Meet the Opponent: Penn State Brings New Coach, New Roster To Indiana
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana hosts Penn State at Noon ET on Saturday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, representing a chance for the Hoosiers to win back-to-back games for the first time since nonconference play in late December.
Indiana lost both matchups against Penn State last season, but the Nittany Lions are almost an entirely new team after head coach Micah Shrewsberry left for Notre Dame. Penn State hired former VCU coach Mike Rhoades, and he was tasked with rebuilding a roster that saw 10 players from the 2022-23 season either enter the transfer portal or NBA Draft.
The Nittany Lions are 10-11 overall and 4-6 in Big Ten play in Rhoades' first season, most recently winning 61-46 at Rutgers on Wednesday.
Here's a full breakdown of Penn State.
Key returners
(2023-24 stats)
- G Kanye Clary (DNP Wednesday): 18.4 ppg, 2.8 apg, 37.8 3-pt FG%
- G Jameel Brown: 3.7 ppg, 34.0 3-pt FG%
- F Demetrius Lilley: 2.9 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 69.0 FG%
Key departures
(2022-23 stats)
- Head coach: Micah Shrewsberry (Notre Dame)
- G Jalen Pickett: 17.7 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 6.6 apg, 38.1 3-pt FG%
- G Seth Lundy: 14.2 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 40.0 3-pt FG%
- G Andrew Funk: 12.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 41.2 3-pt FG%
- G Camren Wynter: 8.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 40.2 3-pt FG%
- G Myles Dread: 5.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 38.4 3-pt FG%
- F Kebba Njie: 3.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 52.0 FG%
- F Evan Mahaffey: 2.8 ppg, 56.9 FG%
- F Michael Henn: 2.4 ppg, 1.1 rpg, 49.1 FG%
- G Caleb Dorsey: 2.3 ppg, 2.2 rpg
- G Dallion Johnson: 2.0 ppg, 29.7 3-pt FG%
Key newcomers
(2023-24 stats)
- Head coach: Mike Rhoades (three NCAA Tournament bids in six seasons at VCU)
- G Ace Baldwin Jr. (VCU): 13.2 ppg, 5.0 apg, 2.9 spg, 31.9 3-pt FG%
- C Qudus Wahab (Georgetown): 9.2 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 62.6 FG%
- G Nicholas Kern Jr. (VCU): 7.9 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 53.6 FG%
- G D'Marco Dunn (North Carolina): 7.0 ppg, 33.3 3-pt FG%
- G/F Puff Johnson (North Carolina): 6.4 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 26.4 3-pt FG%
- F Zach Hicks (Temple): 6.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 29.3 3-pt FG%
- G Rayquawndis Mitchell (Kansas City): 2.2 ppg, 24.0 FG%
- F Leo O'Boyle (Lafayette): 2.2 ppg, 25.6 3-pt FG%
Schedule (10-11, 4-6 in Big Ten)
- W, 79-45 vs. Delaware State
- W, 74-65 vs. Lehigh
- W, 83-53 vs. St. Francis (Pa.)
- W, 74-51 vs. Morehead State
- L, 89-77 vs. Texas A&M (neutral site in Florida)
- L, 88-78 vs. Butler (neutral site in Florida)
- L, 86-74 vs. VCU (neutral site in Florida)
- L, 76-67 vs. Bucknell
- L, 81-75 (OT) at Maryland
- W, 83-80 vs. Ohio State
- L, 82-81 vs. Georgia Tech
- W, 72-55 vs. Le Moyne
- W, 90-63 vs. Rider
- L, 92-61 at Michigan State
- W, 79-73 vs. Michigan
- L, 76-72 vs. Northwestern
- L, 95-78 at Penn State
- W, 87-83 vs. Wisconsin
- L, 79-67 at Ohio State
- L, 83-74 vs. Minnesota
- W, 61-46 at Rutgers
Mike Woodson's history against Penn State
- L, 77-73 vs. Penn State on March 11, 2023 in Big Ten Tournament semifinal
- L 85-66 at Penn State on Jan. 11, 2023 at the Bryce Jordan Center
- W, 74-57 vs. Penn State on Jan. 26, 2022 at Assembly Hall
- L, 61-58 at Penn State on Jan. 2, 2022 at the Bryce Jordan Center
Penn State Nittany Lions guard Ace Baldwin Jr (1) dribbles the ball during the first half against the Northwestern Wildcats at Bryce Jordan Center. Northwestern defeated Penn State 76-72.
Matthew O'Haren-USA TODAY Sports
Strengths
Penn State has one of the most improved players in the Big Ten, Kanye Clary. The 5-foot-11 guard is averaging 18.4 points per game on 37.8% 3-point shooting this season after averaging 3.7 points last year as a freshman. Clary's status for Saturday's game at Indiana is uncertain, though, as the 5-foot-11 guard did not play in Wednesday's game at Rutgers due to a face injury. He took an elbow to the face in the late stages of Penn State's 83-74 loss at Minnesota on Jan. 27. North Carolina transfer D'Marco Dunn replaced Clary in the starting lineup against Rutgers and scored 14 points with seven rebounds and three steals.
The Nittany Lions were able to secure a 61-46 road win over Rutgers without Clary on Wednesday, their first win away from home all season. Rutgers is the worst offensive team in the Big Ten by several measures, and Penn State picked up the win largely because of its defensive effort, totaling 13 steals and forcing 19 turnovers. The Nittany Lions' defense starts with pesky guard Ace Baldwin Jr., who transferred to Penn State this season after winning Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year last season at VCU. Baldwin is averaging a career-high 2.9 steals and had five steals at Rutgers. If Clary is unable to play, Baldwin will also be counted on to pick up the slack offensively. He enters the game averaging 13.2 points and shooting 31.9% from beyond the arc.
Taking care of the ball should be a top priority for Indiana in this game, as Penn State ranks 16th in the nation in steal percentage and 17th in opponent turnover percentage.
Weaknesses
Last year's Penn State team ranked sixth in the nation in 3-pointers made per game, 10.4, but the vast majority of that production is gone, including Jalen Pickett, Seth Lundy, Andrew Funk, Myles Dread and Camren Wynter. It's been difficult for new head coach Mike Rhoades to replace that. Penn State is now one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the country, ranking 311th at 30.5%. The Nittany Lions still let it fly at a high rate – 24.3 attempts per game ranks 86th nationally and second in the Big ten – but their percentage has dropped by 8.2% from last season, putting them 12th in the conference.
Penn State is also one of the worst rebounding teams in the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions rank last in rebounding margin per game, minus-5.3. They have a difficult time keeping opponents off the glass, ranking 304th nationally in opponent offensive rebounding percentage. Starting center Qudus Wahab is a five-year college veteran, with stops at Georgetown and Maryland, and he's averaging 9.2 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. But outside of Wahab, Penn State doesn't have much front court depth. Only 70 teams nationwide allow a higher 2-point field goal percentage to its opponents than Penn State's 53.0%, which could be a problem against Indiana's inside-oriented offense.
Season outlook
Penn State was picked 13th in the preseason Big Ten media poll, and that's a feasible outcome midway through conference play. The Nittany Lions are tied for 10th in the Big Ten with a 4-6 conference record, and they're one of two teams with an overall losing record, along with Michigan. Replacing all Penn State lost from last season was a difficult task for first-year head coach Mike Rhoades, but his backcourt duo of Kanye Clary and Ace Baldwin Jr., when healthy, presents a challenge for any opponent.
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