Despite Loss to Michigan State, Penn State's Mike Rhoades Says, 'I'm Built for This'
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. | In a clash of styles Wednesday night, 29th-year coach Tom Izzo and Michigan State got the better of Penn State first-year Mike Rhoades in the Bryce Jordan Center. Izzo’s group dominated in transition and took care of the ball, downing Penn State 80-72 on Valentine’s Day to sweep the season series. The Nittany Lions (12-13, 6-8 Big Ten) have lost two straight conference games.
Penn State played a sloppy first half, trailing 45-31 at the break, before adjusting too late in the second half. It’s been a constant dance for these Lions, searching for 40 minutes of consistency nightly.
“We got beat today by a team with a culture. Period,” Rhoades said after the loss. “That's a well-established culture, as we all know about it. It's probably the best in the Big Ten. That's where we gotta get to someday. That's what we gotta emulate.”
Rhoades and Penn State forward Zach Hicks both referenced the finite number of playing opportunities in college. Hicks suggested players getting together to kick the habit themselves.
“You think you have a lot of games when you start your career, and then you finally realize you get halfway and you're like, 'Wow, I'm halfway done.' or 'I only got another year left.' For some guys, they only have six games left. Maybe a seventh, maybe an eighth. Maybe. And then that's it,” Rhoades said. “[It’s] the pain of discipline to play right, so you can win, or the pain of regret. Right? The pain of regret, you can never change.”
Penn State fell into stagnant offense once again and struggled to control the ball, giving up 15 turnovers and 20 points off them for Michigan State. The Lions also had no answer for Malik Hall, who set a career high with 29 points (10-for-13 from the field) after 24 in these teams’ last meeting. He had a double-double with 10 rebounds.
Jaden Akins tacked on 20 points for Michigan State after four first-half 3-pointers. Ace Baldwin Jr. and Zach Hicks (5-for-6 from 3-point) each had 15 for Penn State, while Nick Kern Jr. added 14 and a pair of rare triples.
“Hall was a beast today. He was amazing. We didn't have an answer for him,” Rhoades said. “We made him look like an All-American, but he's pretty darn good.”
Typically letting the closest man to the boundary to begin a possession, Michigan State (16-9, 8-6) set the pace early. Penn State lost sight of Michigan State cutters with quick outlet passes to start possessions, breaking the Lions chances of getting into their patented press. They forced 11 Michigan State turnovers Wednesday despite averaging more than 15 opponent turnovers coming into the night.
“That messes up the press matchups that coach goes over with us,” Hicks said. “And I felt like we were looking more for our matchups instead of maybe just getting back in and then figuring it out once we're down there.”
Between the under-16 and under-12 media timeouts in the second half, Penn State had a string of detrimental plays. Kanye Clary threw a pass behind Baldwin and out of bounds in transition before Kern threw a wild pass into the bottom of the backboard while trying to drive the baseline. Baldwin and Puff Johnson were blocked on rushed shots at the rim, and Penn State never overcame the 13-point deficit at the under-12.
Rhoades knew he had a tough season in front of him when he took the Penn State job this offseason. That’s part of why he came, searching for the chance to build a program from the roots in his home state. A three-game win streak this month showed signs of what he’s building and that it’s not too that to get there, but then Wednesday’s loss showed again how far the program still has to go.“That's why I took the job. 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.”
“I wish we were more consistent. I wish we were mentally tougher,” he added. “We're not.”
Lineup notes
Rhoades tried multiple defensive combinations to slow the Spartans but found little luck. Hall had his way with Kern and Johnson 1-on-1, even when the defense was strong from both. Johnson provided a good 19 minutes after a two-game absence, scoring eight points.
Forward Favour Aire played a career-high 19 minutes with Demetrius Lilley out due to injury and starter Qudus Wahab battling an illness during the game. The 6-11 Miami transfer had a pair of emphatic blocks but picked up two quick fouls in the first half, limiting his availability. His athleticism helped slow Michigan State in the second half. While still young, Aire showed some raw potential.
Up next
Penn State goes back on the road to play Nebraska at noon Saturday. The Cornhuskers are 17-8 this season after a 20-point win over Michigan. Nebraska won the most recent meeting between these two at home, 72-63, at home.
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Max Ralph is a Penn State senior studying Broadcast Journalism with minors in sports studies and Japanese. He previously covered Penn State football for two years with The Daily Collegian and has reported with the Associated Press and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Follow him on Twitter (X) @maxralph_ and Instagram @mralph_59
