Penn State's Mike Rhoades Vents After Agonizing Loss to No. 2 Michigan

Playing without their best player, the Nittany Lions had a chance to hand Michigan its first loss. But a late shot didn't fall.

Penn State Nittany Lions head coach Mike Rhoades reacts from the bench during the second half against the Michigan Wolverines at Bryce Jordan Center. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Penn State basketball coach Mike Rhoades has had it with losing. So even though the Nittany Lions gave unbeaten Michigan its closest game since mid-November, having a shot to win without their best player in uniform, Rhoades wasn't going to find comfort.

"I'm pissed. I'm not dejected. I didn't come here to do this bulls---," Rhoades said after Penn State's 76-74 loss to No. 2 Michigan on Tuesday night. "I want to win, and I don't care if it's a 1-point game or a 30-point game. I've been coaching long enough, and we all go through this, but I want to win and I want these guys to win. And to win, a lot of things go into it. So yeah, I'm pissed."

Penn State (9-6, 0-4 Big Ten) entered its home game vs. Michigan as a 24.5-point underdog before losing its leading scorer to a practice injury. On Monday, freshman captain Kayden Mingo, who average 14.9 points and 4.5 assists per game, sustained a practice injury that will keep him out "for a little bit," Rhoades said.

As a result, Penn State was forced to play hamstrung against Michigan (14-0, 4-0), which had won 10 straight games by at least 18 points — five of them by at least 40. Yet there was Penn State's Freddie Dilione V with the ball in the final seconds and a chance to win or tie the game.

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Rhoades said that Dilione, who had 17 points and six rebounds, was supposed to look for the pull-up jumper or pass back to Eli Rice for a 3-pointer. But Dilione got caught between plays and launched a shot with a second remaining that hit the rim.

"As proud as I am," Rhoades told reporters in State College after the game, "what I'm disappointed in is, coming out of a simple play, the attention to detail."

With the Big Ten's youngest roster, and without their best player, the Nittany Lions probably shouldn't even have been in that position. They entered the game 121st in the KenPom ratings, while Michigan was No. 1.

Penn State had lost games this season by 41 points to Indiana and by 34 points to Pitt. Despite taking No. 9 Michigan State to the wire, a game that prompted Spartans coach Tom Izzo to press Penn State fans for patience, the Nittany Lions offered little evidence that they could hang with Michigan.

Then Mingo got hurt, and Rhoades told his team to stop "playing not to lose."

"That never works in anything in life," Rhoades said. "If you want to go get it, you've got to go after it. Today, we went after it. I told them, put your guts on the table today, it's gutcheck time. Screw it. Let's figure it out.

"You can say all the cliches until you're blue in the face. Sooner or later, as a team you've got to say we're not doing this anymore. Today was the day we said we're not doing this anymore."

The Nittany Lions responded early, taking a six-point lead until Michigan found some of its game. The Wolverines took a 40-31 lead at halftime and pressed that lead to 15 points midway through the second half.

But Dilione punctuated a 12-3 run with a 3-pointer, cutting that lead to three points with 7:13 left. Trailing again by eight with 3 minutes left, Penn State went on a 7-0 sprint, highlighted by Melih Tunca's 3-pointer with 1:53 remaining, to set up the potential game-winner.

Ivan Juric scored a career-high 20 points, and Josh Reed added 13. Penn State also outrebounded Michigan, the Big Ten's top rebounding team, 43-37. And it had a final possession to beat Michigan despite shooting just 35 percent from the field and 27 percent from 3-point range.

"I didn't sign up for this," Rhoades said of the loss. "I don't want to do this. I'm here, though, and we're going to figure it out and we're going to fight like crazy to do it. I'm not dejected. I don't get dejected. I hate losing. I fricking hate it.

"I don't want us ever to feel like being close is OK. I didn't come here to be close. Our guys showed something today I'm sure everybody at Penn State is proud of. But let's do more."

Penn State Nittany Lions head coach Mike Rhoades reacts from the bench during the second half against the Michigan Wolverines at Bryce Jordan Center. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Up next

Penn State visits fifth-ranked Purdue at 2 p.m. ET Saturday.

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