Who’s Playing
Penn State Nittany Lions @ Michigan State Spartans
Current Records: Penn State 12-5, Michigan State 14-2
How To Watch
- When: Wednesday, January 15, 2025 at 7:30 p.m. ET
- Where: Breslin Center — East Lansing, Michigan
- TV: Big Ten Network
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
What to Know
Penn State is 2-8 against Michigan State since January of 2018 but they’ll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Wednesday. Both will face off in a Big Ten battle at 7:30 p.m. ET at Breslin Center. The Nittany Lions are strutting in with some offensive muscle as they’ve averaged 84.4 points per game this season.
Penn State will head out to face Michigan State after giving up their first home loss of the season on Sunday. Penn State was just a bucket shy of victory and fell 82-81 to Oregon. The Nittany Lions’ loss continues a disappointing trend for the squad, making it three in a row.
Despite their defeat, Penn State saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Freddie Dilione V, who posted 21 points, was perhaps the best of all. Dilione V’s performance made up for a slower match against Illinois on Wednesday. Another player making a difference was Zach Hicks, who posted 14 points along with seven rebounds and two steals.
Meanwhile, Michigan State entered their tilt with Northwestern on Sunday with eight consecutive wins but they’ll enter their next game with nine. They walked away with a 78-68 victory over the Wildcats.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Michigan State to victory, but perhaps none more so than Jeremy Fears Jr., who earned 12 points in addition to eight assists. What’s more, Fears Jr. also posted a 80% field goal percentage, which is the highest he’s posted since back in December of 2023. Jaden Akins was another key player, scoring 14 points in addition to five steals.
Michigan State was working as a unit and finished the game with 18 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Northwestern only posted ten.
Penn State’s loss ended a 12-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 12-5. As for Michigan State, their win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 14-2.
Wednesday’s contest is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Penn State just can’t miss this season, having drained 48.6% of their field goals per game. However, it’s not like Michigan State struggles in that department as they’ve made 47.8% of their field goals this season. Given these competing strengths, it’ll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Penn State came up short against Michigan State in their previous matchup back in February of 2024, falling 80-72. Can Penn State avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We’ll find out soon enough.
Series History
Michigan State has won 8 out of their last 10 games against Penn State.
- Feb 14, 2024 – Michigan State 80 vs. Penn State 72
- Jan 04, 2024 – Michigan State 92 vs. Penn State 61
- Dec 07, 2022 – Michigan State 67 vs. Penn State 58
- Feb 15, 2022 – Penn State 62 vs. Michigan State 58
- Dec 11, 2021 – Michigan State 80 vs. Penn State 64
- Feb 09, 2021 – Michigan State 60 vs. Penn State 58
- Mar 03, 2020 – Michigan State 79 vs. Penn State 71
- Feb 04, 2020 – Penn State 75 vs. Michigan State 70
- Jan 13, 2019 – Michigan State 71 vs. Penn State 56
- Jan 31, 2018 – Michigan State 76 vs. Penn State 68
