Men’s Basketball Hosts #12 Illinois in Return to Rec Game WednesdayMen’s Basketball Hosts #12 Illinois in Return to Rec Game Wednesday

Men’s Basketball Hosts #12 Illinois in Return to Rec Game Wednesday




UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's basketball team is set to host #12 Illinois inside a sold-out Rec Hall Wednesday night in the Nittany Lions' Return to Rec game. All attending fans are encouraged to wear white. Tipoff is slated for 6:30 p.m. on Big Ten Network.
 
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

  • PARKING

    • Due to the sold-out event, fans are encouraged to purchase their parking prior to the game via ParkMobile.
    • Fans are able to park in the Eisenhower Parking Deck for free with a complimentary shuttle to Rec Hall to and from the game. To park for free, fans need to show their basketball ticket upon entry. Fans must enter from Shortlidge Road, access is not available from Bigler Road at this time.
    • For those fans parking in the Nittany Parking Deck and West Parking Deck, parking for athletic events requires a valid university permit or payment of an applicable parking fee. Single-game parking can be purchased in advance by 11:59 p.m. the day prior to the game using prepaid ParkMobile for $5.50 or can be purchased on game day for $10. There is a complimentary shuttle from the West Deck.
    • Shuttle services will begin 90 minutes prior to the game.
  • MOBILE TICKETING: Mobile ticketing how-to guides are available here.
  • CLEAR BAG POLICY: Penn State Athletics events operate with a clear bag policy. Small clear tote bags 12"x6"x12" or smaller are permitted, as are small clutches or wristlets 4"x6"x1".

 
FOLLOW ALONG

 
OPENING TIPS

  • The Nittany Lions return to their roots Wednesday night when Penn State hosts #12 Illinois in its Return to Rec game. Rec Hall was the longtime home of Nittany Lion basketball until a 1996 move to the Bryce Jordan Center.
  • Penn State sits 6-9 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 three contests.
  • Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watchlist member Ace Baldwin Jr. leads the Nittany Lions with 14.0 points, a team-best 5.3 assists and a Big Ten-best 2.81 steals per game.

 
IF PENN STATE BEATS #12 ILLINOIS

  • The Nittany Lions would take down their second top-15 ranked opponent of the season.
  • Penn State would defeat Illinois for the fourth-straight meeting.
  • The Nittany Lions would move to 517-184 all-time in Rec Hall.

 
RETURN TO REC

  • Penn State returns to its roots Wednesday night as the Nittany Lions host Illinois in the Return to Rec game. Rec Hall, which is the current home of Penn State's men's and women's volleyball and men's and women's gymnastics and wrestling teams, was the longtime home of both the men's and women's basketball teams until a 1996 move to the Bryce Jordan Center.
  • Men's basketball returns to Rec Hall for the first time since December 2015. Since moving into the Bryce Jordan Center during the 1996 season, Penn State has played at Rec Hall on three occasions – Dec. 14, 2013 vs. Princeton (L, 79-81 OT), Dec. 10, 2015 vs. Canisius (W, 81-67) and Dec. 12, 2015 vs. Louisiana Monroe (W, 54-50). The Nittany Lions will host their first Big Ten opponent in a Return to Rec game when the Illini come to Happy Valley.

 
BACK TO THE ROOTS

  • The Nittany Lions defeated Wisconsin, 79-50, in their final Rec Hall game on Jan. 7, 1996, before moving to their current home in the 15,261-seat Bryce Jordan Center the following game on Jan. 11, 1996. Rec Hall gained a reputation as one of the toughest places to play in the nation when it served as the home of the Nittany Lions from 1929-96. That reputation was built on boisterous crowds who packed the arena to the rafters and a student section that was right on top of the floor.
  • Rec Hall had a final listed capacity of 6,846 for basketball, but more than 8,000 fans jammed into the iconic building for a basketball game six times in the building's history, including a record 8,600 fans for a contest vs. Virginia on Dec. 5, 1973.
  • The Lions compiled a stellar 514-183 (.737) record in Rec Hall from 1929-96, including a 45-game win streak from 1951-55. That era saw the Nittany Lions reach the program's only NCAA Final Four in 1954 behind All-American Jesse Arnelle and coach Elmer Gross. Arnelle is among a long list of Penn State greats to have made their mark on the Rec Hall floor, including names like John Amaechi, Freddie Barnes, John Barr, Ron Brown, Monroe Brown, Carver Clinton, Dan Earl, Mark Dumars, Gene Harris, Deron Hayes, Tom Hovasse, Mike Lang, Pete Lisicky and Bob Weiss.
  • Penn State was led by nine different head coaches during the Rec Hall era, including longtime NBA coaches Dick Harter (1979-83) and John Bach (1969-78), the Lions' all-time wins leader John Egli (1955-68), Helm's Foundation Hall of Fame inductee John Lawther (1937-49) and Bruce Parkhill (1984-95). Parkhill led the Lion's through one of the program's most successful eras and into the Big Ten Conference with four-straight 20-win seasons and four straight postseason appearances between 1988-92.

 
SCOUTING #12 ILLINOIS

  • The Illini are 19-6 overall and 10-4 in conference play. Illinois sits second in the Big Ten standings, trailing only Purdue.
  • Three of Illinois' four Big Ten losses have come on the road as the Illini are 4-4 in true road games this season compared to their 13-2 home record.
  • Illinois rides a two-game win streak into Happy Valley after defeating Michigan (97-68) and Maryland (85-80) last week.
  • Terrence Shannon Jr. leads the Illini with 21.4 points per game. Marcus Domask (15.6 ppg), Coleman Hawkins (12.4 ppg) and Quincy Guerrier (10.6 ppg) round out the balanced Illinois attack.

 
AGAINST THE ILLINI

  • Penn State and Illinois meet for the only time this regular season Wednesday night inside Rec Hall.
  • Eleven of Penn State's 22 all-time wins against Illinois have come in Happy Valley.
  • Penn State won all three matchups with the Illini a season ago, including a 79-76 win in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal round. The Nittany Lions earned a 74-59 road win over the Illini on Dec. 10, 2022 before riding a 41-point game from All-American and current Denver Nugget Jalen Pickett to a 93-81 home win on Feb. 14, 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 Wednesday's game averaging 74.8 points per game in Mike Rhoades' debut season.
  • That mark is on track to be Penn State's best offensive output since the 2019-20 team averaged 75.1 points per game en route to a projected NCAA Tournament appearance before 2020 postseason tournaments were canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
  • 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 15.15 turnovers per game, a mark that leads the Big Ten and ranks 24th in the nation. Penn State's +4.0 turnover margin ranks 16th in the country. The Nittany Lions lead the Big Ten with 8.7 steals per game.
  • The Nittany Lions have scored an average of 15.9 points off turnovers per game thus far this season, while Penn State's opponents have only scored 11.1 points per game off Nittany Lion turnovers.

 
GOT AN ACE UP OUR SLEEVE

  • Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watchlist honoree Ace Baldwin Jr. is stuffing the stat sheet, averaging 14.0 points per game, a team-best 5.3 assists per contest and a Big Ten-best 2.81 steals per game. His 2.81 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) - 14.0/5.3/2.8
    • 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 (1,193), 500+ career assists (557) and 250+ career steals (256). His 256 career steals rank second amongst active Division I players.

 
BIG Q

  • Veteran big man Qudus Wahab is having the most efficient season of his five-year collegiate career, shooting a career-best 63.4 percent (90-142) from the field.
  • He owns career marks of 1,263 points and 934 rebounds. His 934 rebounds rank 17th 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.

 
HICKS HEATING UP

  • Zach Hicks has turned it up a notch as of late, scoring in double figures in each of the last five games.
Zach Hicks Last 5 First 21
Points per game 15.0 6.2
3FG% 47.1% 29.3%

 
UP NEXT

  • The Nittany Lions are back in the Bryce Jordan Center Saturday to host Indiana at noon in Penn State's Coaches vs. Cancer game and Alumni Day game.

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