Indiana (16-11, 7-9) vs. Penn State (15-13, 5-12)
- Tip Time: 8:30 p.m. Eastern, Wednesday
- Location: Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (17,222), Bloomington, Ind.
- Television: BTN (Kevin Kugler, LaPhonso Ellis)
- Radio: IU Radio Network (Don Fischer, Errek Suhr, John Herrick)
- Stream: Fox Sports
- Point Spread: Indiana is a 6.5-point favorite
- KenPom Projected Score: Indiana 79 Penn State 74
- History: Indiana leads leads, 44-17.
- Last Meeting: IU 77, PSU 71 on Jan. 5, 2025, in Philadelphia
- Tickets (via our StubHub affiliate link)
Three keys from first meeting:
1. A fast second half start. Indiana came out of the halftime locker room blazing hot, and turned a 29-all tie into a 41-29 lead in less than three minutes. Mackenzie Mgbako scored the first eight points on the half including two threes. Myles Rice and Oumar Ballo also scored in the run. The margin gave IU breathing room and allowed them to hang on for a quality road win.
2. Oumar Ballo dominates. After missing a game and then being removed from the starting five in the next, Oumar Ballo was the difference at Penn State. He scored 25 points in 32 minutes and added 13 rebounds, three assists and two blocks to dominate the paint. He got to free throw line and made 7-of-11 at the stripe.
3. Indiana guards the three-point line. IU was clearly intent on running Penn State off the three-point arc and forcing them to beat them from two. The Nittany Lions made just 3-of-21 from long range. The Hoosiers didn’t do a great job of cutting off driving lanes as PSU scored 52 in the paint on 61.9% shooting from two. But the lack of scoring versatility eventually caught up with the Nittany Lions.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THAT FIRST GAME
Penn State’s results and roster:
| DATE | OPPONENT | LOCATION | RESULT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11/4/2024 | Binghamton | University Park, Pa. | W 108-66 |
| 11/8/2024 | UMBC | University Park, Pa. | W 103-54 |
| 11/12/2024 | Saint Francis (Pa.) | University Park, Pa. | W 92-62 |
| 11/15/2024 | vs. Virginia Tech (Hall of Fame Series) | Baltimore, Md. | W 86-64 |
| 11/20/2024 | Purdue Fort Wayne | University Park, Pa. | W 102-89 |
| 11/25/2024 | vs. Fordham | Daytona Beach, Fla. | W 85-66 |
| 11/26/2024 | vs. Clemson | Daytona Beach, Fla. | L 67-75 |
| 12/1/2024 | Buffalo | University Park, Pa. | W 87-64 |
| 12/5/2024 | No. 8 Purdue | University Park, Pa. | W 81-70 |
| 12/10/2024 | at Rutgers | Piscataway, N.J. | L 76-80 |
| 12/14/2024 | Coppin State | University Park, Pa. | W 99-51 |
| 12/21/2024 | at Drexel | Philadelphia, Pa. | W 75-64 |
| 12/29/2024 | Penn | University Park, Pa. | W 86-66 |
| 1/2/2025 | Northwestern | University Park, Pa. | W 84-80 |
| 1/5/2025 | Indiana (at Palestra) | Philadelphia, Pa. | L 71-77 |
| 1/8/2025 | at No. 13 Illinois | Champaign, Ill. | L 52-91 |
| 1/12/2025 | No. 15 Oregon | University Park, Pa. | L 81-82 |
| 1/18/2025 | at No. 12 Michigan State | East Lansing, Mich. | L 85-90 |
| 1/20/2025 | Rutgers | University Park, Pa. | W 80-72 |
| 1/24/2025 | at Iowa | Iowa City, Iowa | L 75-76 |
| 1/27/2025 | at Michigan | Ann Arbor, Mich. | L 72-76 |
| 1/30/2025 | Ohio State | University Park, Pa. | L 64-83 |
| 2/4/2025 | Minnesota | University Park, Pa. | L 61-69 |
| 2/8/2025 | at UCLA | Los Angeles, Calif. | L 54-78 |
| 2/11/2025 | at USC | Los Angeles, Calif. | L 67-92 |
| 2/15/2025 | Washington | University Park, Pa. | L 73-75 |
| 2/19/2025 | Nebraska | University Park, Pa. | W 89-72 |
| 2/22/2025 | at Minnesota | Minneapolis, Minn. | W 69-60 |
Penn State game notes (via PSU Athletics)
BACK-TO-BACK
- The Nittany Lions have won their last two games, earning an 89-72 win over Nebraska on Feb. 19 and a 69-60 road win at Minnesota on Feb. 22.
- Penn State exploded for 89 points in its win over Nebraska as the Nittany Lions shot 60.7% from the field, their highest FG% against a Big Ten team since 2007.
- The Nittany Lions let their defense lead the way in their 69-60 win at Minnesota, holding the Gophers to a 33.9 FG% and 21.7 3FG%, as Penn State picked up its first Big Ten road win of the season.
- Yanic Konan Niederhauser led the way with an average of 21.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game with a 66.7 FG% average in the two wins combined. D’Marco Dunn followed with 13.0 ppg and a 76.9 FG% in the two victories.
HIGH OCTANE
- Penn State is averaging 79.4 points per game, which currently tracks to best the program record for single-season scoring average of 78.7 ppg that was set by the 1954-55 team. The Nittany Lions have scored 80-plus points in 15 games this season.
BALANCED ATTACK
- Five different Penn State players are averaging double-digit points: Ace Baldwin Jr. (13.7 ppg), Yanic Konan Niederhauser (12.9 ppg), Nick Kern Jr. (11.9 ppg), Zach Hicks (11.7 ppg) and Puff Johnson (10.2 ppg). Nine players have scored in double figures, with six different players recording 20-plus point games, in the Nittany Lions’ balanced offensive attack. Seven different players have led Penn State in scoring in a game.
CLOSE LOSSES
- Penn State has been within four points in the final two minutes of eight of its 13 losses this season. The Nittany Lions and Northwestern both own seven conference losses by six points or fewer this season, the most amongst major conference teams.
INJURY BUG
- Penn State has been plagued with injuries since the turn of the calendar year, as the Nittany Lions have played each of the last 13 games without at least one of their double-digit scorers.
Penn State’s KenPom notable numbers:
(out of 364 teams)
Tempo – No. 54 (Offense No. 44 / Defense No. 200)
Offensive Efficiency – No. 60
- PSU holds a 53.8% effective field goal percentage on the season (No. 64), down 2.5 percentage points from the last matchup. They’re shooting a combined 33.4% from three (No. 196) and 55.8% on twos (No. 35) as a team.
- They’re still assisting well with a 57.8% assist rate on the year (No. 59).
- Their turnover percentage is up a little since the last matchup. It now sits at 17.3% (No. 183, was at 16.1%).
- They continue to produce from the free throw line, finding 21.2% of their point distribution from there (No. 63). They are 49th in free throw attempt rate (FTA/FGA) and 61st in free throw percentage (75.8%)
Defensive Efficiency – No. 86
- Teams are shooting a 52.1% effective field goal percentage against Penn State (No. 237). Opponents have shot 34.7% on threes (No. 236) and 52.1% on twos (No. 228).
- Turnover numbers are still high, but have taken a dip with Big Ten play. They have a 20.4% forced turnover rate on the year (No. 41).
- Teams are getting very high assist numbers against PSU with a 63.5% rate on the year (No. 360).
OG’s Pick
Win/Loss Record: 20-4
What a pick for Sunday. Give your guy some kudos, will ya?
On to the next. Rematch with Penn State inside of Assembly Hall after another great second-half performance for a win in The Palestra.
This was a game where Indiana was without Malik Reneau, but still relied heavily on an inside presence most of the game. Oumar Ballo played amazing with 25 and 13 rebounds, and Mgbako had that nice stretch coming out of halftime to put the Hoosiers ahead.
However, with both of those players sitting to start the game against Purdue, there’s a good chance we don’t see that same type of production. Reneau is my player to watch for this game. He’s played really good basketball since he’s fully recovered from his knee injury. Add in that Puff Johnson will miss the remainder of the season for Penn State, and this one looks to be a game the Hoosiers could control.
You can’t have any hangover from Purdue though, especially with Indiana’s tenuous position on the bubble for NCAA Tournament play.
PICK: Indiana 81 – Penn State 71
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