Mike Rhoades seems to be the right man for the job after first season in State College

The leader of Penn State basketball gives spirited quote at end of season presser.

March Madness may be going on, but that doesn’t mean Penn State fans have to sit out the basketball hype. [autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag] held his end-of-season press conference on Thursday and it should have fired up every Penn State fan for the future.

Clearly, he is the man for the job and wants to be at Penn State.

Rhoades’ first season in State College was a success. A 16-17 overall record doesn’t tell the whole story, as most of Rhoades’s roster was made up of transfers, and he had to meld it all together. He did that magnificently, finishing with nine Big Ten wins, the second-highest by a first-year head coach in program history.

It was just the eighth time in Penn State’s 32-year history in the Big Ten that the program collected nine or more conference wins.

One of Rhoades’s main calling cards was his defensive understanding, but the Penn State offense finished the season averaging 75.1 points per game, ranking as the highest-scoring offense since the 2019-20 squad.

Rhoades’ first season in Happy Valley included two top-15 wins over No. 12 Illinois and No. 11 Wisconsin.

Without a doubt, Penn State basketball is going in the right direction and the right hands with Rhoades at the helm.

Penn State fans should be fired up after reading this quote from their head coach. He understands the mountain he has to climb but also knows Penn State can make that climb. Keep an eye on Penn State basketball’s offseason because Mike Rhoades is not messing around. Maybe March basketball is in the cards next season for the Nittany Lions.

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Penn State forward Demetrius Lilley the latest to jump in transfer portal

Penn State loses fourth player to the NCAA transfer portal.

Penn State saw a fourth member of the 2023-24 men’s basketball roster jump into the NCAA transfer portal on Wednesday. Forward [autotag]Demetrius Lilley[/autotag] was the latest player from the team to enter his name in the NCAA’s database as he explores his options for his basketball future.

Lilley appeared in 20 games for Penn State last season off the bench. He averaged 2.8 points and 2.7 rebounds per game in a little under 10 minutes per game this past season. He did get slowed down by a back injury in the later portion of the season.

Lilley will have two years of eligibility remaining. The Philadelphia area native was a three-star recruit in Penn State’s Class of 2022 under former head coach Micah Shrewsberry. Only one player recruited by Shrewsberry remains on the roster; guard Jameel Brown.

Lilley’s jump to the transfer portal follows similar moves by guard Kanye Clary (who was dismissed from the team late in the season), forward Favour Aire, and guard Bragi Gudmundsson.

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Penn State guard Bragi Gudmundsson enters NCAA transfer portal

Penn State will have another spot to fill on the roster as Bragi Gudmundsson enters the transfer portal.

Monday was a bit of a busy day for Penn State basketball and the transfer portal. In addition to guard Kanye Clary and forward Favour Aire officially entering the portal, Penn State saw guard [autotag]Bragi Gudmundsson[/autotag] enter his name into the NCAA transfer portal as well.

Gudmundsson made appearances in just 7 games for Penn State during the 2023-24 season, for a total of just 12 minutes on the court as a freshman. The former professional basketball player from Iceland was a late addition to the Penn State roster and figured to be more of a short-term fix for the program amid significant roster turnover under new head coach Mike Rhoades.

The pending departure of Gudmundssondoes takes another hit to the Penn State roster scholarship depth heading into the 2024-25 season as Rhoades will once again have to spend this offseason building a stable roster with help out of the transfer portal.

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Kanye Clary officially enters transfer portal

After being removed from the roster in February, former Penn State guard Kanye Clary is now in the transfer portal.

The end of the 2023-24 college basketball season came to a premature ending for guard [autotag]Kanye Clary[/autotag]. While leading Penn State in points per game average well into the season, Clary was removed from the roster for undisclosed reasons by head coach Mike Rhoades. Now, Clary is officially one step closer to finding a new program to call home.

Clary entered his name into the NCAA transfer portal on Monday, the first day the portal opened for college basketball players. Clary will have two years of eligibility to use wherever he lands next after a solid sophomore season with the Nittany Lions.

Clary averaged 16.7 points per game with 2.8 assists per game this season. He started in 20 of 23 games played, with the only three games off the bench coming after an injury sidelined him.

Where Clary goes next remains to be seen, although Notre Dame may be a potential landing spot for him. Clary was recruited by Notre Dame head coach and former Penn State head coach Micha Shrewsberry.

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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 to face Michigan in first round of Big Ten men’s basketball tournament

Penn State will have to play in the first round of the Big Ten tournament but has a favorable path to a possible quarterfinal appearance.

After closing out the regular season with a win over Maryland on Sunday night, Penn State locked in its position in the final Big Ten standings. With Ohio State winning its game at Rutgers on Sunday, the Nittany Lions were officially locked into one of the Big Ten’s last four seeds in the Big Ten tournament, meaning they will have to play in the first round on Wednesday. And with the win over Maryland, Penn State wrapped up the no. 11 seed in the Big Ten tournament.

As a result, Penn State will take on Michigan on Wednesday in the second game of the first round on Wednesday evening in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Michigan finished in last place in the Big Ten this season with a Big Ten record of 3-17 (8-23 overall). The first-round matchup between the Nittany Lions and Wolverines is scheduled for an approximate start time of 9:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday night, with the start time potentially impacted by the time the first game between Maryland and Rutgers ends.

Penn State’s first-round matchup will only be available to watch on the Peacock streaming app. If Penn State gets past Michigan, the second-round matchup against Indiana will be seen on Big Ten Network. Penn State was 2-0 against Indiana this season, so it is seemingly very possible for Penn State to make a run to the Big Ten quarterfinal round. But Penn State’s record away from home this season is well-documented and could still come back to haunt them as the Nittany Lions merely try to keep slim hopes of playing in the NIT alive.

Penn State won the only regular-season meeting with Michigan this season when Ace Baldwin Jr. led the Nittany Lions to a 79-73 victory in The Palestra in Philadelphia in early January. This will be the first Big Ten tournament meeting between Penn State and Michigan since 2013 when Michigan won a first-round matchup by a score of 83-66.

You can see the full Big Ten men’s basketball tournament and track all of the results, matchups, odds, and more with our Big Ten men’s basketball tournament tracker.

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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 basketball runs out of steam in latest road loss at Minnesota

Penn State led Minnesota by 12 at halftime but returned home with another frustrating road loss.

It was quite the tale of two halves for Penn State men’s basketball on Saturday afternoon at Minnesota. After leading the Gophers by 12 points at halftime, Penn State was outscored 45-28 in the second half and returned home with a tough 75-70 loss to close out the road schedule for the regular season.

Despite getting a career-best 19 points from [autotag]Puff Johson[/autotag] and a 17-point effort from [autotag]Ace Baldwin Jr.[/autotag] but the Gophers went on a sizzling 21-5 run to take a lead and begin setting the pace for the remainder of the season.

Penn State losing on the road in a key game coming down the final stretch fell in sync with the theme of the season for the Nittany Lions on the road. Penn State won just two road games all season this. They also dropped both regular season meetings with Minnesota.

Penn State will have one final game to play before heading off to the Big Ten men’s basketball tournament as they look to try and stay out of the bottom four seeds in the Big Ten standings. Penn State

Penn State will host Maryland for the final game of the regular season on March 10 at 7:30 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network.

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Former Penn State guard Andrew Funk signs with Chicago Bulls

The Chicago Bulls have rounded out part of their roster for the second-half of the season with a Nittany Lion.

The Chicago Bulls are looking to add a shooter to the roster, and they may have found one in the form of a former Penn State Nittany Lion. [autotag]Andrew Funk[/autotag], who spent one season with the Nittany Lions last year out of the transfer portal, has signed a two-way contract with the Bulls.

Each NBA team is allowed to have three players signed to a two-way contract. The Bulls had a spot open up after upgrading a two-way contract for Onuralp Bitim to a regular NBA contract.

Funk transferred to Penn State from Bucknell before the 2022-23 college basketball season, and he immediately became a three-point shooting force for the Nittany Lions. The former Patriot League standout helped Penn State reach the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2011. Funk was on fire in Penn State’s first-round win over Texas A&M, Penn State’s first tournament win since 2001.

Funk signed with the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets as an undrafted free agent following the 2023 NBA draft. He played with the summer league team for the Nuggets and signed with the team in July, but he was waived by the Nuggets in October. Later that month he joined the Grand Rapids Gold of the NBA G League.

Funk is one of three Penn State players from last season’s roster currently on an NBA roster. Seth Lundy is with the Atlanta Hawks and Jalen Pickett is with the Nuggets. Both were second-round draft picks of their respective teams in the 2023 NBA draft. Another former Penn State player, Lamar Stevens, is in his third season in the NBA. Stevens is a member of the Memphis Grizzlies

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Social media basks in Penn State basketball victory, roasts Indiana

Penn State beating Indiana in basketball once again set Indiana social media on fire.

It used to be that Penn State basketball beating Indiana was a rarity. But after a victory in the Bryce Jordan Center on Saturday afternoon, the Nittany Lions completed a regular-season sweep and extended its winning streak over the Hoosiers to four. And those observing and reacting on social media sure took notice of the latest developments with these two programs.

Penn State continued to trend up in the Big Ten standings while the Hoosiers slipped into the bottom four of the Big Ten standings. In what has been an up-and-down season for the Nittany Lions, Penn State could be building some momentum at the right time. Two wins in a row at home this week have led some Penn State fans to beaming with pride and raising expectations after going through a tough stretch recently.

Here is a look at some of the social media reactions to Penn State basketball’s victory over the Hoosiers.