On Jan. 5, Indiana men’s basketball left The Palestra — “The Cathedral of College Basketball” — with a 12-3 record and its fourth consecutive victory, a 77-71 win over Penn State. The Hoosiers were rolling.
However, a 1-8 skid in conference play quickly turned Indiana’s season outlook grim. The Hoosiers were 14-11 and — with NCAA Tournament hopes slipping away — in desperate need of their prayers being answered. They were.
Indiana overcame a 12-point first-half deficit in a 71-67 win over then-No. 11 Michigan State on Feb. 11 at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan. On Sunday, a similar resilience was on display when the Hoosiers clawed back from a 37-25 halftime deficit to knock off then-No. 13 Purdue 73-58 at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
With a pair of Quad 1 victories in two weeks, Indiana will look to bolster its newly revived NCAA Tournament hopes in a rematch with Penn State at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday in Bloomington. The Hoosiers have won 23 of their 27 matchups against the Nittany Lions at Assembly Hall.
Meet the Nittany Lions
Head coach Mike Rhoades’ second season at Penn State’s helm has been a tale of two halves. The Nittany Lions entered their first matchup against the Hoosiers with a 12-2 record. They’re 3-11 since.
Still, Penn State will bring some newfound momentum to Bloomington with consecutive Big Ten wins over Nebraska and Minnesota — wins that uncharacteristically stemmed from individual success.
Graduate student guard Ace Balwin Jr. stuffed the stat sheet during an 89-72 win against the Cornhuskers on Feb. 19, tallying 10 points, eight assists and a season-high six steals. In the Nittany Lions’ 69-60 win over the Golden Gophers on Feb. 22, junior forward Yanic Konan Niederhauser posted a 24-point, seven-rebound breakout performance.
Some of Penn State’s struggles in conference play can be attributed to its team-wide scoring inconsistencies. The Nittany Lions have five players averaging 9 or more points per game — six including injured fifth-year senior guard Puff Johnson — yet none of them have been reliable options on a game-to-game basis.
Regardless, Penn State’s gameplan revolves around the dynamic Baldwin. He ranks second in the conference behind Purdue junior guard Braden Smith in both steals (2.3 per game) and assists (7.3 per game). On the flip side — with the brunt of the Nittany Lions’ offense going through him — Baldwin has also coughed up the second-most turnovers (3.6 per game) in the Big Ten.
Defensively, his perimeter pressure contributes to a defense that snatches 8.2 steals per game. While Baldwin helps lock down opposing guards, Konan Niederhauser bolsters the paint. The Big Ten’s marquee rim protector swats a conference-best 2.2 shots per game.
Quality showings from Baldwin and Konan Niederhauser on both ends of the floor will be crucial as Penn State looks to avenge its defeat against the surging Hoosiers.
Hoosiers back in contention
In some brackets, Indiana’s latest win over its in-state rival was enough to earn a speculative at-large bid. In others, there’s still work to be done. ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi bumped the Hoosiers from the “Next Four Out” to the “First Four Out” in his latest projection.
Regardless, a potential Quad 2 loss to the Nittany Lions would bode disastrous for the Cream and Crimson.
Indiana head coach Mike Woodson will likely continue using the experienced rotation he heavily relied on against the Boilermakers. Three veterans –– fifth-year senior guards Trey Galloway and Anthony Leal and senior forward Luke Goode –– played every minute of Indiana’s surging second-half comeback. Redshirt sophomore guard Myles Rice also played the duration of the second half.
“I didn't play very many people off the bench,” Woodson said postgame. “I kind of rolled the seniors. We've been in a lot of close games over the last month and a half, and I just haven't been able to get over the hump. Tonight, they refused to lose.”
One Hoosier left behind because of Woodson’s decision was sophomore forward Mackenzie Mgbako. Despite being Indiana’s leading scorer earlier in the season, Mgbako only played nine minutes against Purdue, finishing with 0 points on 0 for 3 shooting.
Mgbako’s diminished role against the Boilermakers poses an intriguing question regarding his impact moving forward. One of his most productive games this season came during Indiana’s initial outing versus Penn State, when he scored 20 points and tied his season high with four 3-pointers.
The Gladstone, New Jersey, native still averages 12.6 points per game — the third-most on the Hoosiers’ roster — but wasn’t even given a starting spot against Purdue.
With Mgbako off the court, Woodson has implemented a small-ball rotation that features either junior forward Malik Reneau or sixth-year senior center Oumar Ballo alongside a cast of smaller players capable of spacing the floor.
That trend will likely continue as Woodson looks to cap off his farewell season with what once seemed like an unlikely trip to the NCAA Tournament.
ESPN’s matchup predictor gives Indiana a 67.8% chance to win. The Hoosiers haven’t won back-to-back games since Jan. 8.
Broadcast information
Wednesday’s matchup will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network with Kevin Kugler handling play-by-play duties alongside analyst LaPhonso Ellis.
Follow reporters Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) and Quinn Richards (@Quinn_richa) and columnist Mateo Fuentes-Rohwer (@mateo_frohwer) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s basketball season.
