Penn State Sports Magazine
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4 4 J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Clemson on Nov. 26. But even so, the de- parture from Rhoades' debut season at Penn State was striking. The loss to the Tigers marked the first time this year that PSU failed to score 70 points. Last year, it did so nine times in 33 games. A Winning Combination During the offseason, Rhoades was focused on blending a core of five re- turning senior starters with four tal- ented transfers and four dynamic true freshmen. Most of all, he was deter- mined to improve Penn State's fortunes on the offensive end of the floor. This year's early results have shown that the work paid off. "We're playing faster. We have more guys who can dribble, shoot and pass, use ball screens, shoot threes in transi- tion, and big guys who can move and step away," Rhoades said. "I think our goal is to score 80 points every game. Last year, we scored 75.2 in Big Ten play. We almost broke the school record. We want to get in the 80s." Taking a significant step up in com- petition on Dec. 5 when hosting No. 8 Purdue, the Nittany Lions knew they would face their toughest test through the first third of the season. The Boilermakers have earned a repu- tation under head coach Matt Painter as a plodding, pace-dictating team, and they have remained in character as they work to follow up last season's NCAA Tournament runner-up finish. They defeated Alabama, NC State and Ole Miss earlier in the year, winning the Rady Children's Invitational in San Di- ego over Thanksgiving week. Penn State knew what to expect when Purdue arrived at the Bryce Jordan Center for the teams' Big Ten opener. Rhoades understood that the Nittany Lions' furious, up-tempo assault on the basket would be tempered, but he in- sisted that his team would still seek to play its game. "I always think wills will collide," he said. "You've got to out-will your oppo- nent and play the way you want to play. The pace of the game and the flow of the game, we want to continue to [embody] that style that Penn State plays, no mat- ter who we play against." The Nittany Lions did just that. Bubbling with energy from the open- ing tip, they stifled the Boilermakers on the defensive end of the court while relentlessly pursuing points. They built a 40-24 halftime lead, thanks in large part to the 15 points they scored off 13 turnovers. Points in the paint, a staple of the Boilers' program, went in favor of the hosts, 18-10, and PSU also led in fastbreak points, 11-4. The second half brought more of the same. The Lions led by as many as 27 points and coasted to an 81-70 victory, their first over a top-10 opponent since beating Maryland in December 2019. It was as dominating as Penn State had ever been in Rhoades' tenure as head coach. 'Good Things Could Happen' Positioned to shatter program scor- ing records this season, the Nittany Lions will aim to replicate that perfor- mance when resuming Big Ten play next month. Through 10 games, they were sixth nationally in scoring offense at 88.7 points per game. They had broken 90 points in four of those games, giv- ing them a chance to surpass the 1955 and '89 teams, which did so seven times apiece. Additionally, the Lions' field goal rate of 51.1 was seventh nationally and was ahead of the school-record 50.1 percent rate that PSU shot in 1981. The Lions stumbled in an 80-76 loss at Rutgers on Dec. 10, but with graduate point guard Ace Baldwin Jr. leading the way and a roster full of players commit- ted to team success rather than indi- vidual acclaim, PSU heads into the heart of the Big Ten season feeling hopeful. "We've got one of the best point guards in the country," Rhoades said. "He's got some great teammates with him that love this style, who I think really can play in this style. We've got more shooters. And I think these guys are having fun trying to perfect this. "I like where we're heading on the of- fensive end. I want to see us play faster and even more aggressively, keep shar- ing the ball and keep being great team- mates. I think good things could happen on the offensive end." ■ "I like where we're heading on the offensive end. I want to see us play faster and even more aggressively, keep sharing the ball and keep being great teammates." R H O A D E S 2024-25 Schedule Date Opponent Time/TV Oct. 25 Lafayette (Exh.)* W, 79-64 Nov. 4 BINGHAMTON W, 108-66 Nov. 8 UMBC W, 103-54 Nov. 12 SAINT FRANCIS (Pa.) W, 92-62 Nov. 15 Virginia Tech** W, 86-64 Nov. 20 FORT WAYNE W, 102-89 Nov. 25 Fordham^ W, 85-66 Nov. 26 Clemson L, 75-67 Dec. 1 BUFFALO W, 87-64 Dec. 5 PURDUE W, 81-70 Dec. 10 at Rutgers L, 80-76 Dec. 14 COPPIN STATE 12:30 p.m./BTN Dec. 21 at Drexel Noon Dec. 29 PENN 1 p.m./Peacock Jan. 2 NORTHWESTERN 7 p.m./Peacock Jan. 5 Indiana^^ Noon/BTN Jan. 8 at Illinois 9 p.m./BTN Jan. 12 OREGON 4 p.m./BTN Jan. 15 at Michigan State 7:30 p.m./BTN Jan. 20 RUTGERS 6:30 p.m./Peacock Jan. 24 at Iowa 9 p.m./FS1 Jan. 27 at Michigan 6:30 p.m./BTN Jan. 30 OHIO STATE 6:30 p.m./FS1 Feb. 4 MINNESOTA 7 p.m./BTN Feb. 8 at UCLA 4 p.m./BTN Feb. 11 at USC 9 p.m./BTN Feb. 15 WASHINGTON 2 p.m./BTN Feb. 19 NEBRASKA 6:30 p.m./BTN Feb. 22 at Minnesota 2 p.m./BTN Feb. 26 at Indiana 8:30 p.m./BTN Mar. 1 MARYLAND Noon/BTN Mar. 8 at Wisconsin 1 p.m./Peacock Mar. 12-16 Big Ten Tournament# TBA * at Lebanon Valley College ** Hall of Fame Series, Baltimore ^ Sunshine Slam, Daytona Beach, Fla. ^^ at the Palestra, Philadelphia # at Indianapolis