A once-promising season for Penn State has completely fallen apart.
The reeling Nittany Lions are desperate for a win Tuesday when they host Minnesota in Big Ten action.
Penn State (13-9, 3-8 Big Ten) defeated then-No. 8 Purdue as part of a 12-2 start to the season that had players and fans thinking about a possible trip to the NCAA Tournament. However, the team has dropped seven of its last eight that includes blowout losses to Illinois and Ohio State.
In Thursday’s 19-point loss to the Buckeyes at fabled Rec Hall, Penn State enjoyed a 21-point performance from Yanic Konan Niederhauser. Unfortunately, the team was doomed by poor 3-point shooting (6 of 19), free-throw shooting (16 of 29), rebounding (41-23 deficit) and an inability to get stops on the defensive end.
“Well, nobody feels sorry for us,” said Penn State coach Mike Rhoades. “Nobody feels sorry for you. Nobody’s coming to save us, so figure it out, and you’ve got to fight like crazy.”
The Golden Gophers (11-11, 3-8) are dealing with some issues of their own. They have dropped two games in a row, most recently a 71-68 home defeat on Saturday as last-place Washington collected its first road win of the season.
Dawson Garcia led the way with 28 points on 9-of-12 shooting while Femi Odukale chipped in 10 points. However, none of their teammates made more than two field goals or scored more than eight points.
“We had some good momentum,” said Garcia, who scored 23 points in the second half but had two missed free throws and two turnovers in the game’s final two minutes. “Couple costly plays down the stretch. Definitely some fall on my shoulders. But it’s just really a collective effort how we lost.”
Minnesota, which ranks fifth in the Big Ten with just 10.6 turnovers per game, hopes to commit fewer than the 15 miscues it recorded against Washington. On an individual level, senior guard Mike Mitchell Jr. continues to struggle. Since putting up 20 points in the upset win over nationally-ranked Michigan, he has averaged just 7.3 points while shooting just 10 of 40 from the field.
This is the only regular-season matchup between the Gophers and Nittany Lions. Minnesota won both meetings between the teams last season.
–Field Level Media
