Tag: Zach Hicks

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 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.

Hoosier daddy? Penn State continues winning ways against Indiana

Penn State basketball picked up another big home win with a victory over Indiana.

Maybe Penn State men’s basketball has one more run in them right before the end of the regular season. Days after pulling an upset of Illinois in Rec Hall, Penn State continued their winning ways at home on Saturday afternoon with an 83-74 victory over Indiana in the Bryce Jordan Center. [autotag]Ace Baldwin Jr.[/autotag] led the way with 23 points and 9 assists with four rebounds and four steals.

The two teams played a back-and-forth first half for the most part, but the Nittany Lions went on a timely 8-1 run to close out the first half and managed to keep Indiana at bay for the remainder of the afternoon. The visiting Hoosiers did pull to within two points in the second half but a [autotag]Zach Hicks[/autotag] three-pointer and a basket by [autotag]Puff Johnson[/autotag] gave Penn State some breathing room and allowed them to put the game in a comfortable spot the rest of the way.

Penn State got a balanced offensive outing from its starting lineup with each starter scoring in double figures. [autotag]Qudus Wahab[/autotag] had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Penn State basketball has now found the upper hand against Indiana on the basketball court it would seem. Penn State has won four in a row and five of the past six meetings with the Hoosiers, including a Big Ten tournament matchup last season.

This marks the first time since 2009 that Penn State completed a regular season sweep of Indiana. It also helped move Penn State up into 8th place in the updated Big Ten standings. Along with Iowa losing to Illinois on Saturday, the Nittany Lions moved up a spot ahead of the Hawkeyes.

And that sets up Penn State’s next game, which will carry a little more weight in the Big Ten tournament seeding outlook down the final stretch. Penn State visits Iowa on Tuesday evening.

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

Penn State vs. Indiana: Two teams jockeying for Big Ten Tournament seeding tipoff Saturday at the Bryce Jordan Center

The Penn State men’s basketball team is coming off arguably their best win of the season against 12th-ranked Illinois. It was a thriller of a game that took three clutch [autotag]Zach Hicks[/autotag] free throws to seal the Nittany Lions’ 90-89 win.

With the addition of another top-15 win under its belt, Penn State will be back in action against the Indiana Hoosiers at home this weekend. This time, though, the game will be at the Bryce Jordan Center instead of Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions hope to recreate the magic and atmosphere on Saturday that was present Wednesday evening during their defeat of the Illini.

A win would mark a regular season sweep of the Hoosiers after beating them in Bloomington earlier this month. Penn State sits at 7-9 in the Big Ten Conference after Wednesday’s thriller and looks to improve their conference tournament seeding.

Defensive Player of the Year candidate [autotag]Ace Baldwin Jr.[/autotag] leads the Nittany Lions with 13.9 points per game and a Big Ten-best 2.78 steals per contest. Last time out against Indiana, Baldwin Jr. dropped 22 points and 8 eight assists to spur the Nittany Lions to victory. With Indiana on Penn State’s heels regarding conference tournament seeding, a repeat performance from Baldwin would go a long way in separating the Nittany Lions from the last five seeds.

Scoring 90 points against Illinois and 85 against Indiana on February 3 has Penn State entering Saturday’s game averaging 75.3 points per game in head coach Mike Rhoades’ debut season. Another solid offensive output from the Nittany Lions could extend the Hoosiers losing streak to four games.

Here is how to watch Saturday afternoon’s Big Ten contest from the Bryce Jordan Center.

Penn State vs. Indiana Men’s Basketball

  • Date: Saturday, Feb. 24
  • Time: 12 p.m. ET
  • Channel: Big Ten Network
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch here)

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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 can’t keep pace in loss at Nebraska (photos)

Penn State men’s basketball falls to two games under .500 after its latest road loss at Nebraska.

Penn State’s road woes on the basketball court continued to haunt them on Saturday afternoon in Lincoln, Nebraska. Penn State saw yet another loss on the road in Big Ten play as they came up short at Nebraska, 68-49. The loss dropped Penn State to two games under .500 with time running out in the regular season to string together any hope of playing in the NCAA tournament this season.

[autotag]Zach Hicks[/autotag] led the Nittany Lions with 13 points on a tough afternoon for the Penn State offense. [autotag]Ace Baldwin Jr.[/autotag] was the only other player to score in double figures for Penn State with 10 points. Penn State shot just 5-of-23 from three-point range and just 8-of-16 from the free point line.

Nebraska’s Keisei Tominaga led the Huskers with 17 points and hit timely shots to help stall any opportunity for momentum by Penn State. That included three three-pointers to help the Huskers pull away for the conference win.

Penn State will return home this week for a game against Illinois in Rec Hall on Wednesday.

Here are the best photos from Penn State’s loss at Nebraska on Saturday.

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

Penn State travels to face one of the country’s best home teams worst while to trying to shake off its two game skid.

The Penn State men’s basketball team fell victim to another close loss on Wednesday, as Michigan State left State College with just its second road victory. The Nittany Lions will aim to snap its two-game skid when they end in Lincoln on Saturday to face the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

It was a tough loss against the Spartans for several reasons, but perhaps none bigger than shooting 12/23 from the 3-point line and still coming away with a loss. [autotag]Ace Baldwin Jr.[/autotag] and [autotag]Zach Hicks[/autotag] each scored 15 points to lead Penn State.

Penn State is only 6-8 in Big Ten play and hasn’t had much success on the road this season, only going 2-5. Nebraska has not lost a Big Ten game at home and has only lost once at home all season. The Cornhuskers haven’t played in a week after beating Michigan at home 79-59 on February 10.

Guard Keisei Tominaga paces the Nebraska offense with 14 points per game and averages 2.2 3-pointers per contest so the Penn State 3-point defense that ranks third in the Big Ten will be critical.

Penn State guard [autotag]Kanye Clary[/autotag] was held to just 8 points against Michigan State in his return to the starting lineup, so a back-to-normal offensive night for the sophomore guard would be a massive boost for the Nittany Lions.

The Cornhuskers are one of the toughest teams in the country when playing at home, so Penn State will have to be clicking on all cylinders to come away with the victory.

Here is how to watch Saturday afternoon’s Big Ten action from Lincoln.

Penn State at Nebraska Men’s Basketball

  • Date: Saturday, Feb. 17
  • Time: Noon ET
  • Channel: Big Ten Network
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch here)

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