Three Things To Watch As Indiana Takes On Penn State

Indiana faces the Nittany Lions at the famed Palestra in Philadelphia on Sunday, a city where the Hoosiers have fond memories.

Penn State Nittany Lions guard D'Marco Dunn (2) dribbles around Indiana Hoosiers forward Mackenzie Mgbako (21) during the second half of a Big Ten Tournament game at Target Center in March 2024. Both players are still contributing to their respective teams. / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana’s men’s basketball hits the road to face Penn State at noon ET on Sunday – only this time, the Hoosiers will head a bit further east than usual.

For the second straight season, Penn State will host one of its Big Ten games in Philadelphia – and not just at any venue. The Hoosiers and Nittany Lions will lock horns in the Palestra – one of the legendary palaces of basketball.

Built in 1927, the building is on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania, but it is synonymous with Philadelphia basketball. The Big 5 of the city – La Salle, Penn, St. Joseph’s, Temple and Villanova – once played all of their games against each other in the venerable building.

The Palestra has hosted more regular season and postseason games and has had more visiting teams than any arena in college basketball. A total of 52 NCAA Tournament games have been played there, though none since 1984.

Indiana has played in the Palestra four times, but it’s been a long time since its last visit in 1956 when the Hoosiers defeated La Salle, 93-80 and then played Villanova two days later and lost 79-69. Prior to that, Indiana made two trips to the Palestra when it was still a relatively new facility. Indiana played at Penn in consecutive seasons – losing in the 1929-30 season, but winning in its visit the following season.

The Palestra is just a small part of Indiana’s legacy in the City of Brotherly Love. Indiana has played 10 different teams in Philadelphia in six different venues, with the last trip to Philly coming in 2016 when the Hoosiers lost to North Carolina in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

From Temple’s Mitten Hall and Liacouras Center to the Villanova Field House to the modern Wells Fargo Center, the Hoosiers have made plenty of stops in Philly at venues both still there and no longer around as college basketball arenas.

However, it’s the Spectrum – Philadelphia’s primary arena from 1967-1996 – that holds Indiana’s greatest Philly memories.

Two of the three NCAA championships Bob Knight won with the Hoosiers were capped off at the Spectrum, in 1976 and 1981. The red sideline design at the Spectrum was an appropriate tableau for the Hoosiers’ title triumphs.

It will be impossible for a regular season Big Ten game to live up to Indiana’s Philadelphia championship legacy, but as Indiana (11-3, 2-1) re-familiarizes itself with the Palestra, it will still be memorable for the Hoosiers to grace such an iconic arena.

Here are three things to watch for from the Hoosiers when they face the Nittany Lions:

1. Keep Ace Baldwin Under Wraps

Penn State Nittany Lions guard Ace Baldwin Jr (1) dribbles the ball around Penn Quakers guard Dylan Williams (2) during the second half at Bryce Jordan Center. Penn State defeated Penn 86-66. / Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Some recent Big Ten players have become renowned as Indiana killers, especially at schools that aren’t traditional Big Ten contenders. Former Northwestern guard Boo Buie comes to mind. So does former Nebraska guard Keisei Tominaga and current swingman Brice Williams.

Penn State point guard Ace Baldwin only arrived in State College last season when he followed coach Mike Rhoades to Penn State from Virginia Commonwealth, but he seemed intent on brandishing his credentials as an Indiana killer with games of 22 and 23 points against the Hoosiers in a pair of regular season victories for Penn State last season.

Baldwin is off to a fine start in his second season with the Nittany Lions. He’s averaged 15 points, 8.5 assists, and a Big Ten-high 2.3 steals, and he is hitting 94.4% at the line. Indiana’s regular season history against Baldwin would suggest he’s going to be a problem Sunday. Indiana’s on-again, off-again defensive effort this season would also give rise to fear of what Baldwin could do.

However, Indiana did prove it could stop Baldwin. When Indiana faced Penn State in the Big Ten Tournament, Baldwin was held to nine points on 3 of 15 shooting. So it can be done. It must be done.

2. Keep Up The Good Work On Turnovers

Indiana's Trey Galloway (32) looks to pass during the Indiana versus Rutgers men's basketball game at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Something lost in the shuffle a bit in Indiana’s 84-74 victory over Rutgers Thursday was the low turnover total. Indiana only gave the ball away eight times, including a first half with just one turnover.

After struggling with turnovers early in the season, the Hoosiers have knuckled down on avoiding them in recent games. Indiana has not had more than 10 turnovers in its last four games, a huge turnaround after having at least 10 giveaways in all of its previous contests. Trey Galloway has only had two turnovers in the last three games and Myles Rice has cut down on his miscues too.

Indiana’s turnover avoidance will get a huge test against the opportunistic Nittany Lions. Penn State ranks eighth nationally as it forces 17.1 turnovers per game. Penn State applies pressure on inbounds passes, and the Nittany Lions have five players who average at least one steal per game.

3. Get The Bench More Involved

Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Ace Bailey (4) dribbles the ball while Indiana Hoosiers center Langdon Hatton (12) defends in the second half at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Indiana had 25 bench points in the victory over Rutgers, but that’s a bit of a misnomer. Oumar Ballo came off the bench. Usually a starter, he played starter minutes after Malik Reneau was injured and contributed 17 points and 12 rebounds.

“True” bench scoring was limited to a combined eight points from Anthony Leal (5 points), Kanaan Carlyle (3 points), Bryson Tucker (0 points) and Langdon Hatton (0 points).

Indiana coach Mike Woodson wants more from the subs.

“I got to help our bench more somehow. I just got to get them comfortable having fun and flying around and doing things on both ends of the floor that we're supposed to do, and we're not there yet,” Woodson said after the win against Rutgers.

Bench scoring will be a bit hard to predict until Reneau’s status is confirmed one way or another, but however you slice it, players like Carlyle, Tucker, and if he returns to the bench, Luke Goode, need to be more consistent.

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• INDIANA-RUTGERS GAME STORY: Five Hoosiers scored at least nine points as Indiana resumed Big Ten play with a much-needed win over the Scarlet Knights. CLICK HERE

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