HuddleHuddle

Nittany Lions Set for Saturday Road Game at Nebraska

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's basketball team is back on the road this weekend for a Saturday showdown at Nebraska. Tipoff is slated for noon ET/11 a.m. CT on Big Ten Network.
 
FOLLOW ALONG

 
OPENING TIPS

  • The Nittany Lions look to get back on track Saturday when Penn State travels to Nebraska. Penn State sits 6-8 in Big Ten play. The Nittany Lions won three-straight Big Ten games by double-digits from Jan. 31-Feb. 8, but have since dropped their last two contests.
  • Kanye Clary is averaging a team-best 16.7 points per game, while Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watchlist member Ace Baldwin Jr. has contributed 14.2 points, a team-best 5.4 assists and a Big Ten-best 2.72 steals per game.

 
IF PENN STATE BEATS NEBRASKA

  • Penn State would hand the Huskers their first Big Ten home loss of the season and just their second overall home loss of the year.

 
SCOUTING THE HUSKERS

  • The Huskers are 17-8 overall and 7-7 in Big Ten play.
  • Nebraska is 15-1 when playing in its home arena this season, including a perfect 7-0 in home conference games. Nebraska's only home loss of the season was on Dec. 3, a 60-89 loss to then-15th-ranked Creighton.
  • The Huskers are coming off a bye week and will be playing their first game since a 79-59 home win over Michigan on Feb. 10.
  • Keisei Tominaga leads a balanced Husker offense with 14.0 points per game and 50 made 3-pointers. Reink Mast averages 13.6 points and a team-best 8.0 rebounds per game. Brice Williams follows with 13.0 ppg.

 
AGAINST NEBRASKA

  • Penn State and Nebraska meet for the only time this regular season Saturday in Lincoln.
  • The Nittany Lions are 3-9 all-time when playing the Cornhuskers in Lincoln.
  • The two teams split last season's home-and-home series with the home team winning each matchup. Penn State earned a 76-65 win in the season's first meeting on Jan. 21, 2023 in Happy Valley before the Huskers earned a 72-63 home win on Feb. 5, 2023.

 
ON THE RIGHT RHOADES

  • First-year head coach Mike Rhoades inherited a Penn State team that returned just 5.0% of its scoring production from a 2022-23 season that saw the Nittany Lions advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Notable accomplishments so far in Rhoades' first year at the helm include:
    • Won consecutive Big Ten road games (at Rutgers & at Indiana) by 12-plus points for the first time in program history.
    • Defeated No. 11 Wisconsin on Jan. 16 - the highest-ranked win under a first-year head coach in program history.
    • Defeated Indiana at Assembly Hall for the first time under a first-year head coach in program history and the first time overall since 2014.
    • Wins over Wisconsin (Jan. 16), Michigan (Jan. 7) and Ohio State (Dec. 9) marks the first time that the Nittany Lions have beaten all three of those teams in the same season since the 1999-2000 campaign.
    • On track to have the highest-scoring offense under a first-year head coach at Penn State since 1954-55.
    • Signed top-40 recruiting class in the country.

 
FIRST-YEAR OFFENSE

  • Penn State enters Saturday's game averaging 75.8 points per game in Mike Rhoades' debut season.
  • That mark is on track to be Penn State's best offensive output since the 2000-01 team averaged 76.8 points per game en route to a Sweet 16 appearance.
  • It is also on pace to be Penn State's best offensive output under a first-year head coach since 1954-55 when the Nittany Lions put up 78.7 ppg under John Egli.

 
TURN UP THE PRESSURE

  • The Nittany Lions have forced their opponents into 15.24 turnovers per game, a mark that leads the Big Ten and ranks 22nd in the nation. Penn State's +4.2 turnover margin ranks 14th in the country.
  • The Nittany Lions have scored an average of 16.2 points off turnovers per game thus far this season, while Penn State's opponents have only scored 10.9 points per game off Nittany Lion turnovers.

 
HEATING UP

  • The Nittany Lions have shot 48.3% (42-87) from 3-point range over the last four games combined, compared to their season-long 3FG% of 33.1% (198-598).

 
DEFENDING THE ARC

  • Penn State ranks third the Big Ten in three-point percentage defense (through games on Feb. 14) as the Nittany Lions have allowed their opponents to shoot just 31.3 percent from downtown thus far this season.

 
GOT AN ACE UP OUR SLEEVE

  • Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watchlist honoree Ace Baldwin Jr. is stuffing the stat sheet, averaging 14.2 points per game, a team-best 5.4 assists per contest and a Big Ten-best 2.72 steals per game. His 2.72 steals per game ranks sixth in the nation.
  • Should he finish the season averaging 14+ points per game, 5+ assists per game and 2+ steals per game, Baldwin Jr. would be one of just four Big Ten players to do so since 1992-93 (31 years) and the first since former Nittany Lion standout Tim Frazier did so in 2011-12:
    • 2023-24: Ace Baldwin Jr. (PSU) - 14.2/5.4/2.7
    • 2011-12: Tim Frazier (PSU) - 18.8/6.2/2.4
    • 1997-98: Mateen Cleaves (MSU) - 16.1/7.2/2.4
    • 1992-93: Tracy Webster (WIS) - 14.1/6.4/2.4
  • Baldwin Jr. the only currently active Division I player with 1,000+ career points (1,183), 500+ career assists (555) and 250+ career steals (251). His 251 career steals rank third amongst active Division I players.

 
BIG Q

  • Veteran big man Qudus Wahab has shot 70.8 percent (17-24) from the field over the last four games combined.
  • He owns career marks of 1,260 points and 929 rebounds. His 929 rebounds rank 16th amongst active Division I players and he is one of just 20 active Division I players with upwards of 1,000 career points and 900 career rebounds.
  • Wahab is having the most efficient season of his five-year collegiate career, shooting a career-best 64.0 percent (89-139) from the field.

 
HICKS ON THE UP

  • Zach Hicks has turned it up a notch as of late, scoring in double figures in each of the last four games.
Zach Hicks Last 4 First 21
Points per game 15.5 6.2
3FG% 55.6% 29.3%

 
UP NEXT

  • The Nittany Lions host #14 Illinois Wednesday night in Penn State's Return to Rec game at Rec Hall. The Return to Rec game is a season ticket holder exclusive event and fans are encourage to wear white. Tipoff is slated for 6:30 p.m. on Big Ten Network.

 
The 2023-24 Penn State men's basketball season is presented by Highmark Health.