Three thoughts on Penn State basketball after season-ending loss to Northwestern
Penn State’s season ended with a whimper Tuesday night, with the team falling to Northwestern 76-66 in the first round of the Big Ten tournament in Chicago. The loss dropped PSU to 12-20 on the season.
Here are three thoughts on the men’s basketball program and where it goes from here.
Rhoades has to get things on track
Barring an unlikely change in the situation, Penn State head coach Mike Rhoades is going to return next season for Year 4 with the program, but there’s no denying the pressure will be on for him to turn things around. He’s yet to make an NCAA tournament, or really even be close to getting a bid, in three years at Penn State, and that was with two transfer-heavy teams in his first two years.
This past season’s team was extremely young but still struggled mightily, and several of the team’s acquisitions from both the transfer portal and Europe were unable to contribute in a meaningful way. Rhoades must land more proven talent and keep the players who have proven they can contribute at this level.
Retaining top talent is key
And that starts here. Penn State has to make retaining Kayden Mingo and Ivan Juric their top priorities. Mingo is the highest-rated recruit in program history and, despite not making the Big Ten all-freshman team, proved how much of an impact he can make this season. He was a good off-ball defender and will only improve on the ball as he ages, and he’s an impact shot creator who can put pressure on the rim and create open looks for teammates. The good news? He’s expected to return and alluded to as much in his postgame presser after the loss to Northwestern.
The same is true of Juric, who is an athletic big man who can stretch the floor but must improve defensively. That being said, it’s never a guarantee that a player will come back until the portal is closed and he isn’t in it. Retaining those two, though, should be the team’s top priority and right now the program is primed to do so. Especially when paired with potential returners like Mason Blackwood, an athletic defense-first wing, and Dom Stewart, a potential high-energy shooter.
Other players with remaining eligibility, like Melih Tunca, Freddie Dilione IV and Eli Rice, among others, could come back. But their futures are up in the air for various reasons, including the price other teams could pay to get them into the portal.
How do they improve?
Not landing Mingo’s brother, Dylan — a five-star recruit in the 2026 class — hurt Penn State, but it does open the door for the program to spread the wealth and bring in more impact players. Mingo and Juric should get every opportunity to start, although adding a veteran center to push Juric could be helpful.
After that, it’s about filling in between those two to maximize the offense. Adding shooting has to be a top priority. Mingo has the upside to be average from beyond the arc, and Juric showed the ability to stretch the floor, but that’s still not enough in the modern game. Penn State will need to shoot much more from beyond the arc moving forward and will need the players who are willing to take those shots and capable of making them at a high clip.
Getting a wing who can play off the ball well and shoot would do wonders for the offense moving forward. Beyond that, this team will need to add at least one other ball handler to pair with Mingo to take some of the workload off his plate and a forward who can either space the floor or contribute in a massive way on defense. The names to target won’t be entirely clear just yet, but those are the archetypes necessary to help this program improve drastically next season.
