Penn State basketball remains a competitive team in the Big Ten, but its chances at making significant noise, either in the conference or the NCAA Tournament, are disappearing. The Nittany Lions’ 76-72 loss to Michigan last Friday marked Penn State’s sixth in its last seven games.

Penn State coach Mike Rhoades’ squad will get an opportunity to rejuvenate its fan base Thursday night when it returns to Rec Hall against Ohio State. But in reality, a repetitive lack of late-game execution is starting to put any of the Nittany Lions’ NCAA Tournament hopes to rest. 

Penn State’s late-game January struggles continue

Penn State beat Northwestern 84-80 on Jan. 2 to open Big Ten play and improve its record to 12-2. Things weren’t perfect, but the Nittany Lions had a path to the NCAA Tournament before them as long as they could keep stringing together conference wins. That didn’t happen. Penn State is 2-6 in January, losing five of those games by six points or less. 

“We just haven’t pulled [games] out. And no excuses. I got to be better, we got to be better to win close games, one-possession games late,” Rhoades said Wednesday. “We haven’t done that this month. … It stinks. It hurts. It’s not what you want or expect for this competition, and there’s no excuses. We got to find a way. But I think this is a resilient group.”

Even during the tough stretch, Penn State has proven it has the talent to compete with the Big Ten’s best. Against Michigan (15-5), the Nittany Lions attempted 16 free throws, outrebounded the Wolverines 34-26 and connected on nine of 19 three-point attempts. Penn State even took a 72-67 lead with just over two minutes remaining after Ace Baldwin Jr. drained two free throws. But from there, Michigan went on a 9-0 run, yet another example of the Nittany Lions’ recent struggles in the clutch.

“There’s certain teams that you become more robotic late in games to execute. There’s other teams you have that you can play more on the fly. Right now, with this group, it’s a little bit of both,” Rhoades said. “There’s got to be that balance when it’s not working. So that falls completely on me. … We’ve made some late-game decisions that turn into turnovers, not even getting a shot. That’s what eats [at] me.”

Nittany Lions return to Rec Hall

If there’s a clear opportunity for Penn State to start a big-time turnaround, it would be Thursday. Last season, the team played its first game in Rec Hall since 2015 against a ranked Illinois squad, putting on a show for its home crowd in the historic venue. The Nittany Lions went on an 8-0 run in the final moments to claim a one-point victory that prompted a Rec Hall court-storm. 

That kind of clutch play has evaded Rhoades’ team this season, one reason the stakes are lower for Thursday’s Rec Hall matchup against Ohio State. But either way, a unique environment in what Rhoades called “a basketball facility” should provide a boost to Penn State when it desperately needs one. 

“Last year [in Rec Hall] was just really, really cool for our program and for our players,” Rhoades said. “It’s no different than going to The Palestra. So the neat thing is, all the fans will be our fans. That’s cool. … What a great opportunity for us, for our fans, to have a cool game in Rec Hall.” 

Penn State guard D’Marco Dunn, who has taken a larger role in the absence of Puff Johnson, is one of the current players who experienced Rec Hall in February 2024. On Wednesday, he said he was looking forward to the energy that the building provides.

“It’s a much more intimate environment. Everything is kind of on top of each other,” Dunn said. “It’s going to a White Out game. I think last year it paid huge dividends, and I think it will again.”

Penn State looks to climb out of a hole

It would take a miraculous turnaround over the next month for Penn State to make the NCAA Tournament. TeamRankings.com projects the Nittany Lions’ final record at 19-12 and gives them a 7-percent chance at the tournament. If Rhoades’ team is going to make some magic happen, it needs to start in Rec Hall.

A winning turnaround also will take more heavy lifting from Baldwin, who has played 40 minutes in four consecutive games. Rhoades said Wednesday that he’s “asking [Baldwin] to do a lot,” but noted that “he can handle it.” Even if the fifth-year guard continues with his significant workload, the Nittany Lions will need more consistent production in crunch time. 

“We’re not closing out games the way that I take pride in my teams closing out games,” Rhoades said. “I’m proud of our effort and our approach, and late in games, we are making plays. We’re just not making enough for that one that closes out the game. And that’s what’s hurt us this month.”

NCAA Tournament talks are about to heat up in February. Right now, Penn State isn’t ready to be in those talks despite fielding a competitive roster. It’s going to take an immediate sense of urgency on a game-by-game basis to change that. 

“We’ve had urgency all month. …  We got the second half of the Big Ten schedule right here in front of us. We got to go make some things happen,” Rhoades said. “We gotta have urgency to close out games from our coaching staff down to all our players. We’re doing a lot of good things, but we’re not getting the results.”

Penn State hosts Ohio State at 6:30 p.m. ET on Thursday at Rec Hall. Penn State has announced the game as a White Out. FS1 will televise.

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Daniel Mader, a May 2024 graduate of Penn State, is an Editorial Intern with The Sporting News. As a student journalist with The Daily Collegian, he served as a sports editor and covered Nittany Lions women’s basketball, men’s volleyball and more. He has also covered Penn State football for NBC Sports and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, with additional work in the Centre Daily Times, Lancaster Online and more. Follow him on X @DanielMader_    or Instagram @dmadersports.