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Penn State-Minnesota Basketball Game Preview: Nittany Lions Look to End Three-Game Skid

Penn State Basketball, Minnesota Basketball, Game Notes, Game Preview

Penn State returns to the Bryce Jordan Center for the first of two meetings with Minnesota. On Jan. 20, PSU ended its last losing streak on its homecourt and will look to end its current skid Tuesday night.

Last year, Minnesota won both games but will be tested inside a building Penn State has only lost one game in this season (10-1). Additionally, 14 of the Nittany Lionsโ€™ 19 all-time wins against the Golden Gophers have come at home.

GAME DETAILS

Date: Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025
Time: 7 p.m. EST
Site: Bryce Jordan Center
City: University Park, Pa.
Network/Streaming: Big Ten Network

GAME ODDS

Odds on DraftKings Sportsbook:

Odds: Penn State (-325), Minnesota (+260)
Spread: Penn State (-7)
Over-Under: 141.5 points

GAME NOTES

PENN STATE (13-9, 3-8), 52nd KenPom, 54th NET

Penn State enters Tuesday on a three-game losing streak after being defeated by Ohio State at Rec Hall Thursday. The loss to the Buckeyes was PSUโ€™s seventh in January, which, to Mike Rhoades, was a month that lacked the consistency to win in the Big Ten.

โ€œAnd, weโ€™ve had moments like that [win against Purdue] throughout January, but not enough to sustain it to win consistently. And thatโ€™s, as a coach and players, thatโ€™s the frustrating part โ€ฆ Weโ€™ve used some really good basketball throughout the year โ€“ even some really good basketball and moments during January โ€“ to say this is what weโ€™re capable of. But you got to do it at a consistent level to win in this conference and weโ€™re not.โ€

Fortunately for the Nittany Lions, playing in the Bryce Jordan Center has been favorable. Their lone loss out of 11 games was decided by one point against then-No. 15 Oregon.

MINNESOTA (11-11, 3-8), 96th KenPom, 101st NET

Minnesota has dropped its last two games after a three-game winning streak against then-No. 20 Michigan, Iowa, and then-No. 15 Oregon. In away games this season, the Golden Gophers are 1-4 and have gone 1-5 in State College since 2018.

Key Players (bold indicates leads team)
  • Dawson Garcia: 20.1 PPG (second in Big Ten) | 51.2 FG% (10th in Big Ten) | 38.2 3P% (4.0 attempts per game) | 7.1 RPG
  • Mike Mitchell Jr.: 10.8 PPG | 2.9 APG | 35.6 3P% (6.7 attempts per game)
  • Luโ€™Cye Patterson: 10.5 PPG | 3.5 APG | 3.05 AST/TO (sixth in Big Ten)
  • Parker Fox: 6.7 PPG | 60.4 FG% | 2.8 RPG | 1.2 BPG
  • Femi Odukale: 6.4 PPG | 4.6 RPG | 3.5 APG | 1.4 SPG

KEY STAT

Minnesota is the second least efficient offense in the Big Ten (121st overall) according to kenpom.com. Here are some of the other offensive rankings for the Golden Gophers:

  • 68.8 PPG: 18th in Big Ten
  • 44.7 FG%: 14th in Big Ten
  • 32.5 3P%: 15th in Big Ten
  • 16 APG: seventh in Big ten
  • 10.6 TO: 14th in Big Ten
  • 1.50 AST/TO: fifth in Big Ten

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