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Penn State Athletics

Nittany Lions Host Hoosiers Saturday in Coaches vs. Cancer Game



UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Fresh off a thrilling midweek comeback win over #12 Illinois at Rec Hall, the Penn State men's basketball team returns to the Bryce Jordan Center Saturday to host Indiana. Tipoff is slated for noon on the Big Ten Network.
 
FOLLOW ALONG

 
OPENING TIPS

  • The Nittany Lions are back in the Bryce Jordan Center Saturday looking to complete the regular-season sweep of the Hoosiers. Penn State won the season's first meeting with Indiana, 85-71, on Feb. 3 in Bloomington.
  • Penn State sits 7-9 in Big Ten play and is coming off an epic comeback win over #12 Illinois Wednesday night inside Rec Hall.
  • Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watchlist member Ace Baldwin Jr. leads the Nittany Lions with 13.9 points, a team-best 5.6 assists and a Big Ten-best 2.78 steals per game.

 
IF PENN STATE BEATS INDIANA

  • The Nittany Lions would complete the regular-season sweep of the Hoosiers for the second time in program history and the first time since 2009.
  • Penn State would beat Indiana for the fourth-straight time.

 
COACHES VS. CANCER

  • Saturday's game will be Penn State's annual Coaches vs. Cancer game as the Nittany Lions draw awareness to and honor the accomplishments of the Penn State chapter of Coaches vs. Cancer.
  • Coaches vs. Cancer-Penn State has raised over $4 million since its inception 29 years ago, making it one of the nation's most successful fundraising chapters. 2023 was Cvc-Penn State's most successful year to date as the chapter raised over $333,000.
  • Money raised by Coaches vs. Cancer-Penn State is allocated to both the Bob Perks Cancer Assistance Fund, which ensures financial support and resources in the local fight against cancer, and the American Cancer Society.
  • More information on how to get involved with or donate to Coaches vs. Cancer-Penn State can be found here.

 
SCOUTING THE HOOSIERS

  • The Hoosiers are 14-12 on the season and 6-9 in Big Ten play.
  • Indiana enters Saturday's game having lost its last three contests, including a 70-85 home loss to Nebraska on Wednesday night in the Hoosiers' most recent action.
  • Malik Reneau leads Indiana with 15.7 points per game, while Kel'el Ware averages 15.0 points and a team-best 9.5 rebounds per contest. Mackenzie Mgbako (11.7 ppg) and Trey Galloway (10.8 ppg) follow.

 
AGAINST INDIANA

  • Penn State will be looking for a regular-season sweep of Indiana when the Nittany Lions and Hoosiers meet for the second time in 21 days on Saturday in Happy Valley.
  • Penn State has won each of the last three and four of the last five meetings with Indiana, including an 85-71 win in Bloomington earlier this month.
  • Penn State trailed by 11 points with 5:15 left in the first half, but out-scored the Hoosiers 62-37 the rest of the way as the Nittany Lions earned a road win in Bloomington for just the fourth time in program history on Feb. 3. Ace Baldwin Jr. orchestrated masterfully, finishing with a team-best 22 points and eight assists. Zach Hicks scored a season-high 19 points and added five rebounds.

 
TWO TOP-15 DUBS

  • The Nittany Lions own a pair of top-15 wins this season, with the most recent being Penn State's epic comeback victory over #12 Illinois (90-89) Wednesday night inside Rec Hall. Penn State also took down then-#11 Wisconsin (87-83) on Jan. 16 inside the Bryce Jordan Center.
  • The Nittany Lions electrified a sold-out Rec Hall crowd as Penn State rallied back from a double-digit deficit, including a seven-point deficit in the final 36 seconds, to stun #12 Illinois, 90-89, in Penn State's Return to Rec game Wednesday night. The Nittany Lions trailed by 14 with 15:59 to play, by 10 with 2:30 to play and by seven with under 40 seconds to play before spending the final 35 seconds on a 7-0 run to seal the comeback victory and unleash a court storm at Rec Hall in their most recent game Wednesday night.

 
COMEBACK CATS

  • Four of the Nittany Lions' seven conference victories have seen Penn State erase a double-digit deficit to come back and win.
Opponent Deficit-Time Left Final Score
#12 Illinois (2/21) 14 – 15:59 2H 90-89
at Indiana (2/3) 11 – 5:15 1H 85-71
Michigan (1/7) 14 – 3:15 1H 79-73
Ohio State (12/9) 18 – 15:31 2H 83-80

 
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:
    • Owns two wins over top-15 ranked teams (#12 Illinois & #11 Wisconsin).
    • Defeated #11 Wisconsin on Jan. 16 - the highest-ranked win under a first-year head coach in program history.
    • Won consecutive Big Ten road games (at Rutgers & at Indiana) by 12-plus points for the first time 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.

 
TURN UP THE PRESSURE

  • The Nittany Lions have forced their opponents into 15.26 turnovers per game, a mark that leads the Big Ten and ranks 19th in the nation. Penn State's +4.3 turnover margin ranks 11th in the country. The Nittany Lions lead the Big Ten and rank 24th in Division I with 8.8 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 11.0 points per game off Nittany Lion turnovers.

 
FIRST-YEAR OFFENSE

  • Penn State enters Saturday's game averaging 75.3 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.

 
DEFENDING THE ARC

  • Penn State leads the Big Ten in three-point percentage defense (through games on Feb. 21) as the Nittany Lions have allowed their opponents to shoot just 31.1 percent from downtown thus far this season.
  • Penn State's three-point percentage defense has been a key factor in the Nittany Lions' success as the Nittany Lions have held their opponents to a 26.8 3FG% in their 13 wins compared to a mark of 35.0% in Penn State's 14 losses.

 
GOT AN ACE UP OUR SLEEVE

  • Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watchlist honoree Ace Baldwin Jr. is stuffing the stat sheet, averaging 13.9 points per game, a team-best 5.6 assists per contest and a Big Ten-best 2.78 steals per game. His 2.81 steals per game ranks sixth in the nation.
  • Should he finish the season averaging 13.9+ 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) - 13.9/5.6/2.78
    • 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 (1,203), 500+ career assists (569) and 250+ career steals (258). His 258 career steals rank second amongst active Division I players, while his 569 assists rank 17th. 

 
HICKS HEATING UP

  • Zach Hicks has turned it up a notch as of late, scoring in double figures in each of the last six games.
Zach Hicks Last 6 First 21
Points per game 14.7 ppg 6.2 ppg
3FG% 47.4% 29.3%

 
 
KERN COMING ON

  • Nick Kern Jr. has been one of Penn State's most productive players in conference play, averaging 10.6 points per Big Ten game while shooting 58.9 FG%. He is coming off a career night in Penn State's comeback win over #12 Illinois as he went off for a career-best 22 points, which included 13-straight Penn State points in a key second-half stretch.

 
BIG Q

  • Veteran big man Qudus Wahab is having the most efficient season of his five-year collegiate career, shooting a career-best 63.2 percent (96-152) from the field.
  • He owns career marks of 1,276 points and 938 rebounds. His 938 rebounds rank 18th amongst active Division I players and he is one of just 22 active Division I players with upwards of 1,000 career points and 900 career rebounds.

 
UP NEXT

  • Penn State travels to Iowa Tuesday looking to complete the regular-season sweep of the Hawkeyes. Tipoff from Iowa City is slated for 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network.

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