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Penn State-Indiana Basketball Game Preview: Nittany Lions Seek Third Straight Conference Win

Penn State Basketball, Indiana Basketball, Game Preview

Fresh off two straight wins against Nebraska and Minnesota, Penn State will travel to Indiana on Wednesday to close out February.

This will be the second meeting between the Nittany Lions and the Hoosiers this season. In their last outing, Indiana pulled out a 77-71 win at the Palestra. If Penn State were to win, it would be the fifth all-time in the programโ€™s history in Bloomington, Indiana.

GAME DETAILS

Date: Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025
Time: 8:30 p.m. EST
Site: Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall
City: Bloomington, Ind.
Network: Big Ten Network

GAME ODDS

Odds by DraftKings Sportsbook

Odds:ย Indiana (-278), Penn State (+225)
Spread:ย Indiana (-6.5)
Over-Under:ย 150.5 points

GAME NOTES

Yanic Konan Niederhauser, Penn State Basketball

Yanic Konan Niederhauser (24 points, seven rebounds and five blocks) led Penn State to its first Big Ten road win of the season against Minnesota. (Penn State Athletics)

Penn State (15-13, BIG TEN 5-12), 67th KenPom, 69th NET

PSU has won two straight games after dropping its previous seven and falling to the bottom of the Big Ten standings. On Saturday, the Nittany Lions earned their first Big Ten road win of the season in their 69-60 win over Minnesota. Yanic Konan Niederhauser led the way with 24 points (9-14), seven rebounds and five blocks.

โ€œMaybe the best game heโ€™s had this year,โ€ Mike Rhoades said after the game. โ€œThe stat line is pretty impressive โ€ฆ he had five blocks, but he had some other shots that he made them miss. I thought he played with great activity, and he didnโ€™t get into foul trouble.โ€

Indiana (16-11, BIG TEN 7-9), 52nd KenPom, 56th NET

Malik Reneau, Indiana Basketball

Malik Reneau led the Hoosiers with 15 points, six rebounds and four assists in their win against No. 13 Purdue. (Indiana University Athletics)

Indiana is 3-7 over its last 10 games but has won two of its previous three. Those two wins came at No. 11 Michigan State and against No. 13 Purdue. After beating Purdue, Indiana improved to 4-4 in conference home games and 12-4 overall when playing inside the Skjodt Assembly Hall.

The last time these two teams played, Oumar Ballo (25 points and 13 rebounds) and Mackenzie Mgbako (20 points on 4-of-8 3-point shooting) led the way for the Hoosiers. Mgbako started the second half on a personal 8-0 run to help Indiana pull away.

Key Leaders:

Oumar Ballo:

  • 13.4 PTS (64.3 FG%, leads Big Ten)
  • 9.3 REB (tied for second in Big Ten)
  • 1.5 BLK (tied for third in Big Ten)
  • Only player averaging 13.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks on 60% shooting

Mackenzie Mgbako:

  • 12.6 PTS
  • 4.6 REB
  • 44/32/87 shooting splits

Malik Reneau:

  • 12.8 PTS (55.4 FG%)
  • 5.6 REB
  • 2.1 AST

Myles Rice: 10.9 PTS

Luke Goode: 9.1 PTS (39.7 3P%)

Trey Galloway: 7.7 PTS | 4.2 AST

KEY STAT

Konan Niederhauser is averaging 15.8 points on 60.4% shooting over his last five games. According to Synergy Sports, in the three games he has scored 19 or more points, he has dominated on rolls to the basket, cuts and post-ups. Here is where Indiana ranks in the Big Ten when defending those play types:

  • Seventh against pick-and-roll man possessions
  • Seventh against cuts
  • 17th against post-ups

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