Tag: Mike Rhoades

Best Penn State basketball photos from the Michigan game

Here are the best photos from Penn State’s basketball game at Michigan on Monday.

Penn State has been going through a bit of a rough stretch in Big Ten basketball action. That continued Monday evening with a road loss at Michigan when the Nittany Lions saw the offense go cold at the worst possible time, and Michigan surged across the finish line with a run to send Penn State home with a 76-72 loss.

Penn State has had close calls on the road in recent games against Michigan, Michigan State, and Iowa. Penn State also lost a tough one against Oregon at home. At 13-8 and 3-7 in Big Ten play, the postseason hopes for Penn State have taken a bit of a bruising in the past couple of weeks. But there is still plenty of time to turn things around enough to make a possible push for a spot in the big dance at the end of the season.

Here are some of the best photos from Penn Stae’s road trip to Michigan.

Penn State will look to get back to some home cooking in its next game when they host Ohio State on Thursday. The Nittany Lions will host the Buckeyes in Rec Hall.

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Penn State basketball comes up just short of big road win at Iowa

Penn State’s late rally came up short against Iowa on the basketball court on Friday night. Here are the best photos.

Penn State couldn’t quite come away with a key road win at Iowa on Friday night and instead left town with a tough 76-75 loss to the Hawkeyes. Despite a valiant effort from the defense to keep Iowa scoreless for the final 3:27 and multiple opportunities for a game-winning shot at the end, Penn State dropped another game in what has been a rough stretch of Big Ten play for the Nittany Lions.

Penn State was unable to get hot from the three-point line, connecting on just 5 of 22 attempts from beyond the arc, and six missed free throws ended up costing Penn State as well. [autotag]Nick Kern Jr.[/autotag] led the team with 18 points and [autotag]Yanic Konan Niederhauser[/autotag] and [autotag]Freddie Dilione V[/autotag] each hit double figures in scoring. [autotag]Ace Badlwin Jr.[/autotag] was limited to just seven points but did have seven assists and two steals in the game.

Iowa had four players score in double figures with Drew Thelwell and Owen Freeman each leading the way with 16 points for the Hawkeyes. Iowa hit 11 of 23 three-pointers in the game and had 11 fast-break points to Penn State’s five.

Here are some of the best photos from the game on Friday night.

Penn State will be on the road again for its next game on Monday night. The Nittany Lions visit Michigan in Ann Arbor. Michigan is 14-5 and 6-2 in Big Ten play. The Wolverines are third in the Big Ten standings going into the weekend.

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Penn State men’s basketball can’t hold off No. 15 Oregon without Ace Baldwin

Penn State fought hard without its star point guard, but it wasn’t enough to upset No. 15 Oregon.

Before the game, Penn State men’s basketball found out that the Nittany Lions would be without star point guard [autotag]Ace Baldwin Jr.[/autotag] That didn’t stop Penn State from coming out firing and giving No. 15 Oregon a true fight in the Bryce Jordan Center. Despite holding a late second-half lead, the Nittany Lions fell at home to the Ducks 82-81.

Sophomore guard [autotag]Freddie Dilione V[/autotag] stepped up in Baldwin’s absence, scoring a career-high 21 points on 6-12 shooting. Dilione hit four 3-pointers, crucial in Penn State fighting back from a 14-point first-half deficit. The Nittany Lions held a nine-point lead with 6:34 left in the second half.

The Ducks hit their shots down the stretch to escape Happy Valley with the one-point win. Jadrian Tracey hit two clutch free throws for Oregon to put the game just out of reach for Penn State.

[autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag] and Penn State had a legitimate gripe at the end of the game when the Oregon inbounder was moving along the baseline, which, if called, would’ve given Penn State possession.

[autotag]Nick Kern Jr.[/autotag] joined Dilione in double figures, putting up 19 points and eight rebounds. Forwards [autotag]Zach Hicks[/autotag] and [autotag]Puff Johnson[/autotag] scored 14 and 15 respectively.

The Nittany Lions are back on the road Wednesday night when Penn State travels to No. 16 Michigan State for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff in East Lansing.

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Best photos of Penn State fans celebrating basketball upset of Purdue

Penn State fans celebrated a major upset of Purdue by storming the court in Happy Valley!

In a year where the national expectations were low for Penn State basketball, the Nittany Lions are off and running and already making some noise in the Big Ten. Penn State scored a massive 80-71 victory over No. 7 Purdue in its Big Ten opener. It ignited a basketball celebration on the court by fans who hope to finally see success like this on a regular basis. It also helped set the tone for the Penn State fanbase heading into a Big Ten championship weekend for the football team.

But on Thursday, basketball was the story of the night as head coach Mike Rhoades hopped on a microphone to address the fans on the court and remind them this is what they are all working for. You had to love it!

Here are some of the best photos from Penn State basketball’s big celebration in Happy Valley following the win over Purdue.

Penn State will be back in action next Tuesday, Dec. 10 with a road game at Rutgers in Big Ten play. Penn State could be playing its first game as a top 25 team under Mike Rhoades by the time that game tips.

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Penn State basketball pulls off statement upset of No. 7 Purdue

Penn State’s defense frustrated Purdue all night long, and the hot scoring of the Nittany Lions continued in a massive program win.

Penn State men’s basketball was off to a good start to the season but knew things were about to get much more difficult once Big Ten started up. Or was it? Penn State made a statement with a dominating victory over No. 7 Purdue on Thursday night in the Bryce Jordan Center. Penn State celebrated an 81-70 win over the Boilermakers, who have been the gold standard of Big Ten basketball, with a storming of the court. It was Penn State’s first win over a top-10 team since beating Maryland in 2019.

[autotag]Ace Baldwin Jr.[/autotag] led a balanced Penn State scoring attack with 17 points as five Nittany Lions scored in double figures. It was the defense of the Nittany Lions that set the tone and gave Purdue frustration all night long. Purdue turned the basketball over 24 times, and Penn State drew even with the Boilermakers in rebounds with 24 apiece. Penn State also had two blocks (one from [autotag]Yanic Konan Niederhauser[/autotag] and one from [autotag]Zach Hicks[/autotag]).

Ace Baldwin Jr. was called for a technical foul following a big three-pointer in the second half for a celebratory gesture used to suggest he has ice in his veins, which was defended vehemently by head coach Mike Rhoades. The former VCU player and coach combination have helped transform Penn State basketball into a legitimate basketball team capable of making a run to an NCAA Tournament appearance. Of course, there is a long way to go and Penn State will have to keep up this kind of play throughout conference play.

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But this offense continues to shine and the defensive skill of the Nittany Lions is going to cause some problems for opposing Big Ten teams.

Penn State will be back in Big Ten action in its next game when it visits Rutgers on Tuesday, Dec. 10. The Nittany Lions will then resume non-conference matchups before Big Ten play resumes in the new year.

Here’s hoping the good vibes from the basketball court find their way to the football field in Indianapolis this weekend. Penn State faces No. 1 Orgeon in the Big Ten championship game on Saturday night, with the College Football Playoff on the horizon.

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Mike Rhoades announces Penn State’s guard is out for the season

Penn State basketball will play the rest of the season without one of its newest additions to the roster.

It’s been a great start for Penn State on the basketball court so far this season with the team posting a sizzling 6-1 record where their lone loss came in the championship game of the Sunshine Slam to Clemson.

[autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag] has been a major proponent of building the program in Happy Valley, and his exciting brand of basketball has this Nittany Lions team as one of the top scoring groups in the entire country.

Unfortunately, if they’re going to have the high-end success that they envision this year, they’ll have to do it without guard [autotag]Eli Rice[/autotag] who will miss the remainder of the season with an undisclosed injury.

“Eli Rice will be out for the rest of the season with an injury. As you guys know, Penn State policy is to not discuss specifics related to his injury, but I did want to let you guys know that he’ll be out for the remainder of this season,” Rhoades said per Daniel Gallen of 247Sports.

The 6-foot-8 guard transferred in from Nebraska this offseason, and despite only playing in one game throughout the campaign which Saint Francis (Pa.) on Nov. 12, he looked like he could be a factor in the rotation.

“My No. 1 priority with Eli is his health and his wellness and safety. He’s an integral part of us building this program and building it the right way, and we’re going to make sure he gets to 100 and he’s going to be an important part of moving forward here, so I want to get him healthy. Met with his parents and all that over the weekend to make sure that we do this all the right way, and our attention’s on his health and getting him back to 100,” Rhoades added.

Rice was a three-star recruit coming out of high school, and after he appeared in 17 games and averaged 4.2 points and 1.6 rebounds as a freshman, he was also viewed as three-star transfer.

This is a tough blow for the Nittany Lions this year as Rhoades has deployed a deep rotation where tons of players get on the floor to keep up his energetic offensive and defensive philosophy.

Rice will have multiple years of eligibility left, so he will certainly be part of things at Penn State going forward, but he’ll have to wait until next season because of this injury.

The Nittany Lions are back in action against Buffalo on Dec. 1 at the Bryce Jordan Center.

Penn State basketball suffers first loss of the season against Clemson

Penn State men’s basketball took its first loss of the season.

While the majority of attention surrounding Penn State athletics is placed on the football program with them seemingly locking up their first-ever College Football Playoff appearance, it’s been an exciting start to the year for the Nittany Lions on the hardcourt.

In the second year under head coach [autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag], Penn State men’s basketball got off to their best start in the last 25 years when they beat Fordham on Monday to push their record to 6-0.

It’s been an exciting brand of basketball for the Nittany Lions this season with them pushing the pace and scoring the ball at a high rate to average 96.0 points per game with them scoring over 100 points in three of there first six contests.

Penn State was able to use that momentum to reach the championship game of the Sunshine Slam where they faced off against Clemson.

Unfortunately, that came to an end on Tuesday with a 75-67 loss.

The Nittany Lions were fighting an uphill battle for the majority of the first half after the Tigers broke the gridlock early to take a lead just under three minutes into the ballgame. But, they were able to claw their way back and eventually look the lead, 28-21, after going on an 18-4 run.

Penn State wasn’t able to maintain that and went into the locker room down 38-36 at halftime after Clemson recovered from that poor stretch.

The second half was a battle.

Both teams tried to create separation by going on runs, but neither was able to put things away until Clemson took control of the final six minutes by outscoring Penn State 13-6 to close out the game.

It was a tough loss for the Nittany Lions with a championship trophy on the line, especially when they had played so good on offense to date before putting up this clunker where they shot 46.4% (26-56) from the field and just 22.2% (4-18) from three.

Turnovers and fouls were also a major issue for Penn State.

They turned it over 17 times and committed 19 fouls that gave Clemson 20 tries from the free throw line.

Still, there were positives to take away from this loss with [autotag]Ace Baldwin[/autotag] leading all scorers with 20 points while adding 11 assists for yet another double double.

[autotag]Nick Kern[/autotag] also performed well again with 11 points off the bench. [autotag]Yanic Hiederhauser[/autotag] was the only other player in double figures with 14 points and six rebounds.

Despite the loss, Penn State will certainly take the start to their season.

They’ll head back home for a matchup against Buffalo on Dec. 1 before welcoming the current No. 14 team Purdue to the Bryce Jordan Center on Dec. 5.

Penn State basketball lands elite 2025 guard Kayden Mingo

Penn State landed the highest-ranked recruiting in the history of their basketball program!

It has been an incredible start for Penn State basketball this season in the second year under head coach [autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag]. He admitted that things didn’t quite go as expected or planned in the 2023-24 campaign, but after attacking the transfer portal again and bringing in a solid freshman class, the Nittany Lions are rolling.

They scored 100 points in back-to-back games for the first time in program history, signaling that Rhoades might be bringing the exciting brand of basketball to Happy Valley that he promised when he was named head coach.

How the rest of the season goes will be seen, but there is no reason to believe they will slow down when the holiday tournaments get underway and they get into conference play.

As for the future of the program, one things Rhoades has always done no matter where he’s been is recruit at a high level.

Penn State brought in four players as part of the 2024 class, landing them outside the top 65 when it comes to national rankings, but the 2025 cycle has seen them take it to the next level.

First, they earned a commitment from 6-foot-11 in-state big man Justin Houser back in June. That was followed up by landing four-star win Mason Blackwood from the state of New York.

Now, Penn State has landed the highest-ranked recruit in the history of the program with four-star guard [autotag]Kayden Mingo[/autotag] announcing he has committed to the program.

“The energy at Penn State is second to none. The program is great, I really enjoyed watching their practice. The facilities were beautiful and they really impressed me also. The coaches told me they plan on me coming in and they want me to be their point guard and run the show,” he told Nate Bauer of BlueWhiteIllustrated.

This is a major get for Rhoades and the program.

With star guard [autotag]Ace Baldwin[/autotag] expected to depart after this season, Penn State needs another dynamic player who can run this offense and be the point of attack on defense and with the ball in his hands.

That’s the type of player Mingo is.

Ranked No. 43 in the 2025 class by On3’s Industry Ranking, the New York native could be the future star of this program going forward as Penn State tries to build up their basketball program in a loaded Big 10 Conference.

Full Penn State men’s basketball schedule for 2024-25

Here is the full regular season schedule for the Penn State men’s basketball 2024-25 season.

Penn State is in its second year under head coach [autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag]. The Nittany Lions went 16-17 in the first year under Rhoades and is hoping to surprise many around the Big Ten this season. The Nittany Lions were picked by Big Ten media to finish toward the bottom of the expanded conference, and this will likely be a bit of a rebuilding season following a good amount of roster turnover from last season.

Star point guard [autotag]Ace Baldwin Jr.[/autotag] returns to the program for his final year of eligibility. The former VCU standout and Atlantic 10 Player of the Year is coming off a year in which he was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and earned third-team All-Big Ten honors from Big Ten coaches last season.

One of the newest additions to watch from the recruiting trail will be center [autotag]Miles Goodman[/autotag]. The four-star recruit was Penn State’s second highest-ranked recruit in program history at the time of his commitment to the program and is expected to be a centerpiece of the Rhoades era turning the program into a more consistent competitor.

Here is Penn State men’s basketball schedule for the 2024-25 season:

  • Nov. 4 – BINGHAMTON, 7:30 p.m., B1G+
  • Nov. 8 – UMBC, 6:00 p.m., Big Ten Network
  • Nov. 12 – SAINT FRANCIS (Pa), 7:00 p.m., Peacock
  • Nov. 15 – Virginia Tech, 7:30 p.m., Peacock
    Baltimore, Md., CFG Bank Arena
  • Nov. 20 – PURDUE FORT WAYNE, 7:30 p.m., B1G+
  • Nov. 25 – Fordham, 4:00 p.m., CBS Sports Network
    Daytona Beach, Fl., Ocean Center
  • Nov. 26 – Clemson or San Francisco, 1:30 p.m. or 4:00 p.m., CBS Sports Network
    Daytona Beach, Fl., Ocean Center
  • Dec. 1 – BUFFALO, 2:00 p.m., Big Ten Network
  • Dec. 5 – PURDUE*, 6:30 p.m., FS1
  • Dec. 10 – at Rutgers*, 7:00 p.m., Peacock
  • Dec. 14 – COPPIN STATE, 12:30 p.m., Big Ten Network
  • Dec. 21 – at Drexel, 12:00 p.m.
    Philadelphia, Pa., Wells Fargo Center
  • Dec. 29 – PENN, 1:00 p.m., Peacock
  • Jan. 2, 2025 – NORTHWESTERN*, 7:00 p.m., Peacock
  • Jan. 5 – INDIANA*, 12:00 p.m., Big Ten Network
    (Philadelphia, Pa., The Palestra)
  • Jan. 8 – at Illinois*, 9:00 p.m., Big Ten Network
  • Jan. 12 – OREGON*, 4:00 p.m., Big Ten Network
  • Jan. 15 – at Michigan State*, 7:30 p.m., Big Ten Network
  • Jan. 20 – RUTGERS*, 6:30 p.m., Peacock
  • Jan. 24 – at Iowa*, 9:00 p.m., FS1
  • Jan. 27 – at Michigan*, 6:30 p.m.. Big Ten Network
  • Jan. 30 – OHIO STATE*, 6:30 p.m., FS1
  • Feb. 4 – MINNESOTA*, 7:00 p.m., Big Ten Network
  • Feb. 8 – at UCLA*, 4:00 p.m., Big Ten Network
  • Feb. 11 – at USC*, 9:00 p.m., Big Ten Network
  • Feb. 15 – WASHINGTON*, 2:00 p.m., Big Ten Network
  • Feb. 19 – NEBRASKA*, 6:30 p.m., Big Ten Network
  • Feb. 22 – at Minnesota*, 2:00 p.m., Big Ten Network
  • Feb. 26 – at Indiana*, 8:30 p.m., Big Ten Network
  • Mar. 1 – MARYLAND*, 12:00 p.m., Big Ten Network
  • Mar. 8 – at Wisconsin*, 1:00 p.m., Peacock
  • Mar. 12-16 – Big Ten Tournament
    Indianapolis, In.

“*” denotes Big Ten Conference game.

All times are Eastern.

Penn State basketball wins charity exhibition game vs. Lafayette

Ace Baldwin Jr. helped fuel a second-half run to help Penn State pull away from Lafayette in an exhibition win.

The start of the new college basketball season is just about here, and the Penn State Nittany Lions are looking to surprise many this year. The second season under head coach [autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag] unofficially got underway Friday night with a charity exhibition game against Lafayette on the campus of Lebanon Valley College, Rhoades’ alma mater. Penn State came out on top of the Leopards by a final score of 79-64 with [autotag]Ace Baldwin Jr.[/autotag] scoring 11 points, nine assists and two steals.

Penn State was led by [autotag]Yanic Konan Niederhauser[/autotag]’s 15-point night, which also included five rebounds and four blocks. [autotag]D’Marco Dunn[/autotag] added 13 points and hit all three of his three-point attempts.

Penn State jumped out to an early lead before Lafayette cut things down to a one-point game but the Nittany Lions went on an 11-0 run fueled by a [autotag]Puff Johnson[/autotag] three-pointer. Penn State led 38-31 at halftime and used a 22-9 run led by Baldwin Jr’s three-point shooting to pull away in the second half for the exhibition win.

Penn State is expected by many in the Big Ten media to finish toward the bottom of the conference this season. The Nittany Lions, in their first year under Rhoades, went 16-17 last season, with a Big Ten record of 9-11. Penn State won its first-round matchup in the Big Ten men’s basketball tournament against Michigan before dropping a close game against Indiana in the second round. After their Big Ten exit, Penn State did not play in a postseason tournament.

Penn State men’s basketball officially begins its 2024-25 season on Monday, Nov. 4 with a home game against Binghampton in the Bryce Jordan Center.

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