Tag: Nick Kern Jr.

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.

Penn State stuns No. 12 Illinois with Zach Hicks free throws in final seconds

Penn State fans storm the court of Rec Hall after a wild comeback victory over No. 12 Illinois!

Penn State was looking to create a little magic in their old stomping grounds of Rec Hall on Wednesday night, and Zach Hicks and Nick Kern Jr. rose to the occasion. Kern Jr. scored a career-best 22 points but it was three free throws by Hicks in the final seconds that delivered a memorable and much-needed victory for Penn State against No. 12 Illinois. Hicks drained all three free throws after being fouled to give Penn State a wild 90-98 victory over the Illini.

Penn State held a lead for most of the first half but trailed Illinois by seven at halftime and trailed by seven with a little over a minute to play in the game before going on a run in the final minute.

After draining the go-ahead free throw, Penn State just needed one last defensive stop, and they got it. And with that, a court storming in Rec Hall for the whiteout crowd.

Illinois got a big game from Terrence Shannon Jr. with a 35-point effort, but the Illini struggled to keep up the pace with Penn State from the start and could not hold off the pressure in the closing moments.

The win helps Penn State move out of the bottom four of the Big Ten standings, at least for now. Penn State moved up two spots in the Big Ten standings from no. 11 to no. 9 in the Big Ten tournament picture.

Next up for the Nittany Lions will be a home game against Indiana on Saturday. Penn State upset the Hoosiers in the first meeting of the regular season in Bloomington two weeks ago.

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Penn State basketball drops home game to Michigan State (photos)

Penn State was unable to come from behind against Michigan State at home on Wednesday evening.

Things did not go according to plan for Penn State men’s basketball on Wednesday evening. In a season where Penn State has been far more successful at home, the Nittany Lions dug a big hole in the first half against Michigan State and was unable to pull off a comeback in an 80-72 loss in the Bryce Jordan Center.

Michigan State’s Malik Hall scored a career-high 29 points and Penn State had a rough night shooting the ball. Each time Penn State seemed to have a run in them in the second half, Michigan State had an answer to pull away. [autotag]Ace Baldwin Jr.[/autotag] and [autotag]Zach Hicks[/autotag] each scored 15 points for the Nittany Lions and [autotag]Nick Kern Jr.[/autotag] added 14 points.

Here are some of the best photos from the game.

Penn State basketball’s winning streak snapped with tough loss at Northwestern

Nick Kern Jr. and Ace Baldwin Jr. combined for 35 points but it wasn’t enough to upset Northwestern.

Penn State men’s basketball was hoping to keep the good vibes going with a fourth straight win in Big Ten play on Sunday afternoon, but things did not go their way on the road at Northwestern. The 68-63 loss in Evanston dropped Penn State back to .500 with a record of 12-12 and to 6-7 in Big Ten play this season.

Northwestern attacked with a well-balanced scoring attack with five starters scoring in double figures including Boo Buie’s 15 points. Buie also added five rebounds and six assists for the Wildcats.

[autotag]Nick Kern Jr.[/autotag] led Penn State with 18 points and [autotag]Ace Baldwin Jr.[/autotag] added 17 points. [autotag]D’Marco Dunn[/autotag] got another start in place of [autotag]Kanye Clary[/autotag], who once again saw some playing time off the bench while getting back to full strength from an injury. Clary was held scoreless off the bench in 14 minutes and Dunn scored just four points.

Penn State will return home for their next game against Michigan State. The Nittany Lions host the Spartans in the Bryce Jordan Center on Wednesday, Feb. 14 at 6:30 p.m. ET.

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Best photos from Penn State basketball’s major win at Indiana

Here are the best photos from Penn State’s first men’s basketball win at Indiana since 2014!

Wins for Penn State basketball come few and far between when playing on the road against the Indiana Hoosiers. But on Saturday, Penn State’s decade-long drought came to an end in Bloomington with a stunning second-half performance leading to an 85-71 victory. It was just the second road win of the season for Penn State, and both came in the same week!

Here are some of the best photos from Penn State basketball’s major road win at Indiana on Saturday afternoon.