Big Ten Daily (Feb. 22): Mike Rhoades 'Super Proud Coach' After Penn State Stuns Illinois

Penn State had lost three straight games and leading scorer Kanye Clary was dismissed. But on Wednesday night, the Nittany Lions found a way to pull off a thrilling upset of No. 12 Illinois. Mike Rhoades called himself a "super proud coach" after the game.

For the second time this season, Penn State has pulled off a thrilling upset. The latest came on Wednesday night, as the Nittany Lions overcame a 14-point deficit to defeat No. 12 Illinois 90-89, courtesy of late-game heroics from Zach Hicks.

Coach Mike Rhoades could not have been more proud of his team.

Penn State had battled some adversity recently, with Rhoades announcing that leading scorer Kanye Clary had been dismissed from the team. He was averaging 16.7 points per game for the season.

His departure didn't seem to hurt Penn State's scoring ability on Wednesday night, as the Nittany Lions shot 53.8% from the floor and 44.4% from 3-point range. 

"I've been doing this for awhile, I'm just a super proud coach tonight," Rhoades said. "I'm just really, really proud of our guys. I didn't think at all, during the game, we were complaining. We didn't put our chins down, we didn't put our eyes down, I thought we were great teammates today."

Penn State found itself down 87-77 with just 2:30 to play on Wednesday night. Hicks scored the next five points for the Nittany Lions, trimming the Illini lead down to 87-82 with over a minute to play. 

Still, Illinois was able to push the lead back to seven points with 40 seconds to play. But Penn State's full-court press and critical mistakes down the stretch by Illinois' Coleman Hawkins proved to be the difference.

Hawkins missed two free throws and fouled Hicks on a 3-point shot with three seconds left. Hicks stepped up to the free throw line and knocked down all three, giving Penn State the win.

Take a front row seat and watch the ending to @PennStateMBB’s upset win over No. 12 Illinois. 🍿 pic.twitter.com/4vDw0XpULD

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) February 22, 2024

"We just kept fighting. I always say the press can do some pretty crazy things during a game, and you saw that today. And that's why we press — that's why my teams are gonna press. I'm super proud of our team. Found a way. Found a way to get a win against an awesome coach and an awesome team in Big Ten play."

Much like Penn State's upset win over Wisconsin last month, fans stormed the floor to celebrate the victory. 

Entering Wednesday's game, Penn State had lost three straight games. It was without Clary. Yet nobody wearing a blue-and-white uniform wanted to throw in the towel.

"That was yesterday. That was last week. I'm about tomorrow morning, now," Rhoades said. "What are we gonna do tomorrow morning to make this program better, to make this team ready to play Indiana. That's me. That's us. I move forward. 

"I'm really proud of our guys. We've went through a lot of stuff this year, but it's all about moving forward."

Purdue closing in on Big Ten title

Thanks to Penn State's upset win over Illinois on Wednesday, Purdue is one step closer to claiming back-to-back Big Ten regular season titles. With five games remaining on the schedule, the Boilermakers (12-3) own a two-game lead over the Fighting Illini (10-5).

Purdue's job is far from over. The most difficult stretch of its Big Ten schedule awaits in March.

The Boilers close out February with games against Rutgers (Thursday) and Michigan (Sunday) before a brutal three-game stretch to end the season. Purdue hosts Michigan State, travels to No. 12 Illinois and finishes the season with a home game against Wisconsin. 

There's still a lot of work to be done.

But, without question, Penn State's upset win helped Matt Painter's team get a little closer to a repeat championship. 

Michigan loses Olivier Nkamhoua

More bad news trickled out of Ann Arbor this week. Michigan coach Juwan Howard announced that senior starter Olivier Nkamhoua will miss the remainder of the season.

Nkamhoua recently underwent surgery, which will keep him sidelined for the remainder of the year. His college career has now come to an end, having played his first four seasons at Tennessee.

“Decisions like this are never easy,” Nkamhoua said in a statement. “Playing with this injury became taxing and we knew something had to be done. I feel like I wasn’t able to finish what I came here to do; however, the support and love from the coaches, my teammates and everyone involved with this program has been so amazing.

“Coming to Ann Arbor and having the opportunity to play for a coach like Coach Howard has been something I will cherish. I cannot thank Chris (Williams) and his training staff for all he has done for me throughout this season and going forward in my recovery. I am proud to be able to say I was part of this great university. I am proud to be a Michigan Wolverine.”

Nkamhoua ranked second on the team in scoring (14.8 points per game) and rebounding (7.1 rebounds per game). Michigan has five games remaining on the schedule.

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