Penn State Vs. Nebraska Basketball Preview: Rough Road Ahead
Penn State men's basketball coach Mike Rhoades emerged direct, raw and yet hopeful after the Nittany Lions fell at home to Michigan State last week. The loss, their second after a three-game win streak, dampened a February surge that had Penn State peering toward the Big Ten tournament with some confidence.
Now, the Nittany Lions have six games remaining to reset themselves, though the schedule soon will be run through a compressor. Penn State plays four games in 11 days, capping the stretch with a late start at Iowa on Feb. 27. So following that 80-72 home loss to the Spartans, Rhoades tried to kickstart something.
"I wish we were more consistent. I wish we were mentally tougher,” Rhoades said. "We're not.”
Now, Penn State begins the climb back to .500 against one of three Big Ten teams that is unbeaten at home in conference play.
Penn State (12-13, 6-8) vs. Nebraska (17-8, 7-7)
When: Noon ET Saturday
Where: Pinnacle Bank Arena, Lincoln, Nebraska
TV: Big Ten Network
Streaming: FuboTV (start your free trial)
KenPom rankings: Penn State is No. 92; Nebraska is No. 48
NCAA NET rankings: Penn State is No. 97; Nebraska is No. 53
Series history: Penn State leads 14-12
Last meeting: Nebraska 72-63 in February 2023
About the Nittany Lions: Rhoades has spent the season detailing his long-term approach to program-building at Penn State. He reiterated that point after last week's loss to the Spartans. "People don't think we can win here. Watch. We will,” Rhoades said. “It's just gonna be really, really hard, and there's gonna be a lot of tough decisions and you're gonna have some nights like this. I'm built for this, and I'm gonna find dudes that want to be built for this.” The past few games have been notable for Kanye Clary's inconsistent return from injury, and Clary won't play against Nebraska. Clary and Demetrius Lilley are "out," according to the team's availability list for the game. Clary remains the team's leading scorer (16.7 points per game) but hasn't started the past three games and hasn't scored more than 8 points in any of them. In fact, Clary has scored at total of 16 points in the past three games, taking just 13 total shots. Clary topped that in 13 games this season. That has opened scoring doors for others, notably Zach Hicks, who is averaging 15.5 points over the past four games and shooting 55.6 percent. The Lions still need Clary to be an effective scorer. However, point guard Ace Baldwin Jr. runs the offense with more punch. Lilley will miss his third consecutive game.
About the Cornhuskers: Unfortunately for the Lions, they have to play Nebraska in Lincoln. The Cornhuskers are two different Big Ten teams at and away from home. They're 7-0 in Lincoln, 0-7 on the road. Nebraska expects a sellout (impressive for an 11 a.m. local start), which contributes to the home-court advantage. Nebraska has home wins over then-No. 1 Purdue and then-No. 6 Wisconsin, so the Lions are in for it. Nebraska also is coming off essentially a bye week, so it should be fresh. Leading scorer Keisei Tominaga, a 6-2 senior guard from Japan, is shooting 57 percent over the past three games, 50-percent from 3-point range. But the player who will give Penn State the most trouble is Rienk Mast, a 6-10 forward from the Netherlands who averages 13.6 points and eight rebounds. He leads Nebraska with five double-doubles. Nebraska averages 77.3 points per game, its highest scoring average since the 1995-86 season.
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