After his team’s 102-89 home win on Wednesday night over Purdue Fort Wayne, Penn State coach Mike Rhoades challenged his team’s fan base to show up and make more noise.
“Sweat with us,” he said at one point.
At 5-0, the Nittany Lions haven’t had to sweat much to get off to a fast start. They might not have to expend much perspiration to make it 6-0 on Monday when they meet Fordham in a semifinal matchup at the Sunshine Slam tournament in Daytona Beach, Fla.
Penn State hasn’t played a strong schedule so far, but the team has been impressive. It’s averaging 98.2 points per game and 13.8 steals per game, both of which ranked second in Division I through Saturday’s play. The Nittany Lions were seventh per kenpom.com in turnover rate, forcing 25.3 per 100 possessions.
Point guard Ace Baldwin Jr. is leading the charge, scoring 16.4 points and dishing out 7.8 assists while chipping in 2.6 steals. Zach Hicks has nearly doubled his scoring average from 8.4 last season to 15.8 this season, while Northern Illinois transfer Yanic Konan Niederhauser has beefed up the interior, tallying 12.2 points and 7.2 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Fordham (3-3) is coming off a 73-71 home loss Friday night against Drexel in New York. The Rams blew a seven-point lead early in the second half and missed a chance to force overtime when leading scorer Jackie Johnson III missed a layup as time expired.
Johnson, a UNLV transfer, is averaging 19 points per game and is making nearly 48 percent of his shots as one of three Rams with double-figure scoring averages. Jahmere Tripp scores at an 11.0 clip while Japhet Medor is contributed 10.5, but Fordham is struggling to make shots, canning only 41.5 percent from the field.
The Rams were picked for a 14th-place finish in the Atlantic 10 despite returning more scoring than any team in the league except for VCU. Third-year coach Keith Urgo thinks his team can defy low external expectations.
“We’re experienced and I think we’re poised to have a tremendous year,” he said.
–Field Level Media
Cleveland Cavaliers forward Max Strus is expected to make his season debut on Friday after battling an ankle injury, RG first reported Tuesday. The Cavaliers, 21-4 without Strus, host the…
President Charlie Baker set a timeline of early April to determine whether the NCAA Tournament would expand in 2026. Speaking at a sports business conference in Las Vegas on Wednesday,…
Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta reportedly is in line to become the next U.S. ambassador to Italy. President-elect Donald Trump is expected to appoint the 67-year-old billionaire businessman to the…
Bigger Dance? NCAA Tournament expansion gaining support
Rockets owner up for Trump appointment; eyeing NFL’s Saints
Norchad Omier, Baylor too strong for Norfolk State
Raptors F Scottie Barnes (ankle) out at least one week