The latest example of this came to light Ohio State Wednesday night when Penn State went 13-and-a-half minutes between shots and the Buckeyes went on a 26-3 run during that time. After jumping out to an early lead, the Nittany Lions were never competitive again in a 94–62 loss at the Bryce Jordan Center.
Rhodes has emphasized the maturity of his young team this season, and Penn State has another chance in the 2025–26 regular season to show it has developed when it faces Rutgers Sunday at Jersey Mike’s Arena (noon ET, BTN).
“It’s some good plays and it’s just snowballed,” Rhodes said Wednesday night. “We couldn’t react or answer, and then it went on for 10, 12 minutes. And against a good team…”
Penn State appears to be headed into Wednesday night’s home finale against Ohio State. The Nittany Lions were days away from their last-second win. iowaWhich was arguably his best performance of the Big Ten slate. Rhodes felt that Monday’s practice was good, and he was feeling optimistic after the shootaround. Penn State also took an early 8–7 lead.
Then, things stopped working.
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A theme that has been common this season came back for the Nittany Lions during this period. The offensive stagnation started to affect things on the defensive end. Then, the opponent kicks into gear.
“It’s hard to put your finger on it, but in my opinion, I feel like we didn’t play with the same heart in that game (vs. Iowa),” the guard. dominic stewart Said on Wednesday. “Shots aren’t falling, they’re not going your way, and it’s easier to get in, I feel like. I feel like that’s what we did tonight, instead of just keeping it going, holding our defense, doing whatever it takes to get it done.”
Penn State (12-18, 3-16 Big Ten) was without a guard Kayden Mingo In a loss to Ohio State after being injured late in the second half against Iowa. Rhodes said after the game that he knew on Monday that Mingo would not play, and Rhodes did not offer any insight into the freshman situation at Rutgers (12-18, 5-14).
Still, Penn State nearly pulled off an upset at No. 2 michigan and pushed to number 5 Purdue On the road without Mingo in January. The loss to Ohio State wasn’t caused by any one player. Rhodes observed team-wide issues against the Buckeyes.
“When you feel sorry for yourself or get discouraged, it makes the game harder,” Rhodes said. “You saw that today. You saw that. It was disappointing because I thought (against Iowa), we were complete opposites, but it’s called sports.”
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Penn State’s 85–72 loss to Rutgers on February 18, which included a significant first half deficit for the Nittany Lions, was the fourth-most points scored in a game by the Scarlet Knights this season (third-most in a regulation game), and the 13-point margin was their largest margin of victory in a Big Ten victory this year. The only teams Rutgers has beaten by more teams this season are rider (28 points), unlv (15) and Delaware State (15).
The Nittany Lions are guaranteed one more game in the Big Ten Tournament in Chicago. Penn State finished last in the league, so the Nittany Lions will face Rutgers Northwestern — which beat Penn State by 21 points in January — in the No. 15 vs. No. 18 game on Tuesday.
The Nittany Lions have only two more chances to show that Rhodes’ lesson has paid off.
“The teaching part of it is you have to continue to learn, watch tape and sit down with people and explain to them that sooner or later this is going to stop happening,” Rhodes said.
After Wednesday’s game, Rhodes faced questions about his job security as he fell to 44–50 overall and 18–41 in Big Ten play during his three-year tenure. Given the youth of the roster this winter, there will always be challenges for Penn State.
But the number of non-competitive games — the Ohio State loss was the fourth 30-point loss of the season — has increased, and the script is looking familiar. Time is running out to turn this around before the offseason arrives.
“I think we just have to come together more,” Stewart said. “We say, ‘He’s missing.’ Oh, he’s missing.’ I think it happens. You might get carried away with your emotions a little bit, but at the end of the day, we have to do whatever it takes to make it through. And tonight, we didn’t do that.”
Daniel Gallen covers Penn State for Lions247 and 247Sports. He can be reached at daniel.gallen@cbsinteractive.com. Follow Daniel on X at @danieljtgallen, on Instagram @bydanieljtgallen and Bluesky at @danieljtgallen.bsky.social.
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