Preview: Penn State at Rutgers in Regular Season Finale

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (Interstat) — Two teams with identical records and little but pride at stake will meet Sunday when the Penn State Nittany Lions visit the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in the regular-season finale for both men’s basketball programs.

Penn State (12-18) and Rutgers (12-18) enter the 4 p.m. EDT tipoff at Jersey Mike’s Arena mirroring each other in the standings, each seeking to avoid a 19th loss before conference tournament play begins.

The Scarlet Knights won the first meeting this season, an 85-72 victory in University Park on Feb. 18. In that game, Rutgers guard Tariq Francis scored 22 points and dished out seven assists, while Penn State’s Freddie Dilione V had 11 points.

Francis has been a consistent offensive catalyst for Rutgers. He is coming off a 25-point, five-assist performance in a narrow 91-87 loss at Michigan State on Thursday and has averaged 20.2 points over his last five contests.

Dilione leads Penn State and is averaging 16.4 points over his last seven games, though the Nittany Lions are 2-5 in that stretch. He scored 15 points in Penn State’s most recent outing, a 94-62 home loss to Ohio State on Wednesday.

Both teams have struggled for consistency in February. Since their first matchup, Rutgers is 2-3, with wins over Maryland and a road loss at Minnesota. Penn State is 1-4 in that same span, with its lone win a 71-69 victory over Iowa on Feb. 28.

The game will feature two of the conference’s top scoring guards in Dilione and Francis, whose backcourt duel could decide the outcome. Rutgers will aim to protect its home court and sweep the season series, while Penn State looks for a momentum-building win ahead of the postseason.

Sunday’s contest concludes the regular season for both schools. The Big Ten Tournament begins Wednesday in Indianapolis.