Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1543434
M A R C H 2 0 2 6 6 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M I think we evaluate well. We recruit," Rhoades said. "The one thing here at Penn State in the basketball program that we've got to continue to work on is building our program in so many dif- ferent ways to continue to attract those types of players. Players like Kayden Mingo and like [freshman forward] Ivan Jurić, who could take your program to another level when you get a bunch of those guys." Defensive Struggles For a Penn State team that has been trudging through a bleak 2025-26 cam- paign, there are more immediate con- cerns than the loss of a coveted pros- pect. Entering Rhoades' third season, Penn State was left to build a team around eight players with true freshman eligibility. It looked like a daunting task prior to the start of the campaign, and that has indeed been the case. While Mingo and Jurić have been success stories, averaging 14.0 and 9.1 points, respectively, the Lions have struggled as a team. After stealing a 63- 60 win at Washington on Feb. 11, their second of the Big Ten slate, they fell at Oregon, 83-72, three days later, then dropped an 85-72 decision to Rutgers at the Bryce Jordan Center on Feb. 18. Prior to Iowa's visit to the BJC on Feb. 28, the Lions were 11-17 overall, and that record had been bolstered by a non- conference schedule that was ranked among the nation's least challenging by KenPom. Against conference com- petition, close losses to Michigan State (76-72, Dec. 13), Michigan (74-72, Jan. 6) and USC (77-75, Feb. 8) were among the highlights. Both in raw numbers and opponent- adjusted analytics, the Nittany Lions have produced one of the worst de- fenses in college basketball this season. Plagued by size and strength deficien- cies, they've allowed 79.5 points per game, tied for 318th nationally. KenPom ranks their defensive efficiency No. 237, while EvanMiya.com lists Penn State at No. 240, worst among Big Ten teams. Internally, the Lions understand their results are not due to bad luck. Penn State has struggled to guard the ball, quickly falling into ineffective defensive rotations against opponents capable of converting open three-point looks. And although Rhoades has expressed his commitment to staying at Penn State beyond this season — with four years remaining on his contract after this year — the realistic opportunity to improve upon a 43-49 overall record and 17-40 Big Ten mark is in jeopardy. Rhoades has acknowledged that the Lions must get older, bigger and stron- ger as a team. Given the many deficien- cies of the current roster, Penn State will need to make expert use of the spring transfer window, which will run from April 7-21. "Recruiting has changed, and it's changing as we're speaking right now," Rhoades said. "You always want to get high school talent, without a doubt. But in the Big Ten, you have to be com- pletely open to getting older all the time, because that's what our league is doing. That's what Power Four teams are doing. We have to keep pushing the envelope forward in everything we do. That's the key to it. "When you bring recruits on campus and they see this — how awesome it is here, how much fun our student-ath- letes and our students are having, the people you could be around, and you get a chance to play in the Big Ten — that's appealing." Help Wanted Penn State's immediate future de- pends on effectively selling that vision to prospective transfers. The Nittany Lions' 2026 class has only one member — East St. Louis forward Jamison White — and only one player on the current team — senior forward Josh Reed — is set to exhaust his eligibility after the 2025-26 season. Offering ample playing opportunity on a bigger stage to the older, bigger and stronger players who will inevitably vie for portal attention this offseason, Rhoades will need the budget to build the kind of roster Penn State requires. And it all must occur while PSU quickly sorts through the worthy and unworthy parts of a team that was in last place in the Big Ten standings heading into the final days of the regular season. The calculus is for Rhoades, his staff and the Penn State athletics administra- tion to solve. One certainty, especially after Dylan Mingo's decision, is that the ingredients needed to address the team's most glaring needs exist elsewhere. Any chance to make progress — a matter bordering on desperation for a head coach with only two losing sea- sons in his career before coming to Penn State — depends on it. ■ 2025-26 Schedule (11-17 overall, 2-15 Big Ten) Date Opponent Time/TV Oct. 19 at Dayton (Exh.) L, 78-62 Oct. 26 SHIPPENSBURG (Exh.) W, 86-67 Nov. 3 FAIRFIELD W, 76-68 Nov. 8 at New Haven W, 87-43 Nov. 11 NAVY W, 80-71 Nov. 15 La Salle* W, 83-69 Nov. 19 HARVARD W, 84-80 Nov. 22 Providence** L, 77-65 Nov. 25 BOSTON U. W, 96-87 Nov. 29 SACRED HEART W, 90-59 Dec. 2 CAMPBELL W, 87-76 Dec. 9 at Indiana L, 113-72 Dec. 13 MICHIGAN STATE L, 76-72 Dec. 21 Pitt^ L, 80-46 Dec. 29 N.C. CENTRAL W, 90-67 Jan. 3 Illinois^^ L, 73-65 Jan. 6 MICHIGAN L, 74-72 Jan. 10 at Purdue L, 93-85 Jan. 14 UCLA L, 71-60 Jan. 18 at Maryland L, 96-73 Jan. 22 WISCONSIN L, 98-71 Jan. 26 at Ohio State L, 84-78 Jan. 29 at Northwestern L, 94-73 Feb. 1 MINNESOTA W, 77-75 Feb. 5 at Michigan L, 110-69 Feb. 8 USC L, 77-75 Feb. 11 at Washington W, 63-60 Feb. 14 at Oregon L, 83-72 Feb. 18 RUTGERS L, 85-72 Feb. 21 at Nebraska L, 87-64 Feb. 28 IOWA Noon/BTN Mar. 4 OHIO STATE 7:30 p.m./Peacock Mar. 8 at Rutgers Noon/BTN Mar. 10-15 Big Ten Tournament # TBA * at Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia ** Hall of Fame Showcase at Uncasville, Conn. ^ at Giant Center, Hershey, Pa. ^^ at the Palestra, Philadelphia # at United Center, Chicago