Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1516624
M A R C H 2 0 2 4 6 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M substantial loss in ticket revenue if some of those games were to be played in a smaller venue. This year's midweek games at the BJC — against Northwestern, Wiscon- sin, Iowa and Michigan State —drew 8,310 fans on average. Rhoades is committed to exploring any option that can give his program a com- petitive advantage, but he's not going to put public pressure on Penn State athletics administrators. The conversation about playing more games in Rec Hall is going to take place internally. Even so, the message is clear. "I'll play anywhere, anytime. That's how we'll roll," Rhoades said. "Let's think outside the box for Penn State basketball. Let's not do the old, the norm. Let's be dif- ferent. Let's go around the state and play. Let's go around the Mid-Atlantic region and play. Play anybody and figure it out. "This was old school. This was like, let's go play in a hot gym, which is what it's all about, which is a lot of fun. I hope we can do it again. That's more of an administra- tive question, but they're thinking outside the box, too, and I appreciate that." ■ PENN STATE MEN'S BASKETBALL SUPERLATIVES JAN. 16-FEB. 24 THREE STARS 1. Ace Baldwin Jr. | G | Sr. Sharing parallels with Jalen Pickett's first season at Penn State after a transfer, Baldwin has transformed from a player with enormous potential logging minutes into one who is consistently producing impactful performances. His surge began with a 20-point, 5-assist outing in an 87-83 win over No. 11 Wisconsin on Jan. 16. After that, he scored in double figures in the Lions' next 10 games while averaging 7.6 assists during that span. 2. Nick Kern Jr. | G | Jr. Mimicking Baldwin's growth, Kern has emerged as a critical offensive player in Penn State's formula. He had a season-high 22 points to go with 4 rebounds and 2 steals in the Lions' 90-89 upset of Illinois on Feb. 21. His effort kept the Nittany Lions in the game in the second half. 3. Zach Hicks | F | Jr. At one point, Hicks had gone 11 consecutive games without scoring in double figures. His season had largely been a dud. But then he amassed a season-high 19 points on 4-of-8 shooting from deep in an 85-71 road victory over Indiana on Feb. 3. After that, the Temple transfer reached double figures in six straight games while also markedly improving his defense and rebounding. KEY MOMENT Penn State's thrilling victory over 12th-ranked Illinois was the team's best NET win of the year, albeit only marginally. What made it especially impressive, though, was the timing. The Lions had lost three in a row and had dismissed leading scorer Kanye Clary from the team in what was termed a "coach's decision" just two days prior. PSU was at a crossroads. The Lions could have packed it in. Instead, they pulled off an improbable comeback in front of an energized crowd at Rec Hall. BEST HIGHLIGHT Trailing by 14 points early in the second half against Illinois, Penn State pulled off one of the bet- ter comebacks of the entire college basketball season. The Lions were still down by seven points with 35 seconds to play, but then sophomore guard Jameel Brown hit a three-pointer to make the score 89-85. A press trap produced a steal and layup for senior guard Puff Johnson, making it a two-point game. After the Illini missed a pair of free throws at the other end, Hicks was fouled on a three-pointer. He hit all three freebies with just three seconds to play, and a certain loss had turned into a court-storm and Penn State's second upset of the season over a top-15 opponent. BOLD PREDICTION Penn State will need to make a miraculous run at the Big Ten Tournament to reach the NCAA tour- ney for the second year in a row. That likely won't happen, and even the NIT may prove just out of reach. Still, for a program vying to build a foundation, this season's successes have been a huge step in that process. — Nate Bauer Junior guard Nick Kern Jr. was an instrumental part of Penn State's comeback win over Illinois on Feb. 21, scoring a season-best 22 points. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL P E N N S T A T E 2 0 2 3 - 2 4 M E N ' S B A S K E T B A L L S C H E D U L E Date Opponent Result/Time/TV Oct. 27 at Robert Morris (exh.) W, 68-58 Nov. 6 DELAWARE STATE W, 79-45 Nov. 10 LEHIGH W, 74-65 Nov. 14 ST. FRANCIS (PA.) W, 83-53 Nov. 17 MOREHEAD STATE W, 74-51 Nov. 23 Texas A&M* L, 89-77 Nov. 24 Butler* L, 88-78 Nov. 26 VCU* L, 86-74 Dec. 2 BUCKNELL L, 76-67 Dec. 6 at Maryland L, 81-75 (OT) Dec. 9 OHIO STATE W, 83-80 Dec. 16 vs. Georgia Tech** L, 82-81 (OT) Dec. 21 LE MOYNE W, 72-55 Dec. 29 RIDER W, 90-63 Jan. 4 at Michigan State L, 92-61 Jan. 7 vs. MICHIGAN^ W, 79-73 Jan. 10 NORTHWESTERN L, 76-72 Jan. 13 at Purdue L, 95-78 Jan. 16 WISCONSIN W, 87-83 Jan. 20 at Ohio State L, 79-67 Jan. 27 MINNESOTA L, 83-74 Jan. 31 at Rutgers W, 61-46 Feb. 3 at Indiana W, 85-71 Feb. 8 IOWA W, 89-79 Feb. 11 at Northwestern L, 68-63 Feb. 14 MICHIGAN STATE L, 80-72 Feb. 17 at Nebraska L, 68-49 Feb. 21 ILLINOIS^^ W, 90-89 Feb. 24 INDIANA W, 83-74 Feb. 27 at Iowa 9 p.m./BTN Mar. 2 at Minnesota 3:15 p.m./BTN Mar. 10 MARYLAND 7:30 p.m./BTN Mar. 13-17 Big Ten Tournament# TBA/BTN, CBS * ESPN Events Invitational at Kissimmee, Fla.; ** at New York (Madison Square Garden); ^ at Philadelphia (Palestra); ^^ at Rec Hall # at Minneapolis (Target Center)