'Not Good Enough:' What Went Wrong for Penn State Basketball Vs. Ohio State

Penn State basketball positioned Thursday's game against Ohio State as a pivotal turning point on the Big Ten schedule. The Nittany Lions were at home, where they had a 10-1 record, and even better at Rec Hall, site of last year's magical 90-89 win over No. 12 Illinois. Instead, the Nittany Lions came undone.

The Buckeyes outrebounded, outhustled and outplayed Penn State in an 83-64 victory that quieted a want-to-be-loud Rec Hall crowd of 6,198. Earlier this season, Penn State coach Mike Rhoades asked fans to "sweat with us," and Penn State provided the crowd with white towels carrying the slogan. Penn State even called the game a "White Out," moving its popular football brand to Rec Hall. Didn't help. The Nittany Lions lost at Rec Hall after winning their last three games in the building dating to 2015. That included last year's miracle vs. Illinois, a game in which the Nittany Lions outscored the Illini 8-0 in the final 35 seconds.

"We didn’t hold up our end of the bargain, and that was a disappointing game of basketball for us," Rhoades told reporters in State College after the game. "I put my name on it, I stamp it, and just not good enough. You try to build a program, you go through days like this and moments like we've gone through the last couple of weeks. We've got to learn from it and get better."

The Nittany Lions (13-9, 3-8 Big Ten) lost their third straight conference game and seventh in their last eight. Most of those were tense, labored games; Penn State lost five of its last six games by six points or less. But Ohio State (13-8, 5-5) didn't give Penn State any comeback or rallying hopes. The Buckeyes took a 10-point lead at halftime, gave up a quick 3-pointer to start the second half and reclaimed control thereafter.

Penn State trailed by nine with 12 minutes left, which is when Ohio State began a 13-5 run to stretch its advantage to 17. The Nittany Lions, who have fought from deficits in several of their close losses, could not muster the energy this time. As a result, Penn State finished a brutal January with a 2-7 record and now face a difficult February climb to qualify for the Big Ten Tournament, much less the NCAA Tournament.

Ohio State dominated Penn State across the board. The Buckeyes outrebounded Penn State 41-23, including 13-4 on the offensive boards. They scored 18 second-chance points to Penn State's four and made six steals to Penn State's one. Ohio State led for more than 36 minutes of the game, and there was just one lead change. It didn't help that Penn State shot more free throws (29-23) but made just 55 percent of them.

"Credit to Ohio State. They came in here right off the bat and took it to us," Rhoades said after the game. "We had some moments where we tried to stay connected to the game. I think at one point, where they shot 21 free throws, 10 of them were us fouling 3-point shooters, a flagrant and a technical. That's beating yourself. It's hard enough when you're thin to beat good teams like Ohio State and teams in our league when you're beating yourselves, and that's what we did. That's on me. I've got to help these guys. I've got to get these guys through it and figure it out. But today was disappointing."

Forward Yanic Konan Niederhauser delivered the majority of Penn State's highlights. He scored a Big Ten-high 21 points on 8-for-14 shooting, primarily in the paint. Niederhauser dunked twice on Ohio State center Ivan Njegovan, including an aggressive slam late in the first half that should have launched a comeback.

TOMAHAWK SLAM 🤯

Yanic Konan Niederhauser with another poster in the first half for @PennStateMBB 💥#B1GMBBall on FS1 📺 pic.twitter.com/7tEw48PdCZ
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) January 31, 2025

Guard Ace Baldwin Jr., who continues to log mammoth minutes in Puff Johnson's absence, had 10 points, six assists and three turnovers. He was 2-for-8 from the field. Zach Hicks scored 13 points, and Nick Kern Jr. finished with 10 on 4-for-4 shooting. John Mobley Jr. led Ohio State with 19 points, and Bruce Thornton added 17. Four Buckeyes finished with at least five rebounds.

Up Next

Penn State returns to the Bryce Jordan Center to host Minnesota on Feb. 4. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.

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