2025-26 PSU MBB Thread
- Thread starter Tom McAndrew
- Start date
Fortunately PSU sank two free throws to win by 4.
Got the win…could have easily been one we let slip away. Mingo is so good getting to the hoop, can’t be settling for that many jumpers.
Defense wasn’t moving enough on the recoveries and gave up wide open 3s all night. Harvard made us pay.
Should be a good test on Saturday.
Defense wasn’t moving enough on the recoveries and gave up wide open 3s all night. Harvard made us pay.
Should be a good test on Saturday.
Foul the 3 pt shooter with 14 seconds (smh)
4 pt win
Harvard shot 53%, 44% from 3 pt range, and 100% from FT line. They had 21 assists vs only 12 for PSU.
Harvard outscored PSU 36-15 from 3. Very poor defense.
Juric had 9 rebounds but was 0-4 from FT line. That has to change. Mingo was 1-7 from 3 but was 7-7 from FT line.
4 pt win
Harvard shot 53%, 44% from 3 pt range, and 100% from FT line. They had 21 assists vs only 12 for PSU.
Harvard outscored PSU 36-15 from 3. Very poor defense.
Juric had 9 rebounds but was 0-4 from FT line. That has to change. Mingo was 1-7 from 3 but was 7-7 from FT line.
That was classic PSU basketball: do the only thing that could prevent you from winning.
I did not see the game, just intermittently followed while at my kids basketball practice so I can’t say for sure what happened but a win is a win. Should they have one by a couple more possessions, sure but they are playing a team that is like Navy, very experienced and disciplined. They could sneak into the tournament if they upset Yale.
Like most PSU teams, their interior defense is an issue. Not so much that they get killed in there all the time but their need to double and rotate lead to open perimeter shots too.
Mingo is not yet a good outside shooter but is starting to get the feel to take over games with his penetration. If someone can step up to hit some threes regularly they will be competitive most nights. I still don’t think they will win more than three games in conference, but if they’re only losing by single digits that will say something.
Like most PSU teams, their interior defense is an issue. Not so much that they get killed in there all the time but their need to double and rotate lead to open perimeter shots too.
Mingo is not yet a good outside shooter but is starting to get the feel to take over games with his penetration. If someone can step up to hit some threes regularly they will be competitive most nights. I still don’t think they will win more than three games in conference, but if they’re only losing by single digits that will say something.
Tunca is a good perimeter shooter.
I think Mingo's perimeter shooting will improve as he gains confidence. We used to be able to watch these kids over 4 years. I hope we can hold onto Mingo for the duration.
We've also been doing a lot of trapping on the perimeter leading to late rotations and wide open 3s (and layups). I know it's the style that Rhoades wants to play, but this roster isn't really constructed to do it (at least on the inside). Not having a shot blocker really hurts us with it, since guys have no fear when driving. We're currently 359th in the country in shot blocking (per KenPom, out of 365 teams).
We're even worse in another stat that's more "luck" based...we're 364th out of 365 teams in FT% defense...teams are shooting 85.2% against us at the line. Thankfully we've dodged the bullets and it hasn't mattered.
Also forgot to mention that Rhoades shortened the bench a bit more last night and Blackwood never saw action (after just seeing one minute against LaSalle). Appears that we'll mostly go 9 deep for now when games are competitive.
PSU Alum news...
www.espn.com
Sources: Temple extends hoops coach Adam Fisher through 2030
Temple coach Adam Fisher has received a two-year extension through 2030, sources told ESPN.
www.espn.com
Bad news on a former player. Cam Wynter got caught as part of the Hysier Miller point shaving investigation at Temple (he wasn't connected with Miller, but also got caught betting on sports). It'll be tough to find another job in college hoops after this...
www.espn.com
NCAA: Ex-Temple men's basketball player bet against own team
A former Temple men's basketball player placed dozens of bets on Owls games over two seasons, including wagering against his own team, the NCAA announced.
www.espn.com
Let me again quote Bill Russell, from his autobiography I read a half-century ago: “The most important thing you possess is your good name.”Bad news on a former player. Cam Wynter got caught as part of the Hysier Miller point shaving investigation at Temple (he wasn't connected with Miller, but also got caught betting on sports). It'll be tough to find another job in college hoops after this...
NCAA: Ex-Temple men's basketball player bet against own team
A former Temple men's basketball player placed dozens of bets on Owls games over two seasons, including wagering against his own team, the NCAA announced.
This
It is what bothers me about some coaches (Rhoades is this way). If you don't have the players to effectively execute a pressure trapping defense then you change your defense.
It's also something that I thought that JoePa struggled with later in his career at the offensive end. The fact that we tried turning Rashard Casey into a pocket passing game manager was horrible...he could have been Lamar Jackson/Vince Young before those guys came along in the right offense. (and many will say the same thing about the offense we ran with Allar, trying to put him in a spread type system)
It's one of the things that I loved about Shrewsberry here...thought he did such a great job of tailoring an offense/defense around his personnel. That offense we ran in 2023 was unlike anything we've ever seen...using Pickett as a point-forward and surrounding him with all those shooters for when the defenses collapsed. And when teams had bigs that could beat us, throwing Myles Dread out there at the 5 and forcing the opponent to also go small since their big couldn't guard our 6'4" "big" on the perimeter.
What's interesting is that while it looks like we're speeding things up with our traps/full court pressure, our opponents are actually 363rd in the country (out of 365) in "Average Possession Tempo". meaning that we're forcing the 3rd slowest tempo in the country at that end. LaSalle, New Haven, and Harvard all like to play at a slower pace so an "adjusted" number might move us closer to 300th, but we really aren't overly aggressive in our press...it's more just slowing teams down.
We're also 7th in the country in offensive turnover rate...it will really help if that continues tomorrow, since it limits Providence's opportunities to run. They are playing at the 28th fastest pace in the country, fueled by the 15th fastest offense.
They are a pretty good matchup for us...they don't score a lot in the paint. Their big is a shot blocker/offensive rebounder/dunker, but not one with a really advanced offensive game. Those are the types of guys that I worry will eat us up this season. We're currently a 4.5 point dog. If it creeps any higher, I'll play us (definitely will if I see a 5.5).
Exactly. Rhoades trapping defense didn't work all that well even with Baldwin outside and YKN inside. It's taking Rhoades too long to understand what works in the B10 as opposed to the A10.
The dreaded poor FT defense. Seems to raise its ugly head each season. Only remedy, if you're going to foul, is to foul poor FT shooters.
I would have thought that the 3 fans sitting behind the baskets in our homes games so far this year would have done a better job distracting them too!
Watching this Rutgers game tonight makes me glad that we play them twice. They look horrible. Down double digits late at home to a pretty bad Central Connecticut St squad.
Until tonight, I missed the fact that all 18 teams are making the Big Ten Tournament this year. Teams 15 thru 18 play on Tuesday, so my revised goal for us is to sneak into the top 14 and start things off on Wednesday.
CCSU 67 Rutgers 54
We've moved ahead of Minnesota (barely) and Rutgers at this point in my ratings. Not sure if Maryland is any good either, so we may at least have some company his season and not be overmatched every night. (also not sure how good Northwestern is...everyone seems higher on them than I am)
MD is similar to PSU, a bit more talented but still trying to figure things out. One night they beat Marquette and next they need OT at home to be Mt St Mary’s.
I don’t think Penn State will win a conference game until after going to Purdue. Hopefully the mentality of the team isn’t shot by then, but I really think that UCLA on a Wednesday night might be something where we catch them on a bad day with travel. Then we go to Maryland, have Wisconsin in rec hall and at Ohio State. I think they’ll find a way to win at least one of those games, and then they get very winnable games at Northwestern and home against Minnesota. I’m thinking that they can get two, potentially three games in that stretch and hopefully build some confidence.
Then the next couple weeks will be tough for them, but then their last five have Rutgers twice and Ohio State, Iowa and Nebraska. That’s another place where they can get a couple wins and hopefully have some momentum going into the tournament. I think 4 conference wins is my highest probability as of now. Tomorrow and the Hershey game against Pitt will definitely tell a lot.
I thought Rhoades trapping defense worked very well with Baldwin in 2023-2024 and the first half of 2024-2025. Then everything went off the rails after Ace got hurt and Puff was gone for the season.
Agree on all, team in general is weak. But all things considered, with your best player playing four minutes, to only be down one is impressive.
We’ve been brutal on the front end of 1 and 1’s this year…giving away points.
Feel ok about that half with Mingo in FT trouble. Getting that 2nd foul on their big could be huge if we can force him into a quick 3rd.
Impressed with the Tru TV production, crew, etc. Glad to see the Turner networks more involved in college hoops.
Feel ok about that half with Mingo in FT trouble. Getting that 2nd foul on their big could be huge if we can force him into a quick 3rd.
Impressed with the Tru TV production, crew, etc. Glad to see the Turner networks more involved in college hoops.
Am at the game. Team hanging tough. Dilione having a game and just a bit late with the 3 before the half end.
Trying to listen to the game on PennStateSportsNetwork radio. Sound quality is very poor. I don't have cable so can't watch TruTV.
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