Mike Watkins sat out Penn State’s two exhibition games as well as the season opener against Campbell due to off-court issues, but head coach Pat Chambers announced during his postgame press conference that the redshirt sophomore will return to the starting lineup on Sunday against Fairleigh Dickinson.
The Nittany Lions prevailed on Friday 86-75 without Watkins thanks to a career-high scoring effort from Tony Carr, but the big man’s presence was still missed. Without Watkins on the floor, Penn State allowed Campbell to grab 11 offensive rebounds. The Lions also only blocked four shots all game and shot 37 percent from the field without Watkins’s high-percentage finishing available.