With the clock winding down in the first half of Tuesday’s Big Ten matchup between Penn State and Rutgers, Dylan Harper found Jeremiah Williams on the right wing for a buzzer-beating 3 to put the Scarlet Knights up 15.
Jeremiah Williams hits nothing but NET. #B1GMBBall pic.twitter.com/KharxF0yzg
โ NBC Sports (@NBCSports) December 11, 2024
That shot capped off a 15-7 run for Rutgers and was part of an 8-0f-18 (44 percent) shooting effort from beyond the arc. While teams can get hot, a performance like that outpaced the Scarlet Knights’ season average efficiency from 3 by 10 percent.
Now, Penn State’s loss can’t solely be chalked up to bad fortune, especially when it allowed Rutgers to make eight first-half 3s which was more than PSU’s season average of 7.7 per game. Additionally, Rutgers’ 18 attempts were only four off from what Penn State has allowed from distance on average.
Although the second half was much better from an efficiency standpoint for Penn State, Harper (24 points, 12 rebounds and five assists) and the Scarlet Knights had already done their damage, building a 17-point second-half lead. The hole was too deep for the visitors to dig out of, giving them their first Quad 2 loss of the season.
Wednesday’s update to the NET Rankings dropped Penn State eight positions following its loss to Rutgers. PSU is 1-1 in Quad 1 play (won against Purdue and lost to Clemson) and 0-1 in Quad 2 games.
Penn State held firm in the KenPom rankings, staying at 33.
Overall, Coach Mike Rhoades had this team battling for all 40 minutes. There was no quit, even when Rutgers seemed to deliver a final blow every time Penn State got to within single digits. There is a confidence that follows this loss.
A belief that no matter how hard the path is, especially in the Big Ten, Penn State will be right in the mix every night. Even if it encounters some bad shooting luck.
