Penn State-Iowa Basketball Preview: Playing With 'Humility'

After winning 2 road games, coach Mike Rhoades wants the Nittany Lions to bring that formula home.

The situation didn't favor Penn State last week. The Nittany Lions went on the road, where they had not won yet this season, without leading scorer Kanye Clary and having lost four of their last five games. The storm was in place for a season to derail. And then Penn State men's basketball found something.

The Lions won road games at Rutgers and Indiana, with point guard Ace Baldwin Jr. playing his best basketball of the season, to hoist themselves back to .500 overall. Now, coach Mike Rhoades isn't predicting a surge toward March, but Penn State at least is moving in the right direction.

"These guys always change my mind every day about a lot of things," Rhoades told reporters in State College at his weekly media availability. "Sometimes you've got to hit rock bottom."

The Nittany Lions reached bottom (at least they hope) Jan. 27 at home against Minnesota, when they relinquished a 16-point, first-half lead in one of the season's most disappointing Big Ten losses. Rhoades said Penn State was "embarrassed" at playing selfishly and "through frustration" in a withering second half against the Gophers. After righting themselves right on the road last week, the Lions return home Thursday to host Iowa. Rhoades said he's looking for a humble team to take the court at the Bryce Jordan Center.

"Why did we have success on the road? Let’s stick to that plan," Rhoades said. "We want to be hungry but we want to have great humility. Just because you won the last game doesn’t guarantee you winning the next game. What we’ve done the last two games, that formula worked. We've got to be humble, because if not, the game is going to humble you quick."

RELATED: The Penn State women's basketball team is ready for its moment against Iowa

Penn State (11-11, 5-6) vs. Iowa (13-9, 5-6)

When: 7 p.m. ET Thursday

Where: Bryce Jordan Center

TV: Big Ten Network

Streaming: FuboTV (start your free trial)

KenPom rankings: Penn State is No. 93; Iowa is No. 52

NCAA NET rankings: Penn State is No. 102; Iowa is No. 59

Series history: Iowa leads 33-20

Last meeting: Penn State 83-79 in January 2023

About the Nittany Lions: Upon leaving VCU for Penn State, Rhoades pitched point guard Ace Baldwin Jr. hard about joining him. Last week proved why. Baldwin averaged 18.5 points, 9 assists and 3.5 steals in the two road wins, playing 40 minutes in both games. He was indispensable in guard Kanye Clary's absence. And with Clary, Penn State's leading scorer, still listed as "day-to-day," Baldwin knows his role will continue. "When [Clary] stepped out, I had to step up," he said. Those games reminded Rhoades of who Baldwin was at VCU, where he was the Atlantic 10 player of the year in 2023. "He's been pretty darn good lately," Rhoades said. "He’s playing with a clear mind. He’s not allowing himself to get frustrated because he’s such a competitive dude. What I was most impressed about [were] the huddles he’s had on the court: commanding his teammates, picking guys up, pumping them up. That's a leader. That's the point guard I want." If Clary remains out, Penn State will rely on bench scoring, in which the team held an 18-3 edge over Indiana.

About the Hawkeyes: Iowa coach Fran McCaffery has a dilemma. The Hawkeyes generate plenty of steals (they rank second in the Big Ten behind Penn State) but allow a ton of points. Iowa ranks 13th in the Big Ten, and 305th nationally, in scoring defense (77.2 ppg). But they also put up points (84.2 per game, second in the Big Ten) behind hot-shooting senior Tony Perkins. The 6-4 guard is averaging 22 points in his last five games, turning over the ball just six times, and shooting 54.3 percent. He's the all-purpose scorer. Payton Sandfort is the 3-point shooter, with a success rate of 39.2 percent and a penchant to take his swings. Sandfort has attempted 10 or more 3-pointers five times this season. He went 6-for-8 in a 26-point performance against Michigan. Meanwhile, 6-10 forward Owen Freeman has earned seven Big Ten freshman-of-the-week awards and has produced three double-doubles, the most by an Iowa freshman since Luke Garza.

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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.