5 Things to Know About Purdue's Next Opponent — Penn State Nittany Lions
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After getting an 81-73 win over Washington on Wednesday, No. 5 Purdue is preparing for its second game in a three-game homestand. Saturday, the Boilermakers welcome in Penn State, a team still searching for its first Big Ten victory of the season.
Last year, the Nittany Lions upset the Boilermakers 81-70 in State College in the only meeting between the two teams. Can Purdue return the favor at Mackey Arena this weekend?
Let's take a look at this Penn State team ahead of Saturday's clash against Purdue.
Mingo expected to be sidelined
Penn State is expected to be without Kayden Mingo "for a little bit," head coach Mike Rhoades said after the team's loss to No. 2 Michigan earlier this week. It's a tough blow for the Nittany Lions, as the freshman guard has been the team's leader in scoring (14.9 ppg), assists (4.5 apg), and steals (2.5 spg). He's also averaging 3.9 rebounds and shooting at a 48.5% clip.
With Mingo out, it puts more pressure on Freddie Dilione V and Melih Tunca offensively. Both players have been really good at the guard position this year, combining to average 24.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game. The Nittany Lions will also need others to step up, especially on the road in a hostile environment.
In Tuesday's game against Michigan, it was Ivan Juric who scored 20 points and Josh Reed who came off the bench to add 13. Can Rhoades continue to depend on those guys in Mingo's absence?
Taking care of the basketball
Although Penn State has had its struggles this season, one thing it has done extremely well is take care of the basketball. The Nittany Lions are averaging just 9.1 turnovers per game this season, a mark that ranks sixth in college basketball.
Out of 15 games, Penn State has finished with a double-digit turnover total just six times. Rhoades' squad does an excellent job of getting shots up and not allowing defenses to get out into transition off live-ball turnovers.
Rebounding is a problem
Going from something Penn State does well to an area where this team struggles, rebounding has been a big issue for the Nittany Lions through the first two months of the season. They have been outrebounded in eight games this season, and have a minus-1.6 differential on the glass, which ranks 228th.
As a team, Penn State is averaging only 31.9 rebounds per game, ranking 335th in college basketball. Reed has been the team's best player on the glass, but is pulling down only 4.1 rebounds per game. Mingo is second with 3.9 and Dilione and Juric are both at 3.7 per game.
Penn State doesn't have a sure rebounder on its team this year, relying on multiple players to do their part. It's been a real struggle through 15 games, though.
Nine-man rotation
Rhoades has been comfortable playing a nine-man rotation this season, getting several guys plenty of minutes. We'll leave Mingo out of the equation since he is expected to miss Saturday's game, but four players — Dilione, Tunca, Juric, and Reed —are averaging more than 23 minutes per game. Four other guys — Eli Rice, Dominick Stewart, Tibor Mirtic, and Sasa Ciani — are all logging at least 12 minutes per game. Mason Blackwood has also been getting more run recently.
Not every team is comfortable utilizing a nine- or 10-man rotation, and many just don't have the depth. But Rhoades has been able to rotate a lot of players into games to keep legs fresh and give opponents different looks throughout the course of the year.
Close, but no cigar
Penn State is heading into Saturday's game against Purdue with an 0-4 record in Big Ten play, still searching for that first conference win. It's not as though the Nittany Lions haven't had their opportunities.
Tuesday's loss to No. 2 Michigan was the closest Penn State has been this season. It had the ball on the final possession with a chance to force overtime or win the game and pull off a major upset. The shot attempt from Dilione was off the mark and a chance at victory slipped through the Lions' paws.
In December, Penn State suffered a 76-72 home loss to then-No. 9 Michigan State. It also was defeated by No. 20 Illinois 73-65 on Jan. 3, though that game wasn't quite as close as the final score shows.
The point is, despite its 0-4 conference record, Penn State has had opportunities in three of its four Big Ten games this year.
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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