Penn State Vs. Minnesota Basketball Preview: Welcome Home, Nittany Lions

Penn State hosts the Gophers, who bring a 4-game Big Ten losing streak to the Bryce Jordan Center.

Has a week off benefited the Penn State men's basketball team? As coach Mike Rhoades said, "We can't get bigger and stronger in the last six days," but the Nittany Lions took advantage of their January break to hit the reset switch, particularly after a tough road loss at Ohio State.

Penn State is back on the court Saturday night at the Bryce Jordan Center for the annual THON game, which celebrates the nation's largest student-run philanthropy. Minnesota makes its first trip to Penn State since 2022. Here's what to watch in the Penn State vs. Minnesota game.

Penn State (9-10) vs. Minnesota (12-7)

When: 6:30 p.m. Saturday

Where: Bryce Jordan Center, State College

TV: Big Ten Network

Streaming: FuboTV (start your free trial) 

KenPom rankings: Penn State is No. 107; Minnesota is No. 88

NCAA NET rankings: Penn State is No. 118; Minnesota is No. 97

Series history: Minnesota leads 38-19

Last meeting: Penn State 76-69 in February 2023

Streaks: Penn State has won 3 straight

About the Nittany Lions: So how did Penn State spend its "bye week"? Aside from resting legs and rejuvenating their energy, the Lions continued working on their boom-or-bust torment of the season: 3-point shooting. When they're on, the Lions have range. They shot 41.7 percent against Ohio State in December and 40 percent against Wisconsin in mid-January and won both games. But when they start (or got) cold, games go awry. The most egregious examples were against Michigan State (3-for-29), Northwestern (3-for-17) and Bucknell (4-for-19). Penn State lost all three. Now, the Lions did shoot a season-high 45.8 percent against Ohio State in a loss last week, but much of that was make-up work after falling behind 16-0.  "It's better," Rhoades said of the team's 3-point shooting. "Sometimes when you see a couple guys make it, the snowball effect gives you confidence." Since he can't make his team bigger and stronger in a week ("I tried, but we can't," he said), Rhoades also is focusing on Penn State's defensive pressure, a team strength. The Lions lead the Big Ten in forced turnovers (15.84 per game) and rank seventh in turnover margin (+4.9). The catalyst is guard Ace Johnson Jr., who ranks sixth nationally with 2.84 steals per game. Defensive pressure and 3-pointers will continue to determine Penn State's success. Penn State is 8-2 at the BJC this season.

About the Golden Gophers: Minnesota is going streaking right now. The Gophers won seven straight before a four-game losing streak that included a 2-point loss to Wisconsin. Minnesota shot a miserable 58 percent from the free-throw line in those four games and ranks 13th in the Big Ten in foul shooting (66.4 percent). Which means Penn State can afford to lean on the aggressive side of its defense. However, Minnesota can test aggressive defenses with its ball movement. Rhoades expects the Gophers to challenge Penn State with dump-off and kick-out passes, extra passes and ball reversals. The Gophers rank ninth nationally in assists and have the nation's assists leader in Elijah Hawkins (7.8 per game). Leading scorer Dawson Garcia (17.3 ppg) is a 6-10 presence who has topped 30 points twice this season and had 36 points and 11 rebounds against Ohio State. Rhoades said Penn State will guard Garcia "by committee."

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