Penn State men’s basketball looking to get back on track against Rutgers Wednesday
Penn State men’s basketball has grown used to being hunters in recent years.
The Nittany Lions have been the ones in search of an upset, they were the ones who felt joy when they took down a highly ranked opponent.
Now, they’re the hunted. The Nittany Lions can see the joy in their opponent’s eyes when they lose.
“Teams are happy to beat us,” junior center John Harrar said. “You can hear teams and coaches saying they want to beat us now.”
Next up for the hunted are the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, who already beat the Nittany Lions, 72-61, when they were ranked in early January. The Scarlet Knights beat then-No. 20 Penn State in Piscataway to hand the Nittany Lions their first loss in a month. That loss quickly turned into three. They went on to drop their next two games for their longest losing streak of the season.
Now, they’ll have to defeat Rutgers to prevent a second three-game losing streak this season. Penn State has lost its last two games and will need to earn the win at home to get back on track.
Harrar said the previous losing streak has established what it takes to get back to the kind of basketball that has the team ranked where it is.
“(We have to ) just play hard,” Harrar said. “If we continue to play hard and continue to come together (we’ll get back on track) ... The bonds we formed over the summer, over our team bonding activities, those are the ones that need to show when we’re down three with four minutes left.”
Fortunately for Harrar, Tuesday’s matchup is an ideal one. The Scarlet Knights are a physical team that can cause problems for teams that can’t handle their toughness and gritty brand of basketball.
Harrar, a former Army football commit as a tight end, is excited for the chance to take on a team that will let him play how he wants to.
“Their identity never changes,” Harrar said. “They’re going to try to out-tough you and they’re going to try to out-rebound you. I love it. I can lower my shoulder into a couple people without getting called for a foul. It’s a lot of fun.”
The two teams will have the familiarity of their initial matchup on Jan. 7, but Penn State head coach Pat Chambers doesn’t think either team is the same one that faced off a month ago.
“I think we are different teams at this point,” Chambers said. “They’re playing at a very high level ... They have more weapons now ... They’re a very, very good team.”
Even though the teams are playing at a different level than they were seven weeks ago, there is one key similarity.
Rutgers guard Ron Harper Jr. has been on fire in his last three games as a scorer, just like he was against Penn State. He’s scored 61 points in the last three games, averaging almost eight points more than his season average of 12.2.
The sophomore guard put up similar numbers in the first matchup between the two teams. He scored 22 on only 10 field goal attempts in the game and was Rutgers’ best player. The Nittany Lions will need to find a way to slow him down, especially if they’re without their own scoring guard, sophomore Myreon Jones.
Jones’ potential absence is the biggest difference that could stand out Wednesday night. He’s missed Penn State’s last five games with an illness. The sophomore guard traveled to his team’s Sunday afternoon matchup in Indiana and warmed up, but didn’t play. Even with that step already taken, there’s no timetable for his return, and Chambers showed no intention of sharing where he’s at from a health standpoint.
“It’s day-to-day,” Chambers said. “We want to make sure we give him enough time to be at his best. I don’t want to rush anybody. I don’t think that would be fair to (Jones) ... We’ve got to do what’s best for him ... I just do what the doctors tell me. I’m not getting caught up in that.”
The Nittany Lions are 3-2 without Jones and have needed his scoring punch to help them open the floor up for the rest of the offense.
His absence has been difficult for Penn State, but it’s been difficult for the junior guard as well.
“We see him,” Harrar said. “(We see that) he wants to be out there on the floor ... I know that he’s ready to be out there ... He loves everything to do with Penn State and everything to do with basketball. He’s ready to come back for sure.”
