Tag: Nick Kern Jr.

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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Penn State men’s basketball secures best start in 25 years with Fordham win

Penn State men’s basketball on to the Sunshine Slam championship game after historic win over Fordham

Penn State men’s basketball team continued its dominant start to the 2024-25 basketball season, clinching its first 6-0 season in 25 years with an 85-66 win against the Fordham Rams Monday afternoon. The Nittany Lions move on to the Sunshine Slam championship game and will face the winner of this evening’s tilt between Clemson and San Francisco.

Penn State’s offense was once again impressive, shooting 52.6 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from the 3-point line. Another significant statistical advantage the Nittany Lions held was a 21-8 edge in second-chance points.

[autotag]Nick Kern Jr.[/autotag] came off the bench and led Penn State with 20 points on 9-12 shooting while grabbing 13 rebounds. [autotag]Zach Hicks[/autotag] also continued his strong start to the year scoring 16 points and knocking down three 3-pointers.

The Rams didn’t go down without a fight. They scored six of the final seven points of the half, cutting Penn State’s lead to 42-34. The Nittany Lions used a 16-1 scoring run in the second half to extend their lead to 72-50 with under ten minutes left.

Fordham could not get any closer as Penn State earned the wire-to-wire victory to advance to the Sunshine Slam finale Tuesday afternoon.

Penn State will face San Francisco or Clemson at 4 p.m. Tuesday on CBS Sports Network.

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Penn State basketball uniform numbers revealed for the 2024-25 roster

Find out every Penn State basketball player’s 2024-25 jersey number.

Uniform number reveals are definitely not the most exciting part of the college basketball offseason, especially at a football school like Penn State.

The Nittany Lions will have eight new players this fall with five freshmen and three transfers, meaning there are a lot of new faces and jerseys roaming around the Bryce Jordan Center for Penn State fans to know. Returning star point guard [autotag]Ace Baldwin Jr.[/autotag] will hold down the No. 1 jersey, while fellow seniors [autotag]D’Marco Dunn[/autotag] and [autotag]Nick Kern Jr.[/autotag] will remain No. 2 and No. 3, but how about the rest of the squad?

As usual in college basketball, the single digits are everything. [autotag]Jahvin Carter[/autotag], the third highest-rated member of the incoming class, secured No. 0 while projected starting center [autotag]Miles Goodman[/autotag] and second highest-rated recruit in Penn State history according to 247Sports, snatched No. 8.

The team should be getting together soon for summer workouts as many freshmen begin to move onto campus. [autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag] is in his second season as Penn State’s head coach and will look to improve upon a 16-17 season from a year ago.

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Best photos from the Penn State 2023-24 men’s basketball season

Let’s take a look back at some of the best photos we gathered from throughout the men’s basketball season.

Penn State came into the 2023-24 season with a new head coach and a reworked roster, but the goal remained the same; to make it back to the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. That goal ultimately was unfulfilled as Penn State went through a challenging year without much luck on the road or on a neutral court, and the first season under new head coach Mike Rhoades has come to a close.

But the season was not without its bright spots and moments worth cherishing and remembering moving into the offseason. It was unexpected Penn State would have much success this year given the circumstances, but the work is already being done to build a program that will be more competitive in the years to come with more frequent trips to the NCAA postseason hopefully on the horizon. But before we look ahead, let’s take a few moments to look back.

Here is a look back at some of the best photos we gathered from this past men’s basketball season.

Penn State seniors surge past Maryland in regular-season finale (photos)

Check out the best photos from Penn State basketball’s regular-season finale and senior night victory over Maryland.

Penn State honored its seniors on the basketball court on Sunday night and the seniors led the way to a home win against Maryland with a massive second-half effort. Penn State led Maryland by four points at halftime but pulled away in the second half as the regular season came to a close with a 49-37 scoring advantage in the second half of an 85-69 victory over the Terrapins.

Penn State’s seniors combined for 65 points in the win powered by a double-double from [autotag]Qudus Wahab[/autotag] (19 points, 15 rebounds) and [autotag]Ace Baldwin Jr.[/autotag] (17 points, 11 assists). [autotag]RayQuawndis Mitchell[/autotag] (14 points), [autotag]Puff Johnson[/autotag] (13 points), and [autotag]Nick Kern Jr.[/autotag] (10 points) all scored in double figures for the Nittany Lions.

This marked the seventh straight home win for Penn State over Maryland. Now both teams will be heading off to the Big Ten men’s basketball tournament this week in Minnesota, with each being paired up in a first-round matchup.

Next up for Penn State is a first-round matchup in the Big Ten conference tournament against Michigan on Wednesday, March 13. A win will set up a second-round matchup with Indiana. Maryland will face Rutgers in the first round with the winner set to face Wisconsin in the second round.

Here are some of the best photos from the regular-season finale against Maryland.

Penn State at Minnesota men’s basketball: How to watch on TV and live stream on Saturday

Penn State looking for a bounce back win against Minnesota in final road test of season

Penn State fell to a tough defeat against the Iowa Hawkeyes in a game that saw them leapfrog the Nittany Lions into 7th place in the Big Ten standings. Penn State now sits in ninth in the standings ahead of a pivotal matchup against Minnesota on Saturday afternoon.

The Nittany Lions fell to the Golden Gophers at home in late January and are looking for revenge and their third road win of the season, with much more at stake in the regular season’s penultimate game.

Last time out against Minnesota, Penn State could not convert on enough possessions to grab the win despite receiving double-digit performances from four players.

Against Iowa, Penn State was massively outperformed at the free-throw line. The Hawkeyes hit 32 free throws compared to the Nittany Lions 13. Iowa is the best free-throw shooting team in the Big Ten at 78.5%, and on Saturday, Penn State will face the conference’s third-worst team at the charity stripe (68.8%).

Point guard [autotag]Ace Baldwin Jr.[/autotag] paces Penn State with 14.1 points per game and a Big Ten-best 2.8 steals per contest. The Nittany Lions will need one or both of [autotag]Zach Hicks[/autotag] and [autotag]Nick Kern Jr.[/autotag] to step in and carry some of the scoring load.

Minnesota is led by the Big Ten’s sixth-leading scorer forward, Dawson Garcia, who averages 17.8 ppg on 46.9% shooting. Wing defense against the 6-foot-11 forward will be critical in this matchup, especially after Garcia scored 22 in the last meeting.

Here is how to catch Penn State’s last true road game of the season against the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

Penn State at Minnesota Men’s Basketball

  • Date: Saturday, March 2
  • Time: 3:15 p.m. ET
  • Channel: Big Ten Network
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch here)

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Best photos as Penn State basketball tops Indiana in the Bryce Jordan Center

Take a look at some of the best photos as Penn State completed a regular-season sweep of Indiana.

Penn State continued to frustrate Indiana on the basketball court on Saturday with an 83-74 victory in the Bryce Jordan Center. The win was a pivotal one for the Nittany Lions as they continue to fight to improve their seeding situation in the upcoming Big Ten men’s basketball tournament. The win was fueled by a balanced scoring effort from the entire starting lineup and led by Ace Baldwin Jr.’s 23 points and solid defensive efforts.

Penn State has now won four consecutive games against the Hoosiers, which is pretty remarkable given the two histories between the two programs overall and in head-to-head meetings over the years. After taking an earlier road game in Bloomington, Penn State has its first sweep of the Hoosier sin a regular season since 2009.

Here are some of the best photos from Saturday’s latest win against the Hoosiers.

What a rush! Best photos from Penn State basketball’s upset of Illinois

Penn State basketball gave fans a memorable experience in Rec Hall. Here are some of the best photos from the night.

Penn State basketball has been enjoying quite the up-and-down regular season but the emotional highs have been plentiful when playing at home and even more so in historic venues. Earlier this season Penn State came away with a win in The Palestra in Philadelphia, but on Wednesday it played in a venue molded in the style of The Palestra that it once called home, Rec Hall. And the Rec Hall setting was perfect for what transpired Wednesday evening.

Penn State took on no. 12 Illinois with the Illini trying to keep pace and setup a possible opportunity to grab the top seed in the Big Ten basketball tournament. And for a while in the second half, it appeared Illinois was going to leave Rec Hall with an expected win, but the Nittany Lions turned on the defensive pressure to a level Illinois was not equipped to handle and Penn State stormed back in the final minutes for a stunner. Zach Hicks drained three free throws in the final seconds to complete a memorable comeback for the Nittany Lions and the defense prevented a good look for a last-second basket by the Illini, leading to a good old-fashioned court storming by the whiteout crowd in Rec Hall.

Here are some of the best photos from a memorable evening in Rec Hall.

Social media reacts to Penn State basketball’s upset of No. 12 Illinois

Penn State basketball’s upset of Illinois was trending on social media!

Penn State shocked many in the college basketball world with its effort on Wednesday night against no. 12 Illinois. A frenzied Rec Hall crowd was on hand to witness Penn State dictate the tempo for much of the evening and come from behind by as many as 14 points to spring an upset of the heavily favored Illini, leading to a court storming of the hallowed grounds of Rec Hall.

There is just something about these old venues that brings out the best in Penn State with wins this season in Rec Hall and The Palestra in Philadelphia, both in front of whiteout crowds hoping for a turning of the corner for the program moving forward.

Penn State’s win on Wednesday night was a big one as it elevated Penn State out of the bottom four seeds in the Big Ten basketball tournament seeding for the moment. Could this be a win that springs Penn State on the right momentum heading into the Big Ten men’s basketball tournament in a couple of weeks? We’ll see if the momentum can carry over, but this was an important one for Mike Rhoades and his crew.

Here is a look at some of the best reactions found on social media during and after Penn State’s big win in Rec Hall.