Wednesday, February 18
University Park, Pa.
6 PM
Rutgers University
at
Penn State
Photo by: Ben Solomon
Men’s Basketball Heads Back on the Road for Penn State
Feb 16 | Men's Basketball
Scarlet Knights Play Wednesday at 6 PM on BTN
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers men's basketball heads back on the road after a two-game homestand at Jersey Mike's Arena, having hosted Nebraska and Maryland. Next, the Scarlet Knights will drive west to play at Penn State on Wednesday. Tipoff at the Bryce Jordan Center is at 6 pm on Big Ten Network.
Rutgers enters the game fresh off its 10th overall victory and third Big Ten win of the year on Sunday. The Scarlet Knights held off Maryland for a 68-57 win on Sunday following the team's Knight of Honor ceremonies. The Scarlet Knights were tied at 27-27 after a offensive struggle in the opening half but came out of halftime with a 9-2 run soon pushed their lead into double-digits to take command of the game. Rutgers held Maryland to 57 points in the victory, marking the first time that RU held a Big Ten foe under 60 points since Feb. 29, 2024, an 82-52 win over Michigan. It was the sixth time this season that RU has limited a Big Ten opponent under 28% from three-point distance.
Tariq Francis is shooting 113-of-126 from the free throw line on the season, 89.7%. He can break into the top-20 on RU's single season free throws made list with 13 more makes from the stripe. Only two Scarlet Knights since 1991 have made at least 126 free throws in a season: Quincy Douby (2005-06, 149) and Dylan Harper (2024-25, 126). His current percentage of 89.7% would stand as the fourth best in a single season at RU and best since 1996. Geoff Billet was the most recent Scarlet Knight to shoot 90% from the free throw line in a year, one of just three all-time.
Francis' was 12-of-13 at the free throw line against Maryland. His 12 makes tie RU's single-game Big Ten record for free throws made, previously done by Dylan Harper (2025, Washington), Ron Harper Jr. (2020, Penn State) and Caleb McConnell (2020, Purdue)
Francis had 21 points against Maryland. It was his eight 20-plus game of the year. He leads the team in scoring with 16.6 points per game. Across his last six games, he's at 21.0 ppg.
Harun Zrno scored 13 points against the Terps, making three-of-five from three-point range. It was his ninth game with at least three three-pointers.
Emmanuel Ogbole had nine rebounds, his eighth time this year with nine or more boards. He leads the team in rebounding at 6.6 rebounds per game.
The Nittany Lions are 11-15 overall and 2-13 in league play entering the contest. Penn State opened the year 8-1, but since the start of league play on December 9 are 3-14 in their last 17 games, with wins over NC Central, Minnesota and Washington. PSU has improved of late with a 2-3 mark in its last five games, getting the Big Ten wins on Feb. 1 (Minnesota) and Feb. 11 (Washington). From December 3 to January 31, PSU was 1-11, with the lone win in that span over NC Central, a bottom-10 team nationally per Ken Pom.
The Nittany Lions are top-40 nationally in turnovers and fouls, but bottom-50 nationally in field goal percentage defense, three-point defense and rebounding. Penn State's two notable players are freshman Kayden Mingo
and redshirt junior Freddie Dillone Jr.
A consensus top-40 recruit nationally and the highest-ranked recruit in Penn State basketball history. Mingo tied his career-high last time out with 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting against Oregon. Mingo averages 13.9 ppg for the year and is the only freshman in the country averaging 13+ points, 4+ assists, 3.0+ rebounds and 2+ steals, leading the Big Ten in steals.
Dillone is a Tennessee transfer in his second year as a Nittany Lion after being originally a midyear enrollee at UT who transferred, then saw action in three NCAA Tournament games in 2023-24 as the Vols advanced to the Elite Eight. Last season, he averaged 9.4 points, and this year leads the team in scoring at 14.4 ppg.
Rutgers has 38 wins all-time against Penn State and has won four of the past six meetings.
Penn State leads the all-time series, 45-38, against Rutgers. Since RU joined the Big Ten, RU is 8-10 vs. PSU. The 38 wins over PSU is the fourth most wins for the program against any one foe, and most over any Big Ten team (behind just Lehigh, Lafayette and Princeton).
Last season, the teams split the season series, with the home team winning each game. RU won 80-76 at home in December, taking a 15-point halftime lead and holding on for an 80-76 victory. Both Dylan Harper (24 points, 11 rebounds) and Ace Bailey (15 points, 15 rebounds) had double-doubles in that game. In the return trip, Ace Bailey put up 30 points as RU shot 47.6 percent from long-range but fell 80-72.
Rutgers remains on the road for a contest over the weekend. The Scarlet Knights play next Saturday at noon at Minnesota (BTN) before returning home on Tuesday, Feb. 24 against Washington for the penultimate home game.
| About Rutgers |
Rutgers enters the game fresh off its 10th overall victory and third Big Ten win of the year on Sunday. The Scarlet Knights held off Maryland for a 68-57 win on Sunday following the team's Knight of Honor ceremonies. The Scarlet Knights were tied at 27-27 after a offensive struggle in the opening half but came out of halftime with a 9-2 run soon pushed their lead into double-digits to take command of the game. Rutgers held Maryland to 57 points in the victory, marking the first time that RU held a Big Ten foe under 60 points since Feb. 29, 2024, an 82-52 win over Michigan. It was the sixth time this season that RU has limited a Big Ten opponent under 28% from three-point distance.
Tariq Francis is shooting 113-of-126 from the free throw line on the season, 89.7%. He can break into the top-20 on RU's single season free throws made list with 13 more makes from the stripe. Only two Scarlet Knights since 1991 have made at least 126 free throws in a season: Quincy Douby (2005-06, 149) and Dylan Harper (2024-25, 126). His current percentage of 89.7% would stand as the fourth best in a single season at RU and best since 1996. Geoff Billet was the most recent Scarlet Knight to shoot 90% from the free throw line in a year, one of just three all-time.
Francis' was 12-of-13 at the free throw line against Maryland. His 12 makes tie RU's single-game Big Ten record for free throws made, previously done by Dylan Harper (2025, Washington), Ron Harper Jr. (2020, Penn State) and Caleb McConnell (2020, Purdue)
Francis had 21 points against Maryland. It was his eight 20-plus game of the year. He leads the team in scoring with 16.6 points per game. Across his last six games, he's at 21.0 ppg.
Harun Zrno scored 13 points against the Terps, making three-of-five from three-point range. It was his ninth game with at least three three-pointers.
Emmanuel Ogbole had nine rebounds, his eighth time this year with nine or more boards. He leads the team in rebounding at 6.6 rebounds per game.
| About Penn State |
The Nittany Lions are 11-15 overall and 2-13 in league play entering the contest. Penn State opened the year 8-1, but since the start of league play on December 9 are 3-14 in their last 17 games, with wins over NC Central, Minnesota and Washington. PSU has improved of late with a 2-3 mark in its last five games, getting the Big Ten wins on Feb. 1 (Minnesota) and Feb. 11 (Washington). From December 3 to January 31, PSU was 1-11, with the lone win in that span over NC Central, a bottom-10 team nationally per Ken Pom.
The Nittany Lions are top-40 nationally in turnovers and fouls, but bottom-50 nationally in field goal percentage defense, three-point defense and rebounding. Penn State's two notable players are freshman Kayden Mingo
and redshirt junior Freddie Dillone Jr.
A consensus top-40 recruit nationally and the highest-ranked recruit in Penn State basketball history. Mingo tied his career-high last time out with 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting against Oregon. Mingo averages 13.9 ppg for the year and is the only freshman in the country averaging 13+ points, 4+ assists, 3.0+ rebounds and 2+ steals, leading the Big Ten in steals.
Dillone is a Tennessee transfer in his second year as a Nittany Lion after being originally a midyear enrollee at UT who transferred, then saw action in three NCAA Tournament games in 2023-24 as the Vols advanced to the Elite Eight. Last season, he averaged 9.4 points, and this year leads the team in scoring at 14.4 ppg.
| About the Series |
Rutgers has 38 wins all-time against Penn State and has won four of the past six meetings.
Penn State leads the all-time series, 45-38, against Rutgers. Since RU joined the Big Ten, RU is 8-10 vs. PSU. The 38 wins over PSU is the fourth most wins for the program against any one foe, and most over any Big Ten team (behind just Lehigh, Lafayette and Princeton).
Last season, the teams split the season series, with the home team winning each game. RU won 80-76 at home in December, taking a 15-point halftime lead and holding on for an 80-76 victory. Both Dylan Harper (24 points, 11 rebounds) and Ace Bailey (15 points, 15 rebounds) had double-doubles in that game. In the return trip, Ace Bailey put up 30 points as RU shot 47.6 percent from long-range but fell 80-72.
| Up Next |
Rutgers remains on the road for a contest over the weekend. The Scarlet Knights play next Saturday at noon at Minnesota (BTN) before returning home on Tuesday, Feb. 24 against Washington for the penultimate home game.
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