MINNEAPOLIS – The Penn State men's basketball team looks to continue its postseason push Thursday night when the 11th-seeded Nittany Lions face sixth-seeded Indiana in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament. Tipoff from the Target Center is slated for approximately 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network.
FOLLOW ALONG
- TV: Big Ten Network – Kevin Kugler (pxp), Robbie Hummel (analyst) & Andy Katz (sideline)
- RADIO: Penn State Sports Network – Steve Jones (pxp) & Dick Jerardi (analyst)
- NATIONAL RADIO: SiriusXM Ch. 84 & SXM App. Ch. 84
- BIG TEN TOURNAMENT: Tournament Central | Bracket
- LIVE STATS: StatBroadcast | Live Stats
- GAME NOTES: Penn State | Indiana
OPENING TIPS
- Postseason play continues when the 11th-seeded Nittany Lions take on sixth-seeded Indiana in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament Thursday night.
- Penn State took down Michigan 66-57 in Wednesday's opening round to advance to the second round. Zach Hicks (20 points) and Ace Baldwin Jr. (17 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds) led Penn State. The Nittany Lions finished the regular season at 9-11 in conference play.
- Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Ace Baldwin Jr. leads the Nittany Lions with 14.3 points, a team-best 6.0 assists and a Big Ten-best 2.72 steals per game.
IF PENN STATE BEATS INDIANA
- Penn State would advance to the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament to face third-seeded Nebraska Friday night at approximately 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT.
- The Nittany Lions would win their fifth-straight game against the Hoosiers.
SCOUTING THE HOOSIERS
- The Hoosiers earned the No. 6 seed in the Big Ten Tournament by way of a 10-10 conference mark that is part of an 18-13 overall record. Indiana rides a four-game win streak into Thursday's matchup and the Hoosiers haven't lost a game since falling at Penn State on Feb. 24.
- The dynamic big man duo of Kel'el Ware (16.1 ppg, 9.8 rpg) and Malik Reneau (15.7 ppg, 5.9 rpg) leads the Hoosiers.
AGAINST INDIANA
- Penn State and Indiana meet in the Big Ten Tournament for the second-straight year. The Nittany Lions took down the Hoosiers 77-73 in last year's Big Ten Tournament semifinals as Penn State booked its first trip to the Big Ten Tournament championship game since 2011.
- The Nittany Lions swept the regular-season series against the Hoosiers this season for just the second time in program history and the first time since 2009.
- Penn State earned its first win inside Assembly Hall since 2014 in the season's first meeting as the Nittany Lions took down the Hoosiers 85-71 on Feb. 3. The Nittany Lions then secured the regular-season sweep on Feb. 24 with an 83-74 home win.
- Penn State has won each of the last four and five of the last six meetings with Indiana.
MARCHING ON
- The 11th-seeded Nittany Lions advanced to the second round of the Big Ten Tournament by way of a 66-57 win over 14th-seeded Michigan in Wednesday's first round game.
- The Penn State defense held Michigan to a 34.5 FG% while Zach Hicks (20 points, 6 3FG, 6 rebounds), Ace Baldwin Jr. (17 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 steals) and Qudus Wahab (13 points, 8 rebounds) fueled the Nittany Lion offense.
- Penn State has now won a game at the Big Ten Tournament for the sixth time in the last seven completed tournaments (not including 2020 which was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic).
- The Nittany Lions look to advance to the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals for the third-straight year. Penn State would face No. 3 seed Nebraska Friday at approximately 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT.
HOT AGAINST THE HOOSIERS
- Penn State has won the last four meetings with Indiana, including a regular-season sweep of the Hoosiers this season. Penn State's offense was firing on all cylinders in the two regular-season matchups:
| Penn State Stat | vs. Indiana | Season Average |
| Points per game | 84.0 | 75.6 |
| FG% | 51.4% | 44.3% |
| 3FG% | 48.8% | 33.6% |
| Penn State players vs. IU this season: | ||
| Ace Baldwin Jr. – 22.5 ppg, 8.5 apg, 57.7 FG% | ||
| Zach Hicks – 18.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 50.0 3FG% | ||
| Qudus Wahab – 12.5 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 64.7 FG% | ||
| D'Marco Dunn – 11.5 ppg | ||
B1G DPOY
- Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Semifinalist Ace Baldwin Jr. was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Tuesday:
- Leads the Big Ten and ranks fourth in the country in steals (87) and fifth in the country in steals per game (2.72). His 2.72 steals per game rank second amongst Power Six conference players.
- His 2.72 steals per game overall tracks to be the most by a Big Ten player in a single season in the last 31 years (since 1993 - Pat Baldwin (Northwestern) 2.96 steals per game).
- His 2.70 steals per Big Ten game are the most by a Big Ten player in a single season in the last 10 years (since 2014 - Aaron Craft (Ohio State) 2.72 steals per Big Ten game).
- Leader of a Penn State defense that leads the Big Ten in steals and ranks second in turnovers forced per game and turnover margin.
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:
- Nine regular-season Big Ten wins are the second-most by a first-year head coach in program history.
- Owns two wins over top-15 ranked teams (#12 Illinois & #11 Wisconsin). Win over #11 Wisconsin is the highest-ranked win under a first-year head coach in program history.
- Earned regular-season sweep of Indiana for just the second time in program history and the first time since 2009. 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.
- Won consecutive Big Ten road games (at Rutgers & at Indiana) by 12-plus points for the first time in program history.
- 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 Thursday's Big Ten Tournament game averaging 75.6 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.
- Penn State's 75.2 points per Big Ten game is the second-highest in Penn State's 32 seasons in the Big Ten, behind only the 2000-01 PSU team's 75.4 points per Big Ten game.
TURN UP THE PRESSURE
- Penn State leads the Big Ten with 8.5 steals per game. The Nittany Lions have forced their opponents into 14.8 turnovers per game, a mark that ranks second in the conference and top 30 in the country. Penn State's +3.63 turnover margin ranks top 20 in the country and second in the Big Ten.
DEFENDING THE ARC
- Penn State leads the Big Ten and ranks in the top 25 in the country in 3-point percentage defense as the Nittany Lions have allowed their opponents to shoot just 30.4 percent from downtown. Penn State's 3-point percentage defense has been a key factor in the Nittany Lions' success as the Nittany Lions have allowed their opponents to shoot just 25.8 percent from downtown in their 16 wins, compared to a 35.1 percent clip in Penn State's 16 losses.
GOT AN ACE UP OUR SLEEVE
- Ace Baldwin Jr. is averaging 14.3 points per game, a team-best 6.0 assists per contest and a Big Ten-best 2.72 steals per game.
- Should he finish the season averaging 14.0+ points per game, 6+ 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) - 14.3/6.0/2.72
- 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. is the ONLY active Division I player with 1,000+ career points (1,288), 600+ career assists (612) and 250+ career steals (270). His 270 career steals rank second amongst active Division I players, while his 612 assists rank 17th.
BIG Q
- Honorable mention All-Big Ten (coaches) selection Qudus Wahab is having the most efficient season of his five-year collegiate career, shooting a career-best 61.8 percent (123-199) from the field.
- He owns career marks of 1,348 points and 985 rebounds. His 985 rebounds rank 17th amongst active Division I players and he is one of just 31 active Division I players with upwards of 1,000 career points and 900 career rebounds.
HICKS HEATING UP
- Honorable mention All-Big Ten (coaches) honoree Zach Hicks has turned it up a notch as of late, scoring in double figures in eight of the last 11 games. He is averaging 12.3 ppg while shooting 41.1 percent from 3-point range over the last 11 games, compared to his marks of 6.2 ppg and 29.3 3FG% over the first 21 games of the season.
EFFICIENCY UP
- Honorable mention All-Big Ten (coaches) selection Nick Kern Jr. was one of Penn State's most productive players in conference play, averaging 10.3 points per Big Ten game while shooting 58.0 percent from the field.
UP NEXT
- The winner of Thursday's second round game advances to Friday's Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals to face third-seeded Nebraska at approximately 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT from the Target Center in Minneapolis.
The 2023-24 Penn State men's basketball season is presented by Highmark Health.