Tag: Penn State Basketball

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.

Follow Charlie Strella on X, Threads, and Instagram.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X, Facebook, and Threads.

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 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.

Follow Charlie Strella on X, Threads, and Instagram.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X, Facebook, and Threads.

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.

Penn State in top four list of elite guard Kayden Mingo

Penn State basketball lands in the top four for a key recruiting target.

While there is a lot of attention being placed on how Penn State finishes their 2025 recruiting cycle on the football side of things, the basketball program is looking to get things rolling under [autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag] now that he’s had a full year in Happy Valley.

The former VCU head coach was able to build a solid pipeline at that mid-major level, and the hope is he can do the same thing for the Nittany Lions.

So far, Rhoades and his staff were already able to make one splash in the 2025 class when they landed four-star recruit Mason Blackwood from New Hampshire. The 6-foot-7 wing is the first major get that Penn State has secured in his tenure.

But, the Nittany Lions are still searching for another high-profile commitment.

Recently, four-star guard [autotag]Kayden Mingo[/autotag] trimmed his list of schools to four, and Penn State was included.

https://www.instagram.com/_kaydenmingo/p/DBEzOpgSmAn/?hl=en

Ranked as the No. 44 overall player in the 2025 cycle by On3’s Industry Ranking, this would easily be the biggest win Rhoades has made on the recruiting trail.

“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,” Mingo said to On3.

He visited Penn State back in September, and even though that was one of his first official visits of the fall, that trip clearly left a lasting impression on him, describing it as “excellent.”

On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine has the Nittany Lions as the favorite to earn a commitment from him with 21.6%, ahead of the other three on his list Virginia Tech, Georgia, and Wake Forest.

“My interactions with the staff were great. We have all been building for a while now so getting to know more about each coach and meeting their families was excellent. I loved the fit and really enjoyed how Coach (Mike) Rhoades explained to me the vision he has in place for me,” Mingo added.

There is still work to do before this is finalized, but Penn State is in a good position to land their most high-profile recruit of the Rhoades era.

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.

Follow Charlie Strella on X, Threads, and Instagram.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X, Facebook, and Threads.

Penn State basketball getting visit from Maryland’s Gatorade Player of the Year

Penn State basketball is preparing for a major official visit from one of the top players in Maryland.

All eyes are on Penn State’s football program with official visits kicking off this weekend, but there is plenty of action taking place for other programs.

The basketball team got some huge news when their star [autotag]Ace Baldwin[/autotag] announced that he was returning to the team for the upcoming season. That will not only allow them to compete this year, but it also gives head coach [autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag] another chance to establish his culture and build momentum.

One thing that Rhoades and his staff did well during his tenure at VCU was being able to land high-end recruits to a mid-major program.

He’s currently trying to do that for the Nittany Lions, something that they should be able to do when giving prospects the chance to compete in a Power 4 conference.

The good news keeps flowing for Penn State on the hardcourt as one of their top targets in the 2025 class has revealed he will be visiting Happy Valley in August.

Consensus four-star recruit [autotag]Cam Ward[/autotag] is ranked as the 38th-best player in the country by ESPN coming off him winning Gatorade Player of the Year in Maryland.

The 6-foot-6, 190-pound prospect spoke with Jamie Shaw of On3 about his recruitment after taking two official visits to Florida State and Notre Dame. It’s no surprised that those two are the leaders in the clubhouse, but Penn State is going to get a real look as Ward thinks what Rhoades and his staff are doing will translate well going forward (subscription required).

He’s playing AAU basketball for Team Durant on Nike’s EYBL Circuit this summer and will look to narrow down his list after everything finishes up.

How this relationship progresses will be seen, but it’s huge positive that someone of Ward’s magnitude has the Nittany Lions on his radar and will take a trip to campus.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X, Facebook, and Threads.

Eli Rice transfers to Penn State

Rice appeared in 17 games this past season, averaging 9.8 minutes per game

A Nebraska basketball player has transferred to Penn State for the 2024-25 season. Eli Rice announced the decision on Thursday morning.

Rice appeared in 17 games this past season, averaging 9.8 minutes per game. He averaged 4.2 points and 1.6 rebounds per game.

When Rice signed with the Huskers in November 2022, Hoiberg said he was impressed by the three-star recruit’s talents.

“Eli is a guard with good positional size and length and the versatility to play several positions in our system. He is a good scorer who can make plays for others and rebounds well for his position. Eli has a lot of potential for development, as he played just two years of high school basketball and is young for graduating class. I think his best basketball days are ahead of him.”

Rice joins a Penn State team that finished the 2023-24 season with a 16-17 record and a 9-11 in Big Ten play. The Nittany Lions finished 0-1 against the Huskers with a 68-49 loss in Lincoln back in February.

Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes, and opinions.

Penn State earns commitment from former Nebraska guard

Penn State basketball adds its third player from the transfer portal.

Although we are deep into the football offseason, Mike Rhoades and company are working to add to Penn State’s basketball roster.

The Nittany Lions have already signed two players from the transfer portal: [autotag]Kachi Nzeh[/autotag] and, most recently, [autotag]Yanic Konan Niederhauser[/autotag].

After adding two big men to the portal, Penn State stayed with the theme of adding size. This time, it was former Nebraska guard [autotag]Eli Rice[/autotag], a 6-foot-8 guard who averaged 4.2 points and 1.6 rebounds per game as a freshman this past season. Rice announced his commitment to [autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag] and Penn State with an Instagram post. Rice will have three years of eligibility remaining.

In limited minutes last year, Rice proved to be a decent shooter, hitting 37% of shots behind the arc. Rice should provide the Nittany Lions with solid rebounding numbers, given his size in addition to his long-range shooting.

The Tennessee native’s commitment leaves Penn State with one more scholarship to fill before the transfer portal closes.

Follow Charlie Strella on Twitter, Threads, and Instagram.

Penn State basketball lands transfer center from Xavier

After losing three centers from last year’s roster, this transfer addition addresses a big need for the Nittany Lions.

Penn State and head coach [autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag] hope this offseason isn’t quite as crazy as last year’s when they had to put together an entire team through the transfer portal or else there wouldn’t be enough players to compete.

Despite being able to add some fairly high-profile players in the portal, Rhoades has stated he wants to build his program through recruiting, not transfers. It’s something that he did at VCU when he had a successful tenure there and that’s his strategy for building a sustainable program in Happy Valley.

In the meantime, Rhoades must utilize the portal since there was more roster turnover this offseason.

The Nittany Lions lost all three centers from the 2023-24 roster after Qudus Wahab graduated and Demetrius Lilley decided to put his name in the transfer portal alongside Favour Aire. The good news is that Penn State has found a replacement.

Rhoades and his staff landed Xavier transfer [autotag]Kachi Nzeh[/autotag] on March 30 after a quick process led him back to Pennsylvania where he played high school basketball.

The 6’8″, 230-pounder was a three-star recruit in the class of 2023, being ranked as a Top-150 player by 247Sports and the No. 2 overall recruit in the state.

Nzeh received some playing time as a freshman last year at Xavier. He appeared in 19 games and averaged 2.5 points and 2.5 rebounds during his average of 9.9 minutes per game.

This is a win for the Nittany Lions as he decided to commit to Penn State despite having offers from schools like Creighton, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Miami, New Mexico State, Seton Hall, and TCU, among others.

With multiple years of eligibility remaining, Nzeh should finish his career in Happy Valley as he continues to develop.

Follow Kevin McGuire on Threads, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.