuggets – second season
  • Seth Lundy ’23 – Atlanta Hawks – second season
  • Calvin Booth ’98 – General Manager – Denver Nuggets
  • Izaiah Brockington ’21 – Birmingham Squadron (New Orleans Pelicans)
  • Andrew Funk M’23 – Grand Rapids Gold (Denver Nuggets)
  • Josh Reaves ’19 – Rio Grand Valley Vipers (Houston Rockets)
  • Lamar Stevens ’20 – Motor City Cruise (Detroit Pistons)
  • Andrew Jones ’11 – Head Coach – Raptors 905 (Toronto Raptors)

The 2024-25 Penn State men’s basketball season is presented by Highmark Health.