Key Penn State Contributors Michigan State Must Hone in On

The schedule is close to lightening up for Michigan State, but the Spartans have to get through another important Big Ten game first.

Saturday's matchup against Penn State will be No. 9 MSU's first true road game of the season. The Nittany Lions are 8-2, but have played a pretty weak non-conference schedule and were on the wrong end of a 41-point annihilation at Indiana during their Big Ten opener on Tuesday.

Dec 9, 2025; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach Mike Rhoades reacts after a play during the second half against the Indiana Hoosiers at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images | Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

Even though PSU is likely one of the weaker teams in the Big Ten, winning on the road in this conference is tricky. Michigan State has won its last four meetings with Penn State, two such contests being road games.

For MSU to pick up its fifth straight victory over the Nittany Lions and reach 2-0 in the early conference race, these are the players it will have to focus on:

G Kayden Mingo

The offense for PSU is going to run through true freshman Kayden Mingo, who will make an interesting matchup for Michigan State's Jeremy Fears Jr. Mingo currently leads Penn State at 15.4 points, 4.0 assists, and 2.1 assists per game.

Mingo is the highest-ranked recruit in PSU basketball history, according to his bio on the team roster. He finished the 2025 recruiting cycle ranked 37th nationally, according to the 247Sports Composite. That put him just 10 spots away from five-star status.

The strength of Mingo's game is to get around the paint and try to get a layup with his right hand or perhaps a floater. He's making nearly 60% of his two-point tries, compared to a tad under 20% from three so far. He is good at driving with to his left, and has some nice touch at the rim.

G Freddie Dilione V (R-Jr.)

Freddie Dilione V is Penn State's leading scorer after Mingo, averaging 13.3 points per contest. That's definitely interesting, since Dilione has come off the bench in all 10 of the Nittany Lions' games so far. For contrast, Cam Ward is Michigan State's top bench scorer, and he's fifth on the team in points per game.

What's also a bit unusual is that Dilione was a regular starter for PSU last year. He transferred there after spending two seasons (one redshirt year) at Tennessee, and started 28 of the Nittany Lions' 31 games. Dilione averaged 9.4 points last season.

One reason for Dilione's rise in scoring, despite moving to the bench, is that he's been an improved shooter. He's shooting about the same number of threes each game, but his percentage has risen from 28.9% to 38.7%. His free-throw percentage has also gone all the way up to 91.3%.

G Melih Tunca (Fr.)

There's also another true freshman who is making a mark with Penn State this year. The Nittany Lions also added Melih Tunca, who was playing in the top basketball league in Turkey last year.

Tunca has adjusted well to the college game, averaging 12.8 points and 3.5 assists per game. He's also been a great shooter from deep, hitting threes at a 45.8% clip thus far. He's been in double figures during eight of PSU's 10 contests.

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