No. 16 Michigan State Returns Home, Hosts Penn State on Tuesday

East Lansing, Mich. – Michigan State's men's basketball team hosts Penn State on Tuesday, Feb. 4, the first of two meetings this season. Tipoff is slated for 8 p.m.

The game will air live on BTN, with Dave Revsine, Robbie Hummel and Olivia Dekker calling all of the action. The Spartan Sports Network radio call can be heard on one of 38 affiliates and on the web at SpartanSportsNetwork.com, with Will Tieman handling the play-by-play and Matt Steigenga serving as the color analyst. The game can also be heard on Sirius 206, XM 196 and Internet 958.

Records
Michigan State, coming of a 64-63 loss at Wisconsin on Saturday, enters the game with a 16-6 overall record, including an 8-3 record in Big Ten play. Penn State is 16-5 overall and 6-4 in the league.

About the Spartans

Senior guard Cassius Winston (Detroit, Mich./University of Detroit Jesuit) leads MSU, and ranks third in the Big Ten, in scoring, averaging 18.2 points per game … Winston is also fourth in the league in assists (5.7 apg), first in free throw percentage, connecting on 86.0 percent of his shots (76-of-86), 11th in field goal percentage (43.4%) and fourth in 3-point percentage (39.5%).
Junior forward Xavier Tillman (Grand Rapids, Mich./GR Christian) is second on the team with 13.5 points per game (16th in the Big Ten) and tops the team (3rd in the Big Ten) with 10.1 rebounds per game, while adding 3.3 assists (11th in the Big Ten) per game and 2.0 blocks per game (T6th in the Big Ten).
Tillman is the only player in the league in the top-15 in scoring, rebounding, assists and blocks.
Sophomore forward Aaron Henry (Indianapolis, Ind./Ben Davis) is third on the team with 9.4 points per game, while adding 4.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists (T15th in the Big Ten).
MSU has four other players averaging at least 4.0 points per game, led by sophomore forward Gabe Brown (Ypsilanti, Mich./Belleville), who is averaging 8.1 points and 4.1 rebounds.
Freshman guard Rocket Watts (Detroit, Mich./SPIRE Academy [Ohio], who scored a career-high 16 points at Wisconsin, adds 7.3 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists.
Freshman forward Malik Hall (Aurora, Ill./Sunrise Christian Academy [Kan.]), who has started the last three games, is averaging 4.7 points and 3.5 rebounds, and sophomore forward Marcus Bingham Jr. (Grand Rapids, Mich./GR Catholic Central) is averaging 4.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks.
The Spartans are 10-1 at home, including a 6-0 mark in league play ... MSU's average margin of victory in Big Ten home games is 17.8 points.
Michigan State is ranked No. 16 in the Associated Press Top 25, No. 14 in the USA Today Coaches poll and No. 9 per kenpom.com, No. 10 in the NCAA Net and No. 4 in the ESPN BPI.
The Spartans are one of only 14 D-I teams with multiple road wins vs. Top 50 NET teams.

Series History

Michigan State leads the all-time series with Penn State, 39-8.
The Spartans have won 23 of the last 28 games in the series, including 10 of the last 11.
Tom Izzo is 32-7 in his career against Penn State.
Michigan State is 23-1 all-time at home against the Nittany Lions, including a 19-1 record at the Breslin Center.
MSU has won the last seven games played at home.
Penn State's lone win at the Breslin Center was a 72-68 decision on Feb. 1, 2009.

Last Meeting

Nick Ward recorded his second double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 rebounds and led three players in double figures as then-No. 6 Michigan State held on for a 71-56 win over Penn State at the Bryce Jordan Center on Jan. 13, 2019.
Matt McQuaid added 15 points, including 12 in the second half, while Cassius Winston added 11 points and six assists and Kenny Goins chipped in seven points and 10 rebounds.
The Spartans led by 16 points (40-24) at the break and Penn State was able to pull within 10 points in the second half, but a 10-2 run capped by 3-pointers from Winston and McQuaid gave MSU its biggest lead, 63-42.

About Penn State

The Nittany Lions have won four-straight games and are coming off a 76-64 win at Nebraska on Saturday night.
Penn State is 3-3 on the road, including a 2-2 mark in league play … The Nittany Lions have won their last two conference road games, including a 72-63 win at Michigan on Jan. 22.
Senior forward Lamar Stevens leads Penn State, averaging 16.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game ... He is fourth in the league in scoring and 12th in rebounding.
Sophomore guard Myreon Jones is second on the team with 13.8 points, is tied for the team lead with 2.9 assists and leads the team in 3-pointers, connecting on 39.0 percent of his shots (46-of-118) ... Jones is tied for second in the league in 3-pointers made per game (2.2).
Senior forward Mike Watkins is averaging 9.8 points and leads the team with 8.2 rebounds, which ranks seventh in the league.
Penn State is second in the Big Ten in scoring offense (76.9 ppg) and 10th in the league in scoring defense (66.7 ppg).

No. 16 Michigan State Returns Home, Hosts Penn State on Tuesday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Marcus Bingham Jr.

Gabe Brown

Kenny Goins

Malik Hall

Aaron Henry

Matt McQuaid

Xavier Tillman Sr.

Nick Ward

Rocket Watts

Cassius Winston

No. 16 Michigan State Returns Home, Hosts Penn State on Tuesday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Marcus Bingham Jr.

Gabe Brown

Kenny Goins

Malik Hall

Aaron Henry

Matt McQuaid

Xavier Tillman Sr.

Nick Ward

Rocket Watts

Cassius Winston

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