Kon Knueppel

SATURDAY

Tipoff: Noon, Littlejohn Coliseum, Clemson, S.C.

Records: Pittsburgh (9-12, 2-6 ACC); Clemson (17-4, 7-1 ACC)

TV: ACC Network (Doug Sherman and Scott Williams)

Notable: Clemson, currently ranked No. 22 in the nation, won the first meeting in Pittsburgh on Jan. 3, 73-68. Jestin Porter scored 21 points for Clemson, and Damarco Minor had 17 for Pitt … The Tigers are 10-1 at home, losing to NC State … Clemson also lost to Georgetown, Alabama and BYU … Clemson’s leading scorer, RJ Godfrey, only averages 12.0 points per game … Pitt plays three more ranked opponents — Virginia, Duke and North Carolina — in its next four games.

Mirror prediction: Clemson 77, Pitt 67

Mirror prediction record: 14-7

— Buck Frank

New Haven at SFU men

SATURDAY

Tipoff: 7 p.m., DeGol Arena, Loretto

Records: New Haven University (9-12, 4-4 NEC) at Saint Francis (6-14, 4-3 NEC)

TV: NEC Front Row (Pat Farabaugh and Bernie Jubeck)

Live stats: https://sfuathletics.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary

Notable: Tonight is the first meeting between the programs after the Chargers joined the league this season and the Jan. 25 meeting in Connecticut was postponed due to Winter Storm Fern. It will be made up Feb. 24. This will be the first game the Red Flash have played since a Jan. 23 win over Chicago State. … SFU is seeking a third-straight win for the first time since the Frankies won four in a row last season. Jabri Fitzpatrick paces New Haven with 11.6 points per game. Najimi George (11.2 ppg) and Andre Pasha (10.2 ppg) are also averaging double figures this season. … This will be the fourth-straight year Saint Francis has played a new NEC member. The Frankies defeated Stonehill (2022) and Mercyhurst (2024) at home, and Chicago State (2024) on the road, while losing their first game to Le Moyne (2023). SFU is 11-12 overall when playing a team in conference play for the first time.

Mirror prediction: Saint Francis 78, New Haven 72

Mirror prediction record: 17-3

— Dan Isenberg

Women: SFU at New Haven

SATURDAY

Tipoff: 1 p.m., The Hazel Center, West Haven, CT

Records: Saint Francis (4-18 overall, 2-7 NEC); New Haven (6-14, 4-5 NEC)

TV: NEC Front Row

Notable: The two teams met last Saturday in Loretto with New Haven pulling out a 61-60 win in the first ever meeting between the two schools. Addisen Sulikowski poured in 27 points to spark the Chargers, while Zaiha Minnis led SFU with 15. … Saint Francis is currently in ninth place in the NEC, while New Haven is tied with Chicago State in the fifth spot. …. The Chargers are the 21st different conference member that Red Flash had played all-time. They own at least one victory over the other 20 teams that have been a part of the NEC. … The Flash are looking for a season sweep of the teams in the state of Connecticut as they earned a 74-63 win over Central Connecticut State on Jan. 17. … The Chargers dropped an overtime contest against Mercyhurst on Thursday by an 81-75 score. Aniya McDonald-Perry registered 25 points, six rebounds, four assists and four blocks. … Lindsay Hogan leads New Haven with 12.3 points per game.

Mirror prediction: New Haven 65, Saint Francis 62

Mirror prediction record: 17-3

— Nate Ritchey

Men: Minnesota at PSU

SUNDAY

Tipoff: 2 p.m., Jordan Center, University Park

Records: Minnesota (10-11, Big Ten 3-7); Penn State (9-12, Big Ten 0-10)

TV: Peacock

Radio: ESPN Radio 1450 & FM 103.7 State College

Notable: The Nittany Lions are coming off a loss at Northwestern from Thursday, their seventh loss in a row. … Minnesota is riding a six-game losing streak, but its best win in the Big Ten so far this year is against Indiana, alongside Iowa and Northwestern. … The top three offensive performers for the Golden Gophers are Bobby Durkin, Isaac Asuma and Langston Peynolds. … Minnesota is guided by first-year coach Niko Medved, who previously coached at Colorado State and Drake. … The Nittany Lions are averaging 77.8 points-per game while giving up 76.6 points-per game. … Penn State is hitting only 34 percent of its 3-point field goals this season while giving up 38 percent from beyond the arc. … Minnesota is 9-3 at home this year and 1-8 on the road. This is the team’s only game with the Nittany Lions this year. … Minnesota is coming off a four-point loss at Wisconsin from earlier this week.

Mirror prediction: Penn State 80, Minnesota 77

Mirror prediction record: 20-1

— Scott Franco

NBA

Knueppel challenging Flagg for ROY

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Cooper Flagg entered the season as the overwhelming favorite to win NBA Rookie of the Year.

But his old college roommate is giving the No. 1 draft pick a run for his money.

Charlotte’s Kon Knueppel is in the midst of the most productive rookie season in Hornets history, ranking third in the league in 3-pointers made (151) behind only Stephen Curry and Donovan Mitchell. He’s on pace to make 269 3s this season, which would obliterate the NBA rookie record of 206 set by Sacramento’s Keegan Murray in the 2022-23 season.

That production has allowed Knueppel to close the gap in the running for Rookie of the Year.

He’s currently listed at +280 odds to win behind only Flagg (-450), according to BetMGM Sportsbook. Before the season, Knueppel was +2000 to win.

On Thursday night, Knueppel went head-to-head with Flagg and poured in a career-high 34 points on eight made 3-pointers. He deflected a pass from Flagg and made two free throws with 4.1 seconds left to lift the Hornets to their fifth straight win, 123-121 win over the Dallas Mavericks.

Flagg finished with 49 points, setting an NBA record for points scored by a teen in an epic duel of the league’s young stars.

“Ten years down the road we will be looking back on this as a pretty special thing,” Flagg said after the game.

Although Flagg remains the heavy favorite to win NBA Rookie of the Year, Knueppel’s stats are comparable, if not better given his shooting acumen.

Flagg is averaging 19.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.2 steals per game for Dallas, while shooting 29% from 3-point range. Knueppel is averaging 18.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 0.7 steals while shooting 42.9% on 3s.

Knueppel said he and Flagg remain in communication, but haven’t discussed the battle for top rookie. A self-proclaimed basketball junkie, Knueppel spends most of his free time watching other NBA games, and has paid close attention to his former Duke teammate’s accomplishments.

“We see the game in the same way. Cooper makes his teammates better and we talk about that — how to help the team,” Knueppel said. “He’s a guy that likes to do it as a whole. He’s not out there to get his, per say. He wants to do it the right way.”

Golden State coach Steve Kerr recently compared Knueppel to Warriors legend Chris Mullin.

“Really good size on the wing, big strong body, catch-and-shoot, but also incredible IQ, passing, making the right play over and over again. He’s already a really, really (darn) good player,” Kerr said. “He’s got a knack, he’s got a feel for the game, you can tell. And the pump fake and the sidestep three to turn a decent three into a great three that’s just feel. And the poise that he has on the floor is really impressive.”