Penn State entered Thursday night having lost six of its last seven. Looking to get back on track, the Nittany Lions prepared to host the Ohio State Buckeyes in a return to the famed Rec Hall. Although it was not the Bryce Jordan Center – where PSU had won 10-of-11 contests – Thursday’s game would still be a home game and, most importantly, a whiteout.
In the first half, PSU fell behind by 15, as Ohio State’s Devin Royal (15 points) hit consecutive buckets, sucking the air out of the building. The Nittany Lions didn’t roll over, though, as Ace Baldwin Jr. opened himself up for a 3-pointer and Yanic Konan Niederhauser (21 points) detonated on the rim for his 10th point of the half, trimming the lead down to 10 at the intermission.
Niederhäuser POSTER 🔥 🔥 @YanicKonan what a slam for @PennStateMBB pic.twitter.com/316mPeoxcN
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) January 31, 2025
To start the second, Ohio State maintained a nine-point lead through the opening seven and a half minutes as it traded scores with Penn State. Going point for point with the Buckeyes was going to come back and hurt PSU eventually, though, because, from the 12:03 mark to the 6:35 time stamp, Ohio State went on an 18-9 run, building its largest lead of the game to that point (74-56). Penn State never got back within 16 points and closed the game shooting 4-for-12 over the closing 11 minutes.
YANIC KONAN NIEDERHAUSER ASSERTS HIMSELF
From the jump ball, it was clear that Rhoades felt he had an advantage down low in Konan Niederhauser. The 7-foot Swiss took five of Penn State’s first 10 shots, scoring six of the first eight for the Nittany Lions. Outside of the lone 3 that he took, and missed, Konan Niederhauser planted his roots around the basket. In addition to feeling like he was more of a focal point of the offense, the numbers also back it up. According to Synergy Sports, the junior transfer had a season-high 11 post-up opportunities against the Buckeyes, which he scored 12 points on.
Yanic Konan Niederhauser rises for a dunk against Purdue-Fort Wayne on Nov. 20. (Penn State Athletics)
Penn State signed Konan Niederhauser in April 2024 to sure up its frontcourt depth. While he has been one of the best rim protectors in the nation (he’s holding opponents to 40% shooting at the rim, which ranks in the 79th percentile among players to have defended at least 20 shots), his presence on the offensive end, specifically in league play, could easily be glanced over.
Before Thursday, Konan Niederhauser was averaging 9.3 points, 6.2 field-goal attempts (58%), and was only posted up 22 times through 10 conference games. Against Ohio State, he scored the second-most points he had all season (21) on 14 shots.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.“I did good, played aggressive,” Konan Niederhauser said postgame. “I mean it was obviously not enough to win but got to keep working on it and keep building on it.”
Per Synergy Sports, the big man ranks in the 80th percentile on points per post up, proving he can be effective on the low block. It should be no surprise if he continues to be featured down low over the next two games, as Minnesota and UCLA rank fifth and seventh in points per post up allowed.
WHERE IS THE PRESSURE FOR PENN STATE?
Before January, Penn State was forcing its opponents into 16.3 turnovers per game, per Sports Reference. Since the start of January, that number has dropped to 11.3. That decrease has neutered a key portion of PSU’s scoring production, as forcing fewer turnovers has led to a decrease in points off those takeaways. Through the first 13 games, the Nittany Lions were averaging 21.03 points off turnovers. In January, that average is 13.3. Rhoades is known for his pressing defensive style, but with injuries to key players like Puff Johnson, the head coach has had to adjust.
“Right now with how thin we are and foul trouble those are the things we’re balancing,” Rhoades said Wednesday when asked if his team was getting enough ball pressure.
“Heck, we’re playing a two-three zone at times, and it’s given us a good advantage at times and mixing it up. But yeah, you know, our true identity and when we can do that [pressure the ball in both the full and half court] … has done some great things in the Big Ten and has changed people’s plan of attack against us.”
Penn State’s full-court pressure has been a staple all year. In January, though, that harassing defensive strategy has been utilized less and less, contributing to fewer forced turnovers. The graph below displays this relationship:
Data provided by Sports Reference and Synergy Sports.
As Rhoades handles both nagging and long-term injuries, he and his team will have to find ways to compensate for the dropoff in defensive playmaking. If not, the season could be in jeopardy, if it wasn’t already.
