Tag: Ace Baldwin

Penn State loses to VCU in ESPN Events Invitational

Penn State went 0-3 in the ESPN Events Invitational over the Thanksgiving weekend.

Penn State started off the season 4-0 under new head coach [autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag]. Many, if not all, of those games were glorified scrimmages and allowed the Nittany Lions to gel before heading out to their Thanksgiving tournament.

That event would be their first big test of the early season with them beginning the ESPN Events Invitational against No. 12 ranked Texas A&M in a rematch of the NCAA Tournament last year.

After two losses to start the event, Penn State played VCU on Sunday in the seventh place game. With Rhoades, [autotag]Ace Baldwin[/autotag] and [autotag]Nick Kern[/autotag] leaving VCU for the Nittany Lions, this game had some underlying storylines before tip off.

Unfortunately, Penn State couldn’t win a single game in the tournament as they lost 86-74 for their third-straight double-digit loss.

Things got off to a rocky start when VCU took a 9-2 lead almost five minutes into the game. The Nittany Lions were ablet to recover and the first half was a seesaw affair with the Rams extending leads and then Penn State going on mini runs to reduce the deficit.

VCU led 46-40 at halftime after up-and-down action.

Penn State took their first lead since the 8:50 mark in the first half when a [autotag]Qudus Wahab[/autotag] layup gave them a 49-48 lead with 15:22 remaining in the game.

This began another seesaw affair until VCU eventually got some separation and never relented the lead again.

Overall, it was a disappointing tournament for the Nittany Lions, who came into this event with confidence after dominating the early portion of their season.

An early injury to [autotag]Kanye Clary[/autotag] didn’t help their cause as their best guard through so far this year was limited to nine minutes and zero points.

A good sign for Penn State is that Baldwin had his best game of the season, scoring 27 points on 8 of 19 shooting from the field and two made three-pointers. He also had five assists and two steals.

Ultimately, while the results were disappointing, there are still plenty of positives to takeaway from this event as they head home for some preparation before their last non-conference game on Dec. 6.

Penn State basketball falls to No. 13 Texas A&M

Penn State basketball takes its first loss of the season after falling against Texas A&M.

Penn State basketball tipped off their 2023 ESPN Events Invitational tournament against No. 13 Texas A&M in a rematch of the first round of the NCAA Tournament from last year.

The game started off as a snoozer on Thanksgiving Day with not much action taking place on the floor. Things started to pick up late in the first half which carried over to the second half where the teams combined for 95 points.

After giving the Aggies everything they could, Penn State ultimately lost 89-77 in their first big test of the season.

The new look Nittany Lions looked the part against a veteran Texas A&M team who has legitimate size and will compete for the SEC regular season title this year.

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[autotag]Kanye Clary[/autotag] was expected to have a much bigger role as returning player for the Nittany Lions and he stepped up in a major way on Thursday. He finished with a team-high 19 points on 8-14 from the field.

Penn State is still waiting for [autotag]Ace Baldwin[/autotag] to hit his stride. He scored 12 points and hit three three-pointers, but shot 40% from the field and only netted two assists.

The good news is that Puff Johnson had his best game with the Nittany Lions, scoring 15 points in 29 minutes off the bench. It’s likely that he will move into the starting lineup at some point during the season.

As far as a game breakdown goes, Penn State really only felt “in it” during the middle part of the first half. They held the lead for the majority between from 16:06 to 6:09 when Johnson hit a three that put the Nittany Lions up 24-22.

After that, Texas A&M outscored them 17-8 and took a seven point lead into halftime.

This run was the difference in the game. Penn State cut the lead to three on four separate occasions in the second half, but never got it closer than that margin.

Overall, it was a good showing for the Nittany Lions. Their defense is something that needs to be worked on as they allowed the Aggies to shoot 59.6% from the field and 35.7% from three. Despite the newfound size, Penn State gave up 12 offensive rebounds and lost the rebounding margin by 13.

They will face the loser of Florida Atlantic and Butler in the first consolation game taking place on Friday at 1:30 pm ET.

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Penn State looks to start 3-0 as Saint Franicis (Pa.) comes to town

Penn State hosts Saint Francis in their third game of the season looking to imporve on their strong start.

The [autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag] era in Happy Valley is off to a flying start with two wins, where the Nittany Lions offense scored over 70 points in both games. Penn State will welcome in the St. Francis Red Flash, who began the season in California and return to Pennsylvania with an 0-3 record. Despite only being 62 miles apart, it will be the first time the two programs have met since 2012 and the 13th all-time meeting.

The Nittany Lions have been led by sophomore guard [autotag]Kanye Clary[/autotag], averaging 21 points on a scorching 60% shooting. While Clary has been the breakout star, the defense has been everything you’d expect from a Mike Rhoades-coached team. Led by point guard [autotag]Ace Baldwin[/autotag], who leads the Big Ten with 3.5 steals per game, Penn State’s defense has held its two opponents to a 33% FG and a 13% 3FG%.

In Saint Francis’ three games, they have failed to eclipse 60 points, so the Nittany Lions should be able to put together another strong defensive performance. Qudus Wahab has been a menace on the glass and leads the Big Ten with 15.5 rebounds per game, only behind North Carolina big man Armando Bacot in the national rankings.

Alongside Clary, fellow sophomore [autotag]Jameel Brown[/autotag] has averaged 14 points per game, and the duo has already combined for 70 points in Penn State’s two games. One thing to watch for tonight is whether North Carolina transfer Puff Johnson suits up for the first time this season. Rhoades plans on relying on Johnson heavily, but the forward has been nursing an injury.

After beating Delaware State and Lehigh in the first week of the season, Penn State hopes to continue their strong start against the Red Flash this evening and begin 3-0 for the third time in the last five years. Tipoff at the Bryce Jordan Center is set for 7 p.m. and will air on the Big Ten Network.

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Penn State basketball dominates Delaware State in season opener

Penn State men’s basketball opens the Mike Rhoades era with a dominating win.

Penn State couldn’t have asked for a better start to their season and to get the Mike Rhoades era officially underway.

Facing a Delaware State squad who struggled mightily last season, this was a game that the Nittany Lions should have dominated based on the talent on their roster.

But winning the game 79-45 in the fashion they did was a statement that this new brand of basketball is here.

With just under three minutes into the game, Penn State led 5-4, getting off to a slow start. Then, they flipped the switch and went on a 21-2 run and held a 26-6 lead 13 minutes into the game.

After that extended run, the Nittany Lions never looked back. They went into halftime with a 39-18 lead.

The transfer players that came into the program during the offseason got much of the headlines, and for good reason, but it was the returners [autotag]Jameel Brown[/autotag] and [autotag]Kanye Clary[/autotag] who played a major role to start.

Brown was the leading scorer at half with 11 points and Clary added seven with two rebounds and an assist. Temple transfer [autotag]Zach Hicks[/autotag] showed off his shooting prowess by hitting three three-pointers before half.

In the second half, it was much of the same for Penn State. They maintained their huge lead and the game never got under single digits.

The Nittany Lions shot 49.1% from the field, efficiently carving up the Delaware State defense. They also shot the deep ball well, hitting 12 threes on 37.5% shooting.

Havoc will be the defensive philosophy under Rhoades and they were able to force 23 total turnovers and stole the ball 11 times. They also held Delaware State to 28.8% shooting and 1-16 from three.

Clary finished the game as the leading scorer with 22 points, while also pulling down seven rebounds. Brown was second with 20 and Hicks finished with 12.

The VCU transfers [autotag]Ace Baldwin[/autotag] and [autotag]Nick Kern[/autotag] struggled in their first game with Penn State, combining to go 2-10 from the floor for nine points.

[autotag]Qudus Wahab[/autotag], the 6’11” center, grabbed 13 rebounds and showed Penn State fans what it’s like to have legitimate size on the floor.

Yes, this game was against Delaware State, but it was still a great start for the Nittany Lions under their new coach.

Penn State basketball wins final exhibition before start of regular season

Four Penn State basketball players scored in double figures in Friday night’s exhibition at Robert Morris.

Penn State basketball remained undefeated in exhibition games leading up to the start of the 2023-24 college basketball season after taking an exhibition matchup at Robert Morris on Friday night. Penn State topped Robert Morris by a score of 68-58 and led for nearly the entire game from start to finish.

Penn State jumped out to an 11-2 lead toward the start of the game. Robert Morris cut Penn State’s lead to 31-30 late in the first half and made a run at Penn State early in the second half before Penn State responded with a couple of runs of their own.

[autotag]Qudus Wahab[/autotag] was Penn State’s leading scorer with 15 points and 10 rebounds without a turnover. Star senior guard [autotag]Ace Baldwin[/autotag] added 13 points and had a team-high six assists in the exhibition. [autotag]Zach Hicks[/autotag] and [autotag]Kanye Clary[/autotag] had 11 points and 10 points, respectively.

Penn State will officially start their season on Monday, Nov. 6 with a home game against Delaware State in the Bryce Jordan Center.

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Ace Baldwin named to 2024 Bob Cousy Award watch list

Penn State’s newest star point guard is on the watch list for a national award.

One of Penn State basketball’s newest stars is starting the year on the national radar for a national award from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. [autotag]Ace Baldwin[/autotag], who followed new head coach Mike Rhoades to Penn State from VCU by way of the transfer portal, was among the 20 players named on this year’s watch list for the Bob Cousy Award, which goes to the nation’s top point guard.

“The point guards that have been named to the 2024 Bob Cousy Award Watch List truly embody the skills and characteristics that made Bob Cousy the ‘Houdini of the Hardwood,’” John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, said in a released statement. “We look forward to watching their leadership and playmaking abilities take center stage and working alongside Bob Cousy and the selection committee to narrow down the watch list throughout the season.”

Baldwin was a two-time All-Atlantic 10 pick and the 2023 Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and the conference’s defensive player of the year.

Baldwin is one of three Big Ten players on the Bob Cousy Award watch list going into the upcoming college basketball season. Jahmir Young of Maryland and Boo Buie of Northwestern are the two other Big Ten players to appear on the watch list.

Markquis Nowell of Kansas State was last year’s Bob Cousey Award winner. Ayo Dosunmu of Illinois was the most recent winner from the Big Ten, doing so in 2021.

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Ace Baldwin makes 247Sports’ list of top Big Ten transfers

This Penn State basketball newcomer is ranked among Big Ten’s top transfers

Penn State had to be busy in the transfer portal this offseason if they wanted to field a team for the upcoming season. It’s well documented that they were down the three scholarship players following the graduation of seniors and subsequent transfers after the head coaching change.

The biggest challenge for new head coach [autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag] was not only fielding a team, but bringing in enough talent to compete in his first season at the helm.

Not only was he able to do that, but he also brought over his best player from VCU and A-10 Conference Player of the Year, [autotag]Ace Baldwin[/autotag].

With transfer season all but officially wrapped up, 247Sports ranked their top 10 players entering the Big Ten from the transfer portal.

Here is the list.

  1. Kel’el Ware, Indiana
  2. Ace Baldwin, Penn State
  3. Jamison Battle, Ohio State
  4. Ben Krikke, Iowa
  5. Olivier Nkamhoua, Michigan
  6. Mike Mitchell Jr., Minnesota
  7. Marcus Domask, Illinois
  8. AJ Storr, Wisconsin
  9. Rienk Mast, Nebraska
  10. Brice Williams, Nebraska

Former five-star players who find a new home will always get the headlines. That’s the case with Kel’el Ware who is leaving Oregon for Indiana. He was ranked as the number seven overall prospect in the class of 2022, but never reached his potential at Oregon. Expectations are high for Ware who has NBA potential.

Jamison Battle was already a Big Ten player at Minnesota last year, so him making the list is a little questionable. Every other player is coming from outside the conference. The majority of the list is coming from a mid-major conference. Only Ware, Battle and Olivier Nkamhoua are from Power 5 conferences, while AJ Storr comes from St. John’s in the Big East.

Out of this list, Baldwin is the most decorated player entering the Big Ten. He brings a high level of play that should translate to the conference immediately.

Baldwin will be the face of the rebuild and program that Rhoades is looking to build in State College.

Follow Brad Wakai on Twitter and TikTok

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Penn State hoops playing in Orlando for Thanksgiving tourney

Penn State basketball to play in ESPN Events Invitational this Thanksgiving.

Penn State’s conference opponents were released a few weeks ago. It’s now known what opponents the Nittany Lions will be playing in the 2023-24 season. The exact dates of each game will be released at a later date, but the schedule for the upcoming season is starting to come together.

Another piece of the puzzle was announced on Thursday. Penn State will be heading down to Florida during the Thanksgiving holiday to compete in the ESPN Events Invitational. This tournament will be composed of eight teams playing at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando. The first games will be tipped on November 23rd

Besides Penn State, the other schools invited to the tournament are Boise State, Butler, Florida Atlantic, Iowa State, Texas A&M, VCU and Virginia Tech.

This is a really strong field. Every team made the NCAA Tournament last year except for Butler and Virginia Tech. Florida Atlantic is coming off their Final Four run.

The two teams that really stand out for potential matchups are VCU and Texas A&M. The VCU matchup would be an early re-introduction between new head coach [autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag] and former VCU players [autotag]Ace Baldwin[/autotag] and [autotag]Nick Kern[/autotag] who will be wearing Penn State jerseys this season. Texas A&M is a rematch from last year’s NCAA Tournament game that saw the Nittany Lions cruise to victory 76-59.

At this point in time, there are really no expectations for the team. Honestly, coach Rhoades might not even know what he truly has until a few weeks before the early season games. With all the transfers coming in and the returning players having never played with them before, meshing as a unit might take a while.

The ESPN Events Invitational should provide a look at to where the program is for the upcoming season. If they compete with these high caliber teams, that’s a very good sign for the conference play portion of the schedule.

There will be games before this tournament, but those haven’t been announced yet. Those games will most likely be against lesser opponents since they played Winthrop during a down year and Loyola Maryland.

The Thanksgiving stretch should give everyone an idea about how this team will play during the 2023-24 season.

Follow Brad Wakai on Twitter and TikTok

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Former Niagara basketball guard has Penn State in final 5

Penn State is in the mix for a key college basketball transfer from Niagara.

It’s been a busy time for Penn State athletics in recent weeks. The football program has been stealing the headlines with their major 2024 recruiting class that continues to grow. While that has been going on, the basketball program has slowly started to rebuild their roster under new head coach [autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag].

He was able to keep returning players [autotag]Kanye Clary[/autotag] and [autotag]Jameel Brown[/autotag] at Penn State after Brown decided to test the transfer waters. Rhoades brought two of his former players at VCU with him to State College as well. [autotag]Ace Baldwin[/autotag] and [autotag]Nick Kern[/autotag] officially signed with Penn State in mid-April. Temple transfer, [autotag]Zach Hicks[/autotag], announced his commitment to the Nittany Lions on April 20th.

Because so many of the players on last year’s roster were graduating seniors, there was going to be some semblance of a rebuild to get more players on the roster filled with their young returners. However, when many of those young players put their names into the transfer portal, it was looking like it would be a full rebuild under Rhoades.

Despite the players Penn State has already added, they’re not done trying to sign others. Niagara transfer guard Noah Thomasson has been a target of theirs since he put his name in the portal on April 3rd.

On Monday, Thomasson announced his top five schools and has included Penn State on the list. The other four programs are Georgia, St. John’s, Pittsburgh and San Francisco.

Thomasson is a 6’3″ guard who started his career at Houston Christian before transferring to a junior college for the 2020-2021 season. After leaving Butler Community College after one season, he landed back in Division 1 basketball at Niagara University of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

This past season, he averaged 19.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists on 48.1% shooting from the field. He started all 31 games he played and averaged 36.4 minutes on the floor during those games.

Thomasson has already visited both Georgia and San Francisco. He plans on visiting Penn State from April 28-29 according to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports. [autotag]Jalen Pickett[/autotag] found major success at Penn State after transferring from Sienna of the MAAC.

Follow Brad Wakai on Twitter and TikTok

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Penn State basketball officially adds two VCU transfers to roster

Penn State has officially announced the signings of two basketball ransfers from VCU

Penn State basketball’s roster officially welcomed the additions of two players choosing to follow [autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag] from VCU to Penn State on Tuesday. Penn State announced the signings of [autotag]Ace Baldwin[/autotag] and [autotag]Nick Kern[/autotag], both ending up at Penn State after entering the transfer portal following their time at VCU.

Baldwin was named the Atlantic-10 player of the year and the conference’s defensive player of the year for the 2022-23 season. He quickly became the top target for Rhoades in the transfer portal given their familiarity with each other at VCU, and Baldwin’s move to Penn State was the first addition to the depleted roster under Rhoades since the coaching change. Kern followed with his commitment just a few days later as Penn State quickly took advantage of the transfer portal.

“We are excited to have Ace in our basketball family,” Rhoades said in a released statement. “He is a proven successful college basketball player, point guard and leader. We can’t wait to get him on campus and get to work.”

“We’re really happy to have Nick join us in Happy Valley,” Rhoades said about Kern in his released statement. “He brings so many things to our program both on and off the court and is another great fit for our basketball family here at Penn State.”

Baldwin and Kern each have two years of eligibility to use at Penn State following their time at VCU.

Penn State still has plenty of room to fill a roster with help from the transfer portal, and it wouldn’t be a shock to see another VCU player follow Baldwin and Kern.

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