Penn State Coach Mike Rhoades Raves About Illinois Basketball's D

The Nittany Lions coach credited the Illini for forcing his squad into low-percentage shots

Dec 14, 2024; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach Mike Rhoades looks on from the bench during the first half against the Coppin State Eagles at Bryce Jordan Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images / Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Following No. 13 Illinois’ 91-52 drubbing of Penn State at Champaign's State Farm Center on Wednesday, Nittany Lions coach Mike Rhoades had nothing but huzzahs for the home team – especially on the defensive end:

“They take certain things away,” said Rhoades when asked about the trouble the Illini gave his squad. "Certain guys aren’t shooting the three. They play the numbers. And they really baited us into taking tough twos.

“And we talked about it. But easier said than done when you get into the heat of the battle. Sometimes you lose your mind – and we took a lot of bad twos."

By now, the book on the Illini (12-3, 4-1 Big Ten) is written: coach Brad Underwood takes an analytics-based approach on both sides of the floor. Threes and shots at the rim are considered more efficient by far than anything in between, so Illinois' goal is to take never settle on midrange shots while trying to force them on opponents on the other end.

And, as Rhoades notes, knowing the strategy and stopping it are two different things. No single defensive performance better encapsulated that notion than Illinois’ showing against Penn State (12-4, 2-3).

Meet you at the rim. pic.twitter.com/oRQpvKn0Sm

— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) January 9, 2025

The Nittany Lions entered the game ranked among the nation's top 10 in points per game (86.8), and hadn’t been held to less than 67 all season.

But on Wednesday, they ran into a buzzsaw. Illinois’ ability to force Penn State into the "bad twos" Rhoades referenced was, frankly, the game's determining factor.

The Nittany Lions also struggled from long range (2-for-13), but going 18-for-53 (33.9 percent) inside the arc was a death knell – and led to a season-low 51 points.

“We fell for it, and credit to them," Rhoades said. "It takes a mentally tough team, a really strong team, to weather the storm of that defense.”

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