Penn State continued to gain national recognition in Monday’s Associated Press Top 25 Poll, earning nine points in the latest rankings.
Nov. 18 was the first time since March 2023 that Penn State earned votes in the national poll.
PSU remains the would-be 40th-ranked team following Monday’s standings.
Penn State cracked 100 points for the third time this year against Purdue-Fort Wayne, marking only the second time the program has achieved such a feat in a single season. Penn State is now 5-0 at the start of the year for the first time since the 2019-20 season.
In that Purdue-Fort Wayne game, Ace Baldwin Jr. set a new season-high with 25 points, nearing a triple-double with seven rebounds and 11 assists. Zach Hicks, meanwhile, continued his career year with 17 points on 5-of-9 shooting from 3.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Baldwin Leads Second Half Comeback Against Purdue-Fort Wayne
Per kenpom.com, Penn State has the 26th most efficient offense and 63rd most effective defense. The Nittany Lions own the seventh-largest scoring margin at 31.2, having totaled the second-most points (491) and averaged points (98.2) in the nation.
Nearly half of this offensive production comes from turning defense into offense and getting out on the break. Penn State has scored 46 percent of its points off turnovers (128 points) or in transition (96 points). Its had success in both categories by forcing the sixth most turnovers per game (19.2) and registering the second most steals per contest (13.8), according to Sports Reference.
Mike Rhoades and his team will look to go 6-0 with a win against Fordham. Penn State hasn’t started 6-0 in 25 years. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m.
