The No. 5-ranked Michigan State Spartans (15-1) visit Penn State to play the Nittany Lions (10-6) in a game that has the potential to be low-scoring. The game gets underway at 12:00 pm ET on Sunday, Jan. 10 and will air on BTN.
The Nittany Lions beat Minnesota 86-77 in their last game. Payton Banks led all scorers on the team with 24 points on 8-for-11 shooting. The Spartans are coming off a 79-54 win over Illinois in their last outing. Deyonta Davis stood out for Michigan State, posting 10 points, six rebounds, and four blocks.
Half-court execution will be at a premium as Penn State ranks 331st in the nation in possessions per game (65.4 possessions per game), while Michigan State is 284th (67.4). Furthermore, the defense of the Spartans should have an advantage in terms of eFG%. They’re second in the nation in forcing misses (opponents’ eFG% of 39.8%), while the offense of the Nittany Lions ranks 292nd in eFG% (46.8%).
Notes
Michigan State won its last game by a 25-point margin. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, Penn State is 0-2. Michigan State is 8-0 in blowouts this season.
Ranked 15th, the Michigan State Spartans have an offensive rating of 118.1. The Penn State Nittany Lions rank 189th with a defensive rating of just 102.4.
Michigan State has an average field goal percentage of 49.0% (ranked 25th). Penn State is a losing 1-3 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Penn State Nittany Lions average 19.0 three point attempts per game, while the Michigan State Spartans attempt 19.0. When attempting 20 or more three pointers in a game, Penn State is 5-3 while Michigan State is undefeated (10-0).
The Michigan State Spartans rank ninth with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.71, while the Penn State Nittany Lions rank outside the top 100 at 275th with an A/TO of .88.
Ranked fifth in the nation, Michigan State averages 43.7 rebounds per game. Penn State ranks lower at 253rd with 35.2 RPG.
The Michigan State Spartans rank 85th in offensive rebounds. The Penn State Nittany Lions rank 274th in the nation in defensive rebounds.
On average, Penn State forces a turnover rate of 19.0%. When Michigan State turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a superb 5-1 record.
