IU basketball game day essentials: Indiana hosts Penn State

Game Day Essentials:

Indiana (7-2) vs. Penn State (8-1)

• Tip Time:  8:30 p.m. Eastern, Tuesday
• Location: Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (17,222), Bloomington, Ind.
• Television: FS1 (Kevin Kugler, Steve Smith)
• Radio: IU Radio Network (Don Fischer, Errek Suhr, John Herrick)
• Stream: Fox Sports
• Point Spread:  Indiana is a 15-point favorite
• KenPom Projected Score:  Indiana 81  Penn State 70
• History: Indiana leads the series, 45-17
• Last Meeting: IU 83, PSU 78 on Feb. 26, 2025, in Bloomington
• Tickets (via our StubHub affiliate link)

Penn State’s Mike Rhoades

Mike Rhoades is in his third season as head coach of the Penn State men’s basketball program and has an overall record of 216-146 in Division 1.

Rhoades began his coaching career when he was hired as head coach of Rice in 2014. He helped improve Rice to a 23-12 overall record after two 12-win seasons and took them to the CBI postseason tournament. Rhoades is more notably known for his time at VCU. Rhoades served as an assistant with the Rams from 2009 to 2014 and returned as head coach in 2017. He led VCU to a 25-8 overall record and a 16-2 conference record in his second season, which won them the Atlantic 10 title. VCU would go to the NCAA Tournament that season, as well as in the 2020-21 season and the 2022-23 campaign.

Rhoades was hired on March 29, 2023, to take over Penn State’s program. In his first two seasons, Rhoades compiled an even 32-32 record with no postseason tournament appearances.

Penn State’s results and roster:

Penn State Game Notes (via Penn State Athletics)

BURSTING ONTO THE SCENE

• Rookie Kayden Mingo is the highest scoring freshman in the Big Ten and he leads the Nittany Lions in points (15.0 ppg), assists (4.2 apg) and steals (2.1 spg) while ranking third in rebounds (4.0 rpg) through the first nine games of the season. He has scored in double figures in eight of nine games, including two 20-plus point efforts. He collected a single-game program record-tying eight steals against Sacred Heart on Nov. 29. His 4.22 assist-to-turnover ratio is a top-15 mark in the country.
• Mingo, the highest-ranked recruit in program history, was named an ESPN Top 50 Impact Newcomer in late October. He was ranked as the No. 34 recruit nationally per 247Sports & No. 39 recruit nationally per ESPN out of high school. He was named the 2025 New York Gatorade Player of the Year following a standout senior season at Long Island Lutheran.

STEADY FREDDIE

• Redshirt junior Freddie Dilione V, Penn State’s only returning starter from a season ago, has been a consistent presence for the Nittany Lions thus far this season.
• Dilione is averaging 13.2 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game with just nine total turnovers in 231 minutes of playing time. His 13.2 points per game ranks second on the team. He has scored in double figures in seven games this season, including a career-best 22 points and nine rebounds against Providence on Nov. 22.

OH MY MELIH

• Istanbul, Turkey native Melih Tunca has been on fire to start the season, scoring in double figures in eight of nine games while shooting 54.2 percent (39-72) from the field and 45.0 percent (9-20) from 3-point range. Tunca ranks third on the squad in points (12.8 ppg) and second in assists (3.8 apg).

DEPTH ON DISPLAY

• The Nittany Lions have showcased their depth through the first nine games of the season, as Penn State’s 33.0 bench points per game ranks second in the Big Ten and is a top-50 mark in the nation.
  The Penn State bench has outscored the opponent bench by an eye-popping total of 297-144 through nine games this season.

No. 94 Penn State’s KenPom notable numbers:

(out of 365 teams)

Tempo – No. 218 (Offense No. 72 / Defense No. 364)

Offensive Efficiency – No. 64

• Penn State’s effective field goal percentage is at 56.9 percent (No. 32). The Nittany Lions are shooting 37.6 percent from three (No. 45) and 57.2 percent on twos (No. 52).
• Penn State doesn’t have a glaring defect on offense. Free-throw percentage is their lowest stat category at 71.7 percent (No. 184).
• They take care of the ball very well with the second-best turnover percentage in Division I at 12.1 percent.
• Their point distribution favors two-pointers at 54.3 percent of their scoring (No. 56).

Defensive Efficiency – No. 166

• Opponents are shooting a 52.2 percent effective field goal percentage against Penn State (No. 229). Teams are shooting 32.7 percent from three (No. 164) and 54.6 percent from two (No. 263).
• Although two-point percentage is high, teams are finding a good percentage of their points from beyond the arc at 35.2 percent (No. 77).
• Penn State didn’t lose a step in forcing turnovers with the loss of Ace Baldwin. They still force turnovers at a 20.8 percent rate (No. 48).
• PSU does not appear to have good rim protection, as they have just a 4.8% block rate (No. 348)

OG’s Pick

Overall: 8-1

Although they’re pretty young, PSU is not a team to take lightly on the offensive end. They’ve shot the ball well and have some scorers on the roster. Once again, I think the Hoosiers will have to rely on their defense as an anchor to have a chance. Especially with their last two games being so inefficient, they’re far better off starting the game with a few stops rather than trying to shoot their way ahead.

I do think Indiana gets back in a rhythm offensively here. It’s Penn State’s first Big Ten game, and IU could take advantage of a young roster at home. Reed Bailey and Sam Alexis also have a chance to get more comfortable against a team that gives up a high percentage from the inside.

Give me Indiana to bounce back.

Pick: Indiana 85 – Penn State 71

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