3 Things To Watch As Indiana Basketball Hosts Penn State

Matchups against Penn State standouts Ace Baldwin Jr. and Yanic Konan Niederhauser will be key for Indiana on Wednesday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

Jack Ankony | Feb 25, 2025

Indiana guards Myles Rice (1) and Trey Galloway (32) against Providence in the Bahamas. / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

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Indiana Hoosiers

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Penn State has been a tricky opponent for Indiana across four seasons under coach Mike Woodson.

In 2022-23, former Penn State coach Micah Shrewsberry beat the Hoosiers by 19 points in State College, Pa., and won a back-and-forth game in the Big Ten Tournament. Even after Shrewsberry left, coach Mike Rhoades and the Nittany Lions handled the Hoosiers with ease, winning by 14 and nine points in last year’s matchups.

Indiana broke that streak with a Big Ten Tournament victory last season, thanks to a late tip-in by Anthony Leal, and it beat Penn State 77-71 earlier this season at the Palestra in Philadelphia. Indiana hit a rough patch after that game, though, losing seven of its next nine games. Penn State did too, losing 10 of its next 11.

But all of a sudden, both teams may be turning things around. Indiana is coming off a crucial win Sunday against No. 13 Purdue, and the Hoosiers took down No. 11 Michigan State two weeks ago in East Lansing. The Nittany Lions snapped their seven-game losing streak with wins over Nebraska and Minnesota by 17 and nine points, respectively.

That sets up Wednesday’s 8:30 p.m. ET tipoff at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, airing on Big Ten Network. Here are three things to watch.

1. Limiting Ace Baldwin Jr.’s impact

Penn State guard Ace Baldwin Jr (1) dribbles against Nebraska at the Bryce Jordan Center. / Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

As Indiana outscored Purdue 48-21 in the second half of Sunday’s game, it made Braden Smith look pedestrian. The potential Big Ten player of the year and All-American point guard committed five turnovers and scored just one point in 18 minutes of action in the second half at Assembly Hall.

Whether it was Myles Rice, Anthony Leal or Trey Galloway sticking close to Smith, Indiana’s perimeter defense was key to the upset victory.

“I thought Myles' defense tonight was the best he's played since he's been here,” Woodson said.

Those Hoosiers have another tough assignment against Penn State point guard Ace Baldwin Jr., the reigning Big Ten defensive player of the year. Baldwin and Smith are tied for the Big Ten lead with 2.4 steals per game in conference play. Baldwin is averaging 13.7 points, 7.3 assists and 2.3 steals while playing 33.5 minutes per game.

On Monday’s radio show, Indiana associate head coach Yasir Rosemond called Baldwin the key to Penn State’s team and that if he gets going, they’re hard to stop. He said Indiana will probably have Leal guard Baldwin.

In the first matchup, a 77-71 Indiana win on Jan. 5 at The Palestra, Baldwin finished with 12 points on 5-for-15 shooting, seven assists, three turnovers, zero steals and missed all six 3-point attempts.

Penn State likes to press, and Baldwin is typically the first line of defense. That gave the Hoosiers major issues in both regular season games last season, and they have to handle it better this time around.

2. Indiana bigs against Yanic Konan Niederhauser

Penn State center Yanic Konan Niederhauser (14) posts up against Rutgers at the Bryce Jordan Center. / Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Niederhauser has quietly been one of the better centers in Big Ten play this season after transferring in from Northern Illinois. The 7-footer is averaging 12.9 points and 6.2 rebounds while leading the Big Ten with 2.2 blocks per game and shooting 62.1% from the field.

Rosemond said Indiana was worried about Niederhauser going into the first matchup, but Indiana center Oumar Ballo ended up having a big game. Ballo tied his season-high with 25 points on 9-for-15 shooting and grabbed 13 rebounds. He certainly outplayed Niederhauser, who finished with seven points, eight rebounds and two blocks.

A notable wrinkle to the season’s second matchup is that Indiana will have Malik Reneau this time around. Reneau missed the first matchup due to injury, but he’s played particularly well recently, averaging 16 points over the last four games. Niederhauser is also coming off perhaps his best game of the season, contributing 24 points, seven rebounds and five blocks in a nine-point win at Minnesota.

Indiana has been playing smaller lineups more frequently of late, with just one of Ballo or Reneau on the floor most of the time. Rosemond said their playing time together will be based on matchups moving forward. Penn State plays a smaller lineup with Niederhauser as the main interior presence, so a rotation between Ballo and Reneau is the more likely path in this matchup. Regardless of which Indiana big is in the game, their play against Niederhauser will go a long way in determining the outcome.

3. Will Mackenzie Mgbako bounce back?

Indiana forward Mackenzie Mgbako (21) shoots against Purdue at Mackey Arena. / Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

Mgbako’s up-and-down season continued Sunday against Purdue. Coming off the bench for the first time all season, he wound up playing just nine minutes and did not play at all in the second half. He finished the game with zero points and missed all three shots.

“Mack, he’ll get an opportunity to possibly be back in there again,” Woodson said postgame when asked about the starting lineup changes.

After being named co-Big Ten freshman of the year last season, Mgbako’s sophomore year has been puzzling. In a five-game stretch during January and February, he averaged 18.2 points per game. He scored 16-plus points in earlier wins over Penn State and Rutgers, and he led the Hoosiers with 25 points in their win over Providence in the Bahamas.

But mixed in with those standout performances are plenty of letdowns. Mgbako has seven games with six points or fewer, including two zero-point games. Woodson hasn’t been afraid to bench him, like he did against Purdue or when he played just 13 and 15 minutes in wins over Michigan State and USC, respectively.

Mgbako is shooting just 25.3% from 3-point range in Big Ten play, but he’s also made three or more 3-pointers in four conference contests. It’s been difficult to predict what he’ll produce on a game-by-game basis, as he scored 14 points against UCLA just before going scoreless against Purdue. He’s clearly a talented player and an X-factor for Indiana, which needs Mgbako to find more consistency down the stretch as it makes a push for the NCAA Tournament.

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