At Penn State and everywhere else, basketball can at times be an analogy for life.
The ebbs and flows of the game are much like our day-to-day existence. One moment, we are on cruise control, everything is coming easy. The next it feels like we scratch and claw for every inch we gain, only to lose two more.
For Penn State, there were plenty of ups and downs game to game. Yet, zooming out on the season as a whole reveals two halves that couldn’t be more different.
One moment, PSU was off to its best start in five years, winning by an average of 20 points. The next, it had one win over 41 days.
For a season that started as bright as the brightest shooting star, the ending wasn’t just a glimmer in the sky. Instead, the 2024-25 campaign’s crash and burn lasted for another 1,488 hours.
With this Penn State basketball season officially over, how will it be remembered? Here is “The Tale of Two Halves.”
Friday, Nov. 8: “Penn State Cracks Century Mark Behind Niederhauser’s Two-Way Play”
Penn State Athletics: Yanic Konan Niederhauser
In the season opener, Penn State put up 100 points against Binghamton. Four days later, PSU cracked 100 again in a 49-point win over UMBC.
Penn State scored 100 points in consecutive games for the first time in program history. It was also the first time in 70 years that the team had two 100-point games in the same season. It’s not very often that scoring 85 points would drop a team’s scoring average but that’s just how productive the Nittany Lions were early on.
PSU reached 100 again three games later against Purdue Fort Wayne, bringing its points per game to 98 through the opening five contests.
Monday, Nov. 25: “Nittany Lions Secure Best Start in 25 Years”
Nick Kern Jr. drives to the basket against Fordham on Nov. 25, 2024. (Penn State Basketball)
After defeating Fordham in the Sunshine Slam semifinals, Penn State advanced to 6-0– its best start since the 1999-2000 season.
Nick Kern Jr. led the way for PSU with his first double-double (20 points, 13 rebounds). He was one of four seniors with double-digit points. Zach Hicks (16), Puff Johnson (15) and Ace Baldwin Jr. (12) combined for 43. For the sixth straight game, PSU scored 80 points, the longest such streak in program history.
A blend of efficient offense with stalwart defense had guided PSU to its first undefeated start in 25 years. Was this sustainable? Was this the true identity of the Nittany Lions? The litmus test was just three games ahead.
Thursday, Dec. 5: “Storm the Court: Penn State Basketball Dominates No. 8 Purdue for Signature Win”
Puff Johnson guarding Purdue’s Trey Kaufmann-Renn during Penn State’s upset win on Dec. 5, 2024. (Penn State Athletics)
After suffering its first loss of the season, PSU crushed Buffalo to advance to 7-1. Next, it would host the No. 8 team in the country.
In the all-time series, Penn State had only 13 wins out of the 60 games it had played against Purdue. But home games had accounted for 10 of Penn State’s wins against the Boilermakers.
Mike Rhoades’ squad trailed early on 5-0 but that would be Purdue’s largest lead of the game. PSU’s defense reached an all-time high in the first half, forcing 13 Boilermaker turnovers and scoring 15 points off those takeaways. After Freddie Dilione V hit a 3-pointer in the closing seconds, PSU took a 16-point lead into halftime.
No. 8 Purdue trimmed its deficit down to 13 before a 13-2 PSU run built a 24-point lead eight minutes into the half. Penn State would lead by as many as 27 in the game. Purdue finished with 24 turnovers that were converted into 32 points for the Nittany Lions.
“This is what we’re going to do!” Rhoades shouted over the PA system following the win. And after securing a third victory against a top 15 opponent under his guidance, it seemed like he and Penn State were walking the walk, not just talking the talk.
Mike Rhoades grabs the PA mic at the Bryce Jordan Center after Penn State’s win over Purdue: “This is what we’re gonna do!” pic.twitter.com/VqnXRHrs4m
— Daniel Gallen (@danieljtgallen) December 6, 2024
Sunday, Dec. 29: “Mike Rhoades Gets 400th Career Win in 86-66 Victory Over Penn”
Penn State Athletics: Mike Rhoades
Penn State closed 2024 with its final nonconference game against Penn.
With both sides starting the game slow, Penn’s Michael Zanoni kept the Quakers within striking distance after dropping a career-high 15 points in the opening 20 minutes.
In the second half though, Penn State pulled away, with Baldwin Jr. (23 points and 10 assists) tying a then-career-high 12 made free throws.
The 20-point victory gave Rhoades his 400th career win and PSU a 10-1 record to close out nonconference play. It was the sixth time since Penn State joined the Big Ten that it ended nonconference play with one or fewer losses. It was also Penn State’s 11th consecutive home win dating back to the prior season.
With an 11-2 record, PSU’s NCAA Tournament hopes were high. Accordingly, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi listed Penn State as one of the last four byes for the 2025 tournament New Year’s Eve.
But as impressive as this start was,
Penn State had just played one of the easiest nonconference schedules in the country. Would this level of dominance carry over into the Big Ten regular season?
Thursday, Jan. 2: “Penn State Basketball Remains Undefeated at Home with Close Win Over Northwestern”
D’Marco Dunn rises for a jumper against Northwestern on Jan. 2, 2025. (Penn State Athletics)
In a game that saw 14 lead changes and 11 ties, it was fitting that it came down to one last play for Penn State.
After Northwestern’s Ty Berry missed the game-winning 3, Jalen Leach had a chance to tie it on a putback. Fortunately for PSU, D’Marco Dunn was right there to stamp it off the glass to seal the win. To start 2025, PSU was 12-2 and 2-1 in the conference. It now had two wins over teams ranked in the top 50 for NET, and seemed poised to, at the minimum, be competitive in the conference.
But that’s not how this story was meant to end.
Wednesday, Jan. 15: “Penn State Drops Fourth Consecutive Game to No. 12 Michigan State”
Ace Baldwin Jr. returned for Penn State and had 20 points and nine assists against No. 12 Michigan State. (Malloreigh Yingling/Penn State Athletics)
After the win against Northwestern, Penn State endured arguably its toughest stretch of competition all year.
After a six-point loss to Indiana at the Palestra, PSU had to face three top 15 opponents within a week. In the first game,it was dismantled on the road by No. 13 Illinois in a 39-point loss. If that wasn’t enough, Baldwin Jr. had to leave the game in the first half with a back injury. He would miss the next game against No. 15 Oregon, which by all accounts was much more competitive than expected.
Penn State led by nine with 6:34 left. But – as became customary of this team as the season progressed – Oregon outscored PSU 23-13 down the stretch. Jackson Shelstad hit the go-ahead bucket with 47 seconds left, completing the comeback for the visiting Ducks. Penn State’s home win streak was ended, and now it had to travel to No. 12 Michigan State.
Even with Baldwin Jr. returning to the lineup, the Spartans led the entirety of the game. Baldwin Jr. (20 points and nine assists) and Dunn (then career-high 18 points) combined for 38 points in the five-point loss, but once again, another key player for Rhoades was hurt.
Jan. 17: “Rhoades: Puff Johnson To Be Out for a “Bit’”
Puff Johnson dribbling against the Minnesota defense on March 2, 2024. (Penn State Athletics)
During the loss to Michigan State, Johnson went down early with a hand/wrist injury.
On the Big Ten Network, Andy Katz reported that the initial prognosis on Johnson was disheartening to the Penn State staff. “It’s not good,” Katz said.
“They feel awful for Puff. He’s not going to return.”
While no official diagnosis was given, Johnson was later seen with a cast on his right arm, validating Rhoades’ comments. Exactly one month later, Rhoades was asked if it was safe to assume that Johnson would miss the remainder of the season. His answer: “Yes. Yeah, you are correct on that.”
Not only was Johnson having a career year for Penn State – averaging 10.2 points and 4.4 rebounds – he was also a key senior leader. After he went out, the season seemed to take a turn for the worst.
Monday, Jan. 27: “Penn State Basketball Drops Crucial Road Game in Final Minutes at Michigan”
Penn State guard Ace Baldwin Jr. (1) drives to the basket past Michigan guard Nimari Burnett (4) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
Penn State entered this game in desperate need of a conference road win. After starting the season 2-1 in the Big Ten, the Nittany Lions had dropped five of their last six games and were winless away from State College.
With 2:08 left, Baldwin Jr. made two free throws to give PSU a 72-67 lead. All signs were pointing to Penn State finally winning on the road in the conference. Then, a flurry unlike any other took place.
Out of a timeout, Michigan’s Tre Donaldson found Roddy Gale Jr. on a back cut to make it a three-point game. Then, Baldwin Jr. had a turnover, leading to Donaldson hitting a foul-line jumper. After Kern Jr. was turned away at the rim by 7-footer Danny Wolf, Donaldson sprinted up the court, snatched back and nailed a 3. In the span of one minute and 44 seconds, Penn State went from up five to trailing by two.
Rhoades opted to not call a timeout, resulting in a last possession scramble that ended with a Baldwin Jr. hoist from deep. Michigan ended the game on a 9-0 run over the final two minutes to hand Penn State its sixth loss in seven games.
PSU now stood at 13-8 (3-7) overall, but the downward spiral didn’t end there.
Saturday, Feb. 15: “Seven Straight: Penn State Men’s Basketball Coughs Up Double-Digit Lead, Adds to Streak”
Ace Baldwin Jr. had 20 points, eight assists and a season-high six steals against Washington. (Penn State Athletics)
January and February were a tough two months for this program. After beating Northwestern on Jan. 2, Penn State won only one game out of its next 11. Heading into the annual THON game, the situation was primed for PSU to finally end its six-game losing streak.
Washington and Penn State were battling for the worst seed in the expanded Big Ten throughout the season. The Huskies entered this Saturday matinee 3-10 against Big Ten opponents and were one spot ahead of PSU in the standings. Additionally, Washington had lost eight of its last 10 games and was 1-6 on the road. And if there was anything Penn State had been doing right, it was defending its home court, boasting a 10-2 record inside the Bryce Jordan Center.
With seven minutes left in the first half, the Nittany Lions held a 13-point edge over the Huskies. Washington was able to close the gap though, shrinking the deficit to four (38-34) by halftime.
Both teams traded blows in the second, with neither side leading by more than five. Baldwin Jr. gave Penn State a late 68-67 advantage, but defensive lapses and poor late-game execution allowed Washington to steal the win.
PSU had now lost seven straight and had a 2-11 record in 2025. At this point, the NCAA Tournament felt like a pipe dream. The main goal was to just get into the conference tournament. With five games left, winning out was the only option.
Saturday, March 1: “Penn State Basketball Drops Tough Contest on Senior Day to No. 16 Maryland”
Freddie Dilione V goes for the reverse layup against No. 16 Maryland on March 1, 2025. (Penn State Athletics)
The Nittany Lions had won two straight before a loss in Bloomington, Indiana. If Penn State’s obituary wasn’t written yet, it was being drafted. With the loss to the Hoosiers, PSU now had to get two wins against No. 16 Maryland and No. 12 Wisconsin to even be in the conversation for the postseason.
As Penn State prepared to host the No. 16 Terrapins, it celebrated Senior Day pregame. With it being the last home game for the five seniors, maybe the Nittany Lions could find a little spark for the upset win.
Despite an ugly start to the game, which was plagued with turnovers, Penn State was able to grab a six-point lead heading into the locker room. The game break didn’t resolve PSU’s ball security issues though, as Maryland opened the half forcing five turnovers during a 14-8 run. A Derik Queen layup gave the Terrapins a two-point lead (46-44) they would never give up.
In addition to the 16 turnovers, Penn State had no answer for Queen (23 points), Ja’Kobi Gillespi (19 points) and Selton Miguel (17 points). Three of the “Crab Five” members had officially put an end to Penn State’s season.
“It stinks, but it’s reality,” Rhoades said after being eliminated.
“I said the other day … ‘doesn’t always go the way you want, but it keeps going,’ so you got to respond and you got to keep plugging away. And yeah, you’re right. It’s disappointing. I’m disappointed. Our guys are without a doubt … This is what we signed up for, and you got to respond the right way no matter what.”
As the Big Ten Tournament wraps up in Indianapolis, there is one number that sticks out amongst the rest: 10.
That’s the number of losses Penn State had this season when it was within four points in the final two minutes. Basketball is a game of runs, and much like life, it doesn’t always work out right. There are times when you’re on top and times when you can’t get up for one breath. That’s just how it is. Rhoades and Co. will have plenty of time between now and the start of next season to address their issues. With a top-ranked recruiting class coming in and maybe some transfer portal splashes, the hope will be to have one, consistent 2025-26 season rather than two, distinct ones.
