'We're in a Rut,' Penn State's Mike Rhoades Says After Loss to Bucknell

The Nittany Lions, favored by 22 over the Bison, lose their fourth straight game. Rhoades says Penn State is "fighting the game right now."

Penn State men's basketball coach Mike Rhoades wanted his team to be angry after its recent 0-3 road trip to Florida. Instead, the Nittany Lions looked frustrated and listless in a 76-67 loss to Bucknell on Saturday, the first major upset of Rhoades' first season at Penn State.

DraftKings listed Penn State as a 22.5-point home favorite before Saturday's noon tip-off at the Bryce Jordan Center, which hosted the Lions for the first time since Nov. 17. Bucknell (3-7) entered the day on a three-game losing streak and ranked 330th nationally, according to KenPom. But the Bison took advantage of Penn State's lethargic defense, lapsed 3-point shooting and low energy levels to notch their first win over Penn State since 2018.

Penn State (4-4) has lost four straight games, three of them in a Florida tournament where the Lions struggled defensively. Nothing improved Saturday, and Rhoades addressed it squarely after the game. He told reporters in State College that the Lions are "just really fighting the game right now," which includes some internal frustrations for a team trying to bring together nine transfer players on a new roster.

"We're in a rut," Rhoades said after the game. "We're in a rut and we're trying to shake it up. We’re really fighting the game. We're playing frustrated. We’re not as connected as maybe we first were. We’ve dealt with some adversity, we've dealt with some stuff that’s affected our program. We’ve dealt with some stuff on the road, going down [to Florida] and having adversity and not dealing with it the right way, and that can snowball. That’s where we’re at right now."

Penn State gave up a 10-point second-half lead by allowing uncontested shots and breaks, missing 3-pointers and failing to transition on defense. And Bucknell was just better. During its strongest second-half run, Bucknell made seven consecutive shots and nine of 10. The Bison closed the game on a 14-6 run in the final 3 minutes, which included a 7-2 finishing stretch.

Bucknell erased that 10-point second-half deficit by shooting 69.2 percent from the field and going 5-for-9 from 3-point range. Jack Forrest (game-high 23 points) made five of Bucknell's 10 3-pointers, and 7-foot center Noah Williamson scored 15 of his 21 in the second half, when Bucknell scored an astonishing 49 points. The Bison entered the game averaging 61.8 per game; its 76 points represented a season high.

Bucknell outrebounded Penn State 25-24, scored 18 points on 12 Penn State turnovers and won the second-chance duel 7-5. All of which signaled an effort edge for the Bison, something Rhoades acknowledged. "It's just not good enough," he said.

"We're just not as connected as we were earlier on, because we've gotten beaten up," Rhoades said. "Now let's find out our true character. Some of it is, I've got to spend a lot of time with these guys and work them through that. The other part of it is, they've got to take on personal responsibility and team responsibility to say, 'Hey, alright, let's work on this together.' That's the beauty of building a team and building a program, but you've got to go through this stuff. It just hurts and and it's embarrassing and it stinks. But no excuses, got to find a way."

Rhoades seeks spark with lineup change

Rhoades shuffed his starting lineup after the winless road trip. Guard Ace Baldwin Jr., the 2022-23 Atlantic 10 player of the year at VCU, did not start, ceding to a coach's decision for the second time this season. Puff Johnson made his first start at Penn State, as did forward Leo O'Boyle, a Lafayette transfer. Rhoades said the decision regarding Baldwin, who finished with 17 points, was meant to be a challenge.

"Just not happy with some of the things that we need to do in the program the right way," Rhoades said. "I want guys to respond when I challenge them, and I want all our guys to understand that you have to have a level of discipline and grit and toughness and character, and we don't have enough of that right now to go where we want to go. This is part of dealing with 18- to 22-year-olds and adversity. so I'm not afraid to shake it up and and let guys know."

Qudus Wahab scored a season-high 18 points. while Baldwin had 17. Kanye Clary, the Lions' leading scorer, had another rough day with 4 points on 2-for-8 shooting. Clary was 0-for-3 on 3-point attempts. The Lions were 4 of 19 from 3-point range.

Injury Update

Guard Jameel Brown, who wore a boot on his right foot, was out for Saturday's game against Bucknell. Brown had averaged 5.3 points and 9.7 minutes per game. Demetrius Lilley (3 rebounds per game) did not play as well. 

Up Next

Penn State opens Big Ten play Wednesday at Maryland. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network.

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