After Thursday’s 84-80 win over Northwestern, Penn State will return to Philadelphia for a showdown with Indiana at the historic Palestra.
This will be the 61st matchup with the Hoosiers, a series that dates back to 1978. PSU trails 43-17 all time in games against Indiana. The last time these two programs met was in the Big Ten Tournament last season when Indiana pulled out a two-point victory.
PENN STATE’S OUTLOOK
Indiana enters Sunday’s game on a three-game winning streak after recently beating Rutgers on Thursday (without Dylan Harper). If Penn State were to end that streak, it would improve to 13-2, the team’s best start in 29 years. The Nittany Lions would also start Big Ten play with a 3-1 record, their best start since 1995-96.
Head coach Mike Rhoades knows that a win won’t come easy, though, especially with the quick turnaround since his team’s last win on Thursday.
“A quick turnaround for our guys, next Big Ten game got to be ready to go,” Rhoades said on Friday.
“So, you know, we’re jumping right back in it today, in two days of prep for Indiana … So we got a lot of work to do before we get to Sunday at 12 noon.”
Fortunately for the Nittany Lions, Sunday’s game will count as an alternate site home game (important for NET Rankings), meaning a whiteout is scheduled to take over the Palestra:
Big Ten battle. White Out. The historic Palestra.
Doesn’t get better than this ⚪️🦁#WeAre | https://t.co/yLx3Sin0xq pic.twitter.com/AoMyEzLYNs
— Penn State Men’s Basketball (@PennStateMBB) January 4, 2025
INDIANA (11-3, 2-1)
HEAD COACH
Mike Woodson (fourth season, 74-43)
Woodson was named the head coach of the Hoosiers in 2021 after spending 22 years patrolling NBA sidelines. In his first two seasons, Indiana made it to the Big Ten Tournament semifinals and the NCAA Tournament. In each of the last three seasons, the Hoosiers have one at least one Big Ten Tournament game for the first time since 2001-04.
KEY PLAYERS/STATS
Malik Reneau, 6-foot-9, Forward
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Reneau is the leading scorer for Indiana, averaging 14.1 points a night. An All-Big Ten Honorable Mention (Coaches and Media) in 2024, Reneau had a career year, averaging career bests in points, rebounds, assists, blocks, and minutes played. In three conference games, Reneau has averaged 10 points and 3.3 rebounds on 64.7 percent shooting.
Mackenzie Mgbako, 6-foot-9, Forward
Mgbako is the reigning Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Year and is averaging a career-high 13.6 points per game. He has gone over 10 points in nine of his 14 appearances and is one of 13 players to have at least 191 points on 48/41/85 shooting efficiency.
Oumar Ballo, 7-foot, Center
Ballo, a redshirt fifth-year senior from Arizona, is nearly averaging a double-double with 12.8 points and 9.4 rebounds. He was selected for the Preseason All-Big Ten Team and is top five in the conference in rebounds and blocks (1.8). The 7-footer has made 68.2 percent of his shots and is averaging 14.3 points and 10 rebounds in conference play.
Myles Rice, 6-foot-3, Guard
Rice is a redshirt sophomore transfer from Washington State. He played his first season of college basketball last year for the Cougars after being cleared from Hodgkin’s Lymphoma on March 9, 2023. Rice is averaging 12.2 points, 3.1 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game. In Big Ten play, he is averaging 14.3 points and 4.3 rebounds on 46.9 percent shooting.
Nothing Easy
Penn State’s free throw rate is in the 89th percentile in all of Division I, but Indiana opponents are in the bottom 20 percent in the same stat.
METRICS
Penn State enters Sunday’s bout 36th in KenPom and 38th in the NCAA’s NET Rankings. Indiana sits at 56th in KenPom and 64th in NET.
GAME TIME
Tipoff is scheduled for noon on Sunday. Penn State’s full schedule is available here.
SPREAD
According to DraftKings Sportsbook, the Nittany Lions are 6.5-point favorites against the Hoosiers. The Over-Under Total is 157, and the MoneyLines are Penn State -278 and Indiana +225.
TV
Penn State-Indiana will air on the Big Ten Network.
