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Penn State Basketball Takeaways: How Does Konan Niederhauser’s Injury Affect PSU?

Penn State Basketball, Yanic Konan Niederhauser
Yanic Konan Niederhauser missed Tuesday's game against Minnesota with a sprained left ankle. (Penn State Athletics)

With January in the rearview mirror, Penn State hoped to distance itself from the 2-7 version of this team by defending the Bryce Jordan Center to start February.

PSU had only lost once inside the BJC and was taking on a Minnesota team that was 1-4 in road games and had only one win out of the previous six trips to State College. But, the Golden Gophers had won three of their last five and were led by one of the hottest players in the nation, Dawson Garcia. The 6-foot-11 senior came in averaging 24.3 points and 7.1 rebounds on 53.9% shooting over his last seven games. With Puff Johnson and Yanic Konan Niederhauser both out, the Nittany Lions had their hands full in an almost must-win situation.

The opening six minutes of the game showed flashes of a rock fight, as both teams collaborated on a 3-for-15 shooting effort. Penn Stateโ€™s first bucket didnโ€™t come until the 13:44 mark, which trimmed Minnesotaโ€™s lead from 4-0 to 4-2. The half ended on a much more efficient note, though, as PSU made seven of its last 10 shots and Minnesota five of its last six. The Nittany Lions took a 25-21 lead into halftime but couldโ€™ve had a larger one had it not been for 10 turnovers.

(Note: The combined score of 46 points was the lowest of any Big Ten game this season for a half.)

With both sideโ€™s offensive production perking up, it seemed that a back-and-forth battle was in place. Instead, while one team pulled on the rope of this tug-of-war battle, the other held on by a thread, trying desperately not to let go of a fleeting five-point advantage.

In the second half, consecutive 3s by Mike Mitchell Jr. signaled the beginning of the end for Penn State, as it let up a once 10-point lead with eight minutes and 51 seconds to go. From Mitchell Jr.โ€™s first 3 to the final buzzer, Minnesota made eight of its last nine shots, outscoring PSU 25-17. Overall, the Golden Gophers shot 69.6% during the back end of the game, while the Nittany Lions shot 30%.

With its second four-game losing streak in less than a month, it would seem that the January Nittany Lions were closer than they appeared in the rearview, with a lot more distance between them and March.

OH YANIC, WHERE ART THOU?

Penn State Basketball, Ohio State Basketball, Game Recap

Yanic Konan Niederhauser had his best game in Big Ten play against Ohio State with 21 points and five rebounds. (Penn State Athletics)

As Penn State was warming up before tipoff, Konan Niederhuaser wasnโ€™t.

Lions247โ€™s Daniel Gallen reported that the junior transfer from Northern Illinois was in street clothes and had a boot on his left foot. Konan Niederhauser had sprained his ankle in practice on Sunday and is considered day-to-day, according to Mike Rhoades.

With another key member of Penn Stateโ€™s frontcourt out, how would the complexion of the team change? In one key area: around the rim.

Offensively, Konan Niederhauser is one of the best at-rim finishers in the country, converting on 68.2% of his tries. He has also been one of the more efficient post-up players this season, ranking in the 80th percentile in points per post-up. His vertical pop on lobs and growing assertiveness to gain low post position had been key to this developing offense. Then, they were stripped away right before the start of the most important stretch of the season.

This void down low was noticeable in the first six minutes of game time, as Penn State struggled to generate good looks and didnโ€™t have a wondering skyscraper to throw it up to for an easy two points. The Nittany Lions finished shooting 10-for-27 on layups and made only 34% of its field goals.

Defensively, Minnesota had much more success on its rim attempts, making 12 of its 19 layups and scoring 40 paint points. While Konan Niederhauser has had foul troubles, he is still the league leader in blocks and holds his opponents to 40% shooting at the rim. His ability to alter or turn away shots near the basket is a crucial component of Penn Stateโ€™s harassing defense. (Yes, injuries have turned down the defensive intensity dial, but having a 7-foot windmill on the backline helps in any defensive situation.)

While the hope is to have Konan Niederhauser back for Penn Stateโ€™s West Coast trip, ankle sprains are difficult to manage, especially for an above-rim player. If he isnโ€™t good to go, it would be fair to assume more small-ball lineups will be used by Rhoades against UCLA on Saturday.

PENN STATE BASKETBALLโ€™S LACK OF FIREPOWER

Penn State Basketball, Mike Rhoades, Ace Baldwin Jr., Zach Hicks, Nick Kern Jr., Puff Johnson

Four active players average double-digit points for Penn State: Ace Baldwin Jr. (14), Nick Kern Jr. (12.8), Yanic Konan Niederhauser (12.7) and Zach Hicks (11.7). (Penn State Athletics)

Despite having four players who average double-digit points, Penn State lacks the offensive firepower to either put games away or stay competitive in them.

What was already a questionable amount of depth before conference play started has now been put front and center as injuries have become an issue. Johnsonโ€™s injury thrust PSUโ€™s leading bench scorer, Nick Kern Jr., into the starting lineup, requesting more from Dโ€™Marco Dunn and freshmen to fill those reserve minutes. The result has been anything but promising, as there has been a 34% decrease in bench production since the start of Big Ten play:

  • Total bench points against nonconference: 315 points
  • Total bench points against Big Ten: 208

In Tuesdayโ€™s loss, PSU actually won the bench battle 23-19, but 18 of those points came from Dunn. While itโ€™s good to have second-unit players step up in key playersโ€™ absences, it can be offset by underwhelming performances in the starting five.

Kern Jr. came into the matchup with the Golden Gophers averaging 15.3 points as a starter. He fouled out of the game finishing with 10 points while making two of his five layups. (For the season, he is shooting 63.6% at the rim.)

Freddie Dilione V had been coming on throughout January, even if it wasnโ€™t translating into wins. In the first four games of the month, the Tennessee transfer was averaging 12 points and shooting 35.7% from 3. Since his career-high 21 against Oregon, though, he has only gone for double-digits twice and has made only two of his last 10 shots.

Injuries have depleted this roster, and with shooting efficiency that waxes and wanes like the moon, this team seems to be running out of options to salvage this season.

โ€œYouโ€™re sometimes pulling at straws just trying to find a way to stay connected to the game, to hang around to win it,โ€ Rhoades said following the loss to Minnesota.

At this point in the season, there is a limited number of straws to grasp for, and with only nine games left, it might not matter how competitive Penn State is; it simply does not have enough to win down the stretch of games and certainly this season.

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