Penn State forward Favour Aire enters NCAA transfer portal

Penn State forward Favour Aire is heading back to the transfer portal after one season with the Nittany Lions.

The NCAA transfer portal opened on Monday for college basketball players interested in evaluating their options for a new home, and a handful of Penn State players entered their names into the database. Among them was forward Favour Aire, who spent one season with Penn State.

Aire appeared in 12 games for the Nittany Lions this past season. The Maryland native is taking his second turn in the transfer portal after coming to Penn State from Miami a year ago, after spending one season with the Hurricanes.

Aire averaged 0.6 points per game and 1.0 rebounds per game in his limited playing opportunities with Penn State. He worked through an injury at the start of the season and didn’t get into sync with the team midway through the season as a result.

Penn State will now have a void to fill at the center position with Aire expected to move elsewhere and Qudus Wahab having his eligibility expire. Expect Mike Rhoades to focus on big men in the transfer portal to plug that hole as quickly as possible.

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Penn State vs Maryland men’s basketball: How to watch on TV and live stream on Sunday

Penn State looks for a win in their final home game of the season

Penn State men’s basketball is looking to avoid limping into the Big Ten Tournament after dropping their last two games. The Nittany Lions welcome in the Maryland Terrapins on Sunday evening, hoping to keep hold of the Big Ten Tournament’s No. 11 seed and possibly move up a seed line if other games fall Penn State’s way.

Maryland sits right behind Penn State in conference standings, making the matchup that much more impactful.

It is senior night in Happy Valley, and the Nittany Lions will honor seven seniors, including players like [autotag]Ace Baldwin Jr.[/autotag], [autotag]Qudas Wuhab[/autotag], and [autotag]Puff Johnson[/autotag].

Baldwin Jr. looks like the frontrunner for Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. He leads the Big Ten and ranks fourth in the country in steals (83) and fifth in the country in steals per game (2.77). His 2.77 steals per game rank second amongst Power Six conference players and track to be the most by a Big Ten player in a single season in the last 31 years (since 1993 – Pat Baldwin (Northwestern) 2.96 steals per game).

Baldwin Jr.’s defensive matchup this evening will be Maryland star guard Jahmir Young, who leads the Terps, scoring 20.9 points per game and 28 points in the two program’s matchup earlier this season.

A win would mark nine conference wins for the Nittany Lions under first-year head coach [autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag] and would give Penn State a much-needed boost entering the Big Ten Tournament.

Penn State vs. Maryland Men’s Basketball

  • Date: Sunday, March 10
  • Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
  • Channel: Big Ten Network
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch here)

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Penn State at Minnesota men’s basketball: How to watch on TV and live stream on Saturday

Penn State looking for a bounce back win against Minnesota in final road test of season

Penn State fell to a tough defeat against the Iowa Hawkeyes in a game that saw them leapfrog the Nittany Lions into 7th place in the Big Ten standings. Penn State now sits in ninth in the standings ahead of a pivotal matchup against Minnesota on Saturday afternoon.

The Nittany Lions fell to the Golden Gophers at home in late January and are looking for revenge and their third road win of the season, with much more at stake in the regular season’s penultimate game.

Last time out against Minnesota, Penn State could not convert on enough possessions to grab the win despite receiving double-digit performances from four players.

Against Iowa, Penn State was massively outperformed at the free-throw line. The Hawkeyes hit 32 free throws compared to the Nittany Lions 13. Iowa is the best free-throw shooting team in the Big Ten at 78.5%, and on Saturday, Penn State will face the conference’s third-worst team at the charity stripe (68.8%).

Point guard [autotag]Ace Baldwin Jr.[/autotag] paces Penn State with 14.1 points per game and a Big Ten-best 2.8 steals per contest. The Nittany Lions will need one or both of [autotag]Zach Hicks[/autotag] and [autotag]Nick Kern Jr.[/autotag] to step in and carry some of the scoring load.

Minnesota is led by the Big Ten’s sixth-leading scorer forward, Dawson Garcia, who averages 17.8 ppg on 46.9% shooting. Wing defense against the 6-foot-11 forward will be critical in this matchup, especially after Garcia scored 22 in the last meeting.

Here is how to catch Penn State’s last true road game of the season against the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

Penn State at Minnesota Men’s Basketball

  • Date: Saturday, March 2
  • Time: 3:15 p.m. ET
  • Channel: Big Ten Network
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch here)

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Penn State vs Indiana men’s basketball: How to watch on TV and live stream on Saturday

Penn State vs. Indiana: Two teams jockeying for Big Ten Tournament seeding tipoff Saturday at the Bryce Jordan Center

The Penn State men’s basketball team is coming off arguably their best win of the season against 12th-ranked Illinois. It was a thriller of a game that took three clutch [autotag]Zach Hicks[/autotag] free throws to seal the Nittany Lions’ 90-89 win.

With the addition of another top-15 win under its belt, Penn State will be back in action against the Indiana Hoosiers at home this weekend. This time, though, the game will be at the Bryce Jordan Center instead of Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions hope to recreate the magic and atmosphere on Saturday that was present Wednesday evening during their defeat of the Illini.

A win would mark a regular season sweep of the Hoosiers after beating them in Bloomington earlier this month. Penn State sits at 7-9 in the Big Ten Conference after Wednesday’s thriller and looks to improve their conference tournament seeding.

Defensive Player of the Year candidate [autotag]Ace Baldwin Jr.[/autotag] leads the Nittany Lions with 13.9 points per game and a Big Ten-best 2.78 steals per contest. Last time out against Indiana, Baldwin Jr. dropped 22 points and 8 eight assists to spur the Nittany Lions to victory. With Indiana on Penn State’s heels regarding conference tournament seeding, a repeat performance from Baldwin would go a long way in separating the Nittany Lions from the last five seeds.

Scoring 90 points against Illinois and 85 against Indiana on February 3 has Penn State entering Saturday’s game averaging 75.3 points per game in head coach Mike Rhoades’ debut season. Another solid offensive output from the Nittany Lions could extend the Hoosiers losing streak to four games.

Here is how to watch Saturday afternoon’s Big Ten contest from the Bryce Jordan Center.

Penn State vs. Indiana Men’s Basketball

  • Date: Saturday, Feb. 24
  • Time: 12 p.m. ET
  • Channel: Big Ten Network
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch here)

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Puff Johnson helps Penn State pull off massive upset with late steal, layup

Former UNC basketball player Puff Johnson, who now plays for Penn State, helped his new team to a massive upset win on Wednesday night.

Puff Johnson is one of those basketball players I really wish worked out for the North Carolina Tar Heels.

Puff, the younger brother of former UNC standout Cameron Johnson, only started two of the 65 games he played in Chapel Hill. Tar Heel fans got extended glimpses of Puff’s potential last year, but Hubert Davis’ failure to play his bench helped Puff decide to play at Penn State.

While we sometimes wish that former players could’ve stayed, we’re happy to see their success elsewhere.

During Wednesday’s game, Johnson got a late steal and converted on the layup to cut the Illinois lead to 2. It would also help setup a Nittany Lions’ 90-89 upset victory over ranked Illinois.

Puff finished his night with seven points, including a 3-of-3 mark on free throws.

For a Penn State (13-14, 7-9) squad that’s under .500 overall and in Big 10 play, this was a much-needed win. The Nittany Lions essentially need to win out, including the conference tournament, but this Quad 1 victory goes a long way towards that goal.

Puff has played significantly more minutes during his time in Happy Valley, starting 10 out of Penn State’s 23 games on the season. He’s scored in double-digits four times, with the most recent occurance coming on Jan. 20 against Ohio State.

Being a Pennsylvania native, I can imagine Puff is happy to be playing closer to home. I’m happy to see him succeed, as he provided our Tar Heels with rare, valuable depth it lacked last season.

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Fans are roasting Illinois’ Coleman Hawkins for his late-game miscues against Penn State

Coleman Hawkins might not want to open social media for a few days.

The Penn State men’s basketball team unraveled No. 12 ranked Illinois on Wednesday, and hoops fans couldn’t wait to troll senior forward Coleman Hawkins. Hawkins had multiple late-game blunders that helped secure Penn State’s staggering upset win.

Here’s a word to the wise: the internet is forever. When you put something into the universe, you better believe fans will not forget it, including when a game is on the line. Illinois forward Coleman Hawkins wore a Maryland shirt after beating the Terps on February 17 and flipped them a NSFW gesture. However, he could have used some of that boldness on Wednesday night because it might have changed the outcome of Illinois’ matchup with Penn State.

As the game was winding down, Hawkins missed two free throws he absolutely needed to sink, and a short time later, he fouled Penn State’s Zack Hicks on a 3-point shot. Hicks subsequently nailed three free throws to ice the game and secure a colossal Penn State win. (By the way, the win probability for Illinois was 96.5 percent before this sequence.)

Hoops fans remembered Coleman’s trolling of Maryland and roasted him immediately. Here’s what they said:

(Warning: NSFW language.)

Penn State vs Illinois men’s basketball: How to watch on TV and live stream on Wednesday

Penn State hopes playing at the Rec Hall catapults them to a win against No. 12 Illinois

Penn State men’s basketball team did not play their best last time out against the Nebraska Cornhuskers, losing their third straight game in an anemic offensive performance. The Nittany Lions will attempt to end their losing streak while also knocking off one of the country’s top teams when the Illinois Fighting Illini come to town Wednesday evening.

The Nittany Lions will be without their leading scorer, Kanye Clary, after he was dismissed from the team this weekend. However, Penn State will have some added motivation against the Fighting Illini by playing in the Rec Hall instead of the Bryce Jordan Center. The historic venue is Penn State basketball’s old home and is considered a classic home-field advantage given its small confines. Wednesday’s matchup marks the first men’s basketball game at the Rec Hall since December 2015.

A win at the Rec Hall against No. 12 Illinois would be massive for Penn State’s confidence heading into March. It would mark their second win over a top-15 opponent after beating Wisconsin early this year. The Nittany Lions have won three straight games against the Illini and will look to continue that streak in a sold-out Rec Hall.

Penn State will need to lean heavily on point guard [autotag]Ace Baldwin Jr.[/autotag], who averages 14.0 points, a team-best 5.3 assists, and a Big Ten-best 2.81 steals per game. Baldwin will also draw the tall task of slowing down one of the top players in the Big Ten, Terrance Shannon Jr., who averages 21.4 points per game.

Penn State must play its A-plus game to upset Illinois and add another top-15 win to its resume.

Here is how to watch Wednesday evening’s Big Ten contest from the Rec Hall.

Penn State vs. Illinois Men’s Basketball

  • Date: Wednesday, Feb. 20
  • Time: 6:30 pm ET
  • Channel: Big Ten Network
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch here)

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Penn State at Nebraska men’s basketball: How to watch on TV and live stream on Saturday

Penn State travels to face one of the country’s best home teams worst while to trying to shake off its two game skid.

The Penn State men’s basketball team fell victim to another close loss on Wednesday, as Michigan State left State College with just its second road victory. The Nittany Lions will aim to snap its two-game skid when they end in Lincoln on Saturday to face the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

It was a tough loss against the Spartans for several reasons, but perhaps none bigger than shooting 12/23 from the 3-point line and still coming away with a loss. [autotag]Ace Baldwin Jr.[/autotag] and [autotag]Zach Hicks[/autotag] each scored 15 points to lead Penn State.

Penn State is only 6-8 in Big Ten play and hasn’t had much success on the road this season, only going 2-5. Nebraska has not lost a Big Ten game at home and has only lost once at home all season. The Cornhuskers haven’t played in a week after beating Michigan at home 79-59 on February 10.

Guard Keisei Tominaga paces the Nebraska offense with 14 points per game and averages 2.2 3-pointers per contest so the Penn State 3-point defense that ranks third in the Big Ten will be critical.

Penn State guard [autotag]Kanye Clary[/autotag] was held to just 8 points against Michigan State in his return to the starting lineup, so a back-to-normal offensive night for the sophomore guard would be a massive boost for the Nittany Lions.

The Cornhuskers are one of the toughest teams in the country when playing at home, so Penn State will have to be clicking on all cylinders to come away with the victory.

Here is how to watch Saturday afternoon’s Big Ten action from Lincoln.

Penn State at Nebraska Men’s Basketball

  • Date: Saturday, Feb. 17
  • Time: Noon ET
  • Channel: Big Ten Network
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch here)

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Penn State vs. Michigan State men’s basketball: How to watch on TV and live stream on Wednesday

Penn State welcomes in one of the Big Ten’s worst road teams this season while looking to build off a strong showing at home this season.

After a tough 68-63 loss on the road in Evanston, which snapped the Nittany Lions’ three-game win streak, Penn State’s men’s basketball team will head home to take on the Michigan State Spartans on Wednesday evening.

Penn State was blown out by Michigan State 92-61 in early January, but the Spartans have not looked like the top-five preseason team they were before the season began. With surprise losses to Minnesota and Nebraska of late, the struggling Spartans present a good litmus test for the Nittany Lions, who are dominant at home with a 10-3 record.

Last time out against Michigan State, Penn State couldn’t slow down the Spartans, who shot 56% from the field and 47% from the 3-point line. [autotag]Kanye Clary[/autotag] scored 21 points, but no one else helped him on the offensive end. Still returning from an injury, Clary came off the bench the last two games, but he seems likely to return to the starting lineup for Wednesday’s game.

The Spartans are coming off a home win against ranked Illinois and are looking to make a push into March. Michigan State is only 1-5 on the road, with its only win coming in late January against Maryland, so a great home team against a lackluster road team matches up nicely for the Nittany Lions.

Here is how to watch the Wednesday evening Big Ten basketball contest at the Bryce Jordan Center.

Penn State vs. Michigan State Men’s Basketball

  • Date: Wednesday, Feb. 14
  • Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
  • Channel: Big Ten Network
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch here)

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Penn State vs. Iowa men’s basketball: How to watch on TV and live stream on Thursday

Kanye Clary’s status is once again in question as Iowa visit Penn State at home having won its last two games.

After being unable to win a road game for the whole season up until last week, Penn State has now won back-to-back games away from the Bryce Jordan Center against Rutgers and Indiana. With seemingly good momentum back on their side, the Nittany Lions will host the Iowa Hawkeyes in a battle for sole possession of ninth place in the Big Ten standings.

Penn State’s second road win of the year against the Hoosiers came without its leading scorer, [autotag]Kanye Clary[/autotag], but [autotag]Ace Baldwin Jr.[/autotag] stepped up in a big way, scoring 22 points on 8-14 shooting. With the Nittany Lions back at a .500 overall record, head coach [autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag] can try to steer his team back towards a possible run at meaningful March basketball.

Like Penn State, Iowa has struggled to find consistency this season, with a record of 13-9 overall. The Hawkeyes are coming off a win at home against Ohio State and own the second-best offense in the Big Ten, scoring 84.2 points per game. Baldwin Jr.’s defense will be vital in slowing Hawkeyes’ guard Tony Perkins, who paces Iowa, averaging 15.7 ppg.

According to Rhoades, Clary’s status for the game is “day-to-day,” so whether he plays tomorrow evening will likely not come until tomorrow pre-game. Clary suiting up for the contest would be a massive boost for the Nittany Lions offense, even though they played well without him last weekend in Indiana.

Here is how to catch Thursday night’s Big Ten action from the Bryce Jordan Center between Penn State and Iowa.

Penn State at Iowa Men’s Basketball

  • Date: Thursday, Feb. 8
  • Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
  • Channel: Big Ten Network
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch here)

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