Fairleigh Dickinson @ Penn St. preview

Tony Carr made a big statement in the season opener for Penn State and the sophomore guard will hope for an encore performance when the Nittany Lions host Fairleigh Dickinson on Sunday. Carr, who reached the 20-point mark seven times as a freshman, hit the 30-point plateau for the first time in his career with 33 in an 86-75 win over Campbell on Friday.

He was just 9-for-23 from the floor but found himself on the foul line all night and made the Camels pay by making 13-of-15 free throws to go along with nine rebounds, seven assists and a steal. "I feel like I definitely could have played better. My shot was inconsistent," Carr told reporters. "I had some bad misses. ... I can have a career night, but I know I can do some things better. I just try to focus on the positives as much as I can. Coach [Patrick Chambers] said my defense is better, so that was good to hear." The Knights dropped a 90-68 decision at No. 23 Seton Hall in their opener. The schools will be meeting for the second time overall and the first time since 1980.

TV: 5 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network Plus

ABOUT FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON (0-1): Starting guards Darnell Edge and Mike Holloway Jr. scored 13 points apiece for the Knights, who are missing Darian Anderson (foot), their leading scorer from last season. "He's our Aaron Rodgers," coach Greg Herenda told the media when asked of Anderson. "It's kind of hard to play without our senior leader. There's no timetable for him coming back. He's games away." Freshman forward Noah Morgan showed he may be able to fill some of the scoring gaps with 10 points in 14 minutes in his collegiate debut.

ABOUT PENN STATE (1-0): Josh Reaves joined Carr in double figures with 15 points, chipping in eight rebounds and three steals, and he was clear about the team's greatest need going forward. "I feel like we played really good team defense towards the end, just trying to lock in and get the stops that we needed to seal the 'W,' but I mean there’s always room to improve," Reaves told reporters after his team allowed 47 second-half points. Senior leader Shep Garner was 2-for-9 from the field and Penn State shot 36.9 percent - including a 5-for-19 effort from long range.

TIP-INS

1. Nittany Lions F Mike Watkins, the team's top rebounder last season, sat out the opener but is expected to play Sunday.

2. Penn State made 33 free throws in its opener, while Fairleigh Dickinson hit 10.

3. Knights G Pat McNamara made his only two shots - both 3-pointers - in the loss to Seton Hall.

PREDICTION: Penn State 83, Fairleigh Dickinson 69