Here’s 3 takeaways from Penn State men’s basketball’s 79-65 loss to Illinois
Penn State men’s basketball couldn’t pick up its first Big Ten win of the season Tuesday night, falling 79-65 to the Illinois Fighting Illini on the road.
The loss is the Nittany Lions’ second of the season to the Illini and drops their record to 3-6 overall and 0-5 in the Big Ten.
Here are three takeaways from the loss.
1. Penn State has no answers at the rim
Penn State has tried several strategies to slow opponents down at the rim, but the reality of the situation is that they don’t have the talent to do it. The Nittany Lions have played a zone defense, doubled off the wing and tried denying entry into the post with no good outcomes. They don’t have the personnel to consistently protect the rim, and that’s going to make life difficult in the Big Ten.
On Tuesday night it was Illinois center Kofi Cockburn’s turn to beat Penn State up on the inside to the tune of 21 points on 6-of-10 shooting and 13 free throw attempts, but it isn’t just big men doing damage. Wings and guards can get to the rim with ease once they’re past the team’s first line of defense because there isn’t a rim protector looming to help out.
Senior center John Harrar gives maximum effort to mitigate the damage done on the boards, but can’t do enough defensively. Surely the Nittany Lions will try more ways to protect the paint and the rim, but the unfortunate truth is that they’re unlikely to find an answer to their biggest problem.
2. Good shooting isn’t enough
The Nittany Lions have been in close games this season when they’re on fire from beyond the arc, but even with the wind at their backs from deep they couldn’t stay close Tuesday night. They finished the game shooting 7-of-18 from deep but couldn’t stop Illinois when the Illini had the ball and couldn’t generate enough looks when they had their chances to answer, often turning the ball over before getting a shot off.
Penn State couldn’t get to the rim when its guards and wings penetrated and struggled to finish due to Cockburn’s looming presence. He’s one of the best defensive big men in the conference because of his sheer size and length and made life difficult for the Nittany Lions throughout the game. He blocked four shots but there were numerous occasions when a guard had a lane to the basket, but tried an awkward shot in an attempt to put the ball out of Cockburn’s reach.
When that’s happening, hot won’t be enough from deep and that was the case against Illinois.
3. Buttrick enters starting lineup to no avail
Penn State interim head coach Jim Ferry made a change to his starting lineup Tuesday when he inserted Trent Buttrick for Seth Lundy, but it did nothing to help his team. Buttrick saw very little time on the court and got in foul trouble early. The decision to bench Lundy to start the game was an interesting one, given the difference in ability between the two players.
Buttrick is a stretch forward who can make open shots from beyond the arc but does not have the mobility to defend at a high level, nor the rim protection ability to help near the basket. Lundy has only been a slightly worse shooter this season from deep, and provides more offensive skill, while giving the team more versatility on defense. The decision didn’t pan out well against the Illini and it’s hard to envision it becoming a trend moving forward.
