Nittany Lions Host Maryland on Senior Night SundayNittany Lions Host Maryland on Senior Night Sunday
Penn State Athletics

Nittany Lions Host Maryland on Senior Night Sunday




UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's basketball team returns to the Bryce Jordan Center to host Maryland Sunday on Senior Night presented by the Penn State Alumni Association. Tipoff of the regular-season finale is slated for 7:30 p.m. inside the Bryce Jordan Center.
 
FOLLOW ALONG

 
IF PENN STATE BEATS MARYLAND

  • The Nittany Lions would end the regular season with nine Big Ten wins, a mark reached only seven previous times in Penn State's 32-year history in the conference.
  • Penn State would beat Maryland in Happy Valley for the seventh-straight meeting.

 
SENIOR NIGHT

  • Penn State will celebrate seven seniors Sunday night on Senior Night presented by the Penn State Alumni Association:
    • #1 Ace Baldwin Jr.
    • #4 Puff Johnson
    • #11 Leo O'Boyle
    • #15 Dan Conlan
    • #21 RayQuawndis Mitchell
    • #22 Qudus Wahab
    • #33 Andy Christos
  • These seven seniors have combined for 1,006 points, 429 rebounds and 207 assists in the Blue & White this season. 
  • Both Baldwin Jr. and Johnson have the option to take a fifth year of eligibility due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

 
SCOUTING THE TERRAPINS

  • The Terrapins are 15-15 on the season and 7-12 in Big Ten play heading into Sunday's regular-season finale.
  • Maryland has lost four of its last five games, including each of the last two in home contests against Northwestern and Indiana.
  • Jahmir Young leads the Terps with 20.9 points per game. Julian Reese follows with 13.9 ppg and a team-best 9.7 rpg.

 
AGAINST MARYLAND

  • Penn State and Maryland meet for the second time this season and first since Penn State's Big Ten opener on Dec. 6.
  • The Nittany Lions are 12-2 all-time when playing Maryland in Happy Valley. Penn State hasn't lost a home game to the Terrapins since Feb. 14, 2015.
  • Maryland won a tough 81-75 overtime battle in the season's first meeting in College Park on Dec. 6. Penn State led the entire first half before battling it out with the Terrapins in the second half and into overtime. Ten of the game's 17 lead changes occurred in the final eight minutes of regulation as the teams went back-and-forth down to the wire. The Nittany Lions surged late as Ace Baldwin Jr. converted a pair of clutch free throws to send the game to overtime, but the Nittany Lions ran out of gas in the extra frame.

 
ON THE RIGHT RHOADES

  • First-year head coach Mike Rhoades inherited a Penn State team that returned just 5.0% of its scoring production from a 2022-23 season that saw the Nittany Lions advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Notable accomplishments so far in Rhoades' first year at the helm include:
    • Eight Big Ten wins (with one game left to play) are the second-most by a first-year head coach in program history.
    • Owns two wins over top-15 ranked teams (#12 Illinois & #11 Wisconsin).
    • Defeated #11 Wisconsin on Jan. 16 - the  highest-ranked win under a first-year head coach in program history.
    • Earned regular-season sweep of Indiana for just the second time in program history and the first time since 2009. Defeated Indiana at Assembly Hall for the first time under a first-year head coach in program history and the first time overall since 2014.
    • Won consecutive Big Ten road games (at Rutgers & at Indiana) by 12-plus points for the first time in program history.
    • On track to have the highest-scoring offense under a first-year head coach at Penn State since 1954-55.
    • Signed top-40 recruiting class in the country.

 
DPOY RESUME

  • Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watchlist honoree Ace Baldwin Jr. has a strong case to be the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year:
    • Leads the Big Ten and ranks fourth in the country in steals (83) and fifth in the country in steals per game (2.77). His 2.77 steals per game rank second amongst Power Six conference players.
    • His 2.79 steals per Big Ten game tracks to be the most by a Big Ten player in a single season in the last 33 years (since 1991 - Pat Baldwin (Northwestern) 2.89 steals per Big Ten game).
    • His 2.77 steals per game overall tracks to be the most by a Big Ten player in a single season in the last 31 years (since 1993 - Pat Baldwin (Northwestern) 2.96 steals per game).
    • Forces 33% turnover rate in pick-and-roll - ranks first in B1G w/ at least 50 possessions.
    • Leader of a Penn State defense that leads the Big Ten in turnovers forced, steals & turnover margin.
    • One of 15 players in the country named to the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watchlist in February.
    • Statistical Matchup Comparisons:
Points per game comparison
PPG vs. PSU PPG vs. all other B1G teams
Baldwin Jr.'s primary matchup 11.8 ppg 14.2 ppg
Turnovers per game comparison
TO vs. PSU TO vs. all other B1G teams
Baldwin Jr.'s primary matchup 2.7 TO/game 1.8 TO/game
Baldwin Jr.'s primary defensive matchups in Big Ten play: Simpson (Rutgers), Hawkins (Minnesota), Cupps (Indiana), Perkins (Iowa), Walker (MSU), McDaniel (Michigan), Klesmit (Wisc.), Thornton (OSU), Smith (Purdue), Buie (NW), Domask (Illinois), Tominaga (Neb.), Young (Maryland)

 
FIRST-YEAR OFFENSE

  • Penn State enters Sunday's game averaging 75.6 points per game in Mike Rhoades' debut season. That mark is on track to be Penn State's best offensive output since the 2000-01 team averaged 76.8 points per game en route to a Sweet 16 appearance.
  • It is also on pace to be Penn State's best offensive output under a first-year head coach since 1954-55 when the Nittany Lions put up 78.7 ppg under John Egli.
  • Penn State's 74.7 points per Big Ten game tracks to be the second-highest in Penn State's 32 seasons in the Big Ten, behind only the 2000-01 PSU team's 75.4 points per Big Ten game.

 
80+

  • Penn State has scored 80 or more points 10 times this season, seven of which have come in Big Ten play. If the Nittany Lions score 80+ once more in conference play, it'll break the school record in B1G era.
  • The only other time Penn State has scored 80+ seven or more times in Big Ten play was in the 2020-2021 season.

 
TURN UP THE PRESSURE

  • The Nittany Lions have forced their opponents into 14.93 turnovers per game, a mark that leads the Big Ten and ranks 23rd in the nation. Penn State's +3.8 turnover margin ranks 14th in the country. The Nittany Lions lead the Big Ten and rank 29th in Division I with 8.6 steals per game.

 
GOT AN ACE UP OUR SLEEVE

  • Ace Baldwin Jr. is stuffing the stat sheet, averaging 14.2 points per game, a team-best 5.9 assists per contest and a Big Ten-best 2.77 steals per game. His 2.77 steals per game ranks fifth in the nation.
  • Should he finish the season averaging 14.0+ points per game, 5+ assists per game and 2+ steals per game, Baldwin Jr. would be one of just four Big Ten players to do so since 1992-93 (31 years) and the first since former Nittany Lion standout Tim Frazier did so in 2011-12:
    • 2023-24: Ace Baldwin Jr. (PSU) - 14.2/5.9/2.77
    • 2011-12: Tim Frazier (PSU) - 18.8/6.2/2.4
    • 1997-98: Mateen Cleaves (MSU) - 16.1/7.2/2.4
    • 1992-93: Tracy Webster (WIS) - 14.1/6.4/2.4
  • Baldwin Jr. is one of only two currently active Division I players with 1,000+ career points (1,254), 500+ career assists (595) and 250+ career steals (266). His 266 career steals rank second amongst active Division I players, while his 595 assists rank 17th. 

 
BIG Q

  • Veteran big man Qudus Wahab is having the most efficient season of his five-year collegiate career, shooting a career-best 62.4 percent (113-181) from the field.
  • He owns career marks of 1,316 points and 962 rebounds. His 962 rebounds rank 17th amongst active Division I players and he is one of just 28 active Division I players with upwards of 1,000 career points and 900 career rebounds.

 
HICKS HEATING UP

  • Zach Hicks has turned it up a notch as of late, scoring in double figures in seven of the last nine games.
Zach Hicks Last 9 First 21
Points per game 12.6 ppg 6.2 ppg
3FG% 42.1% 29.3%

 
KERN COMING ON

  • Nick Kern Jr. has been one of Penn State's most productive players in conference play, averaging 10.3 points per Big Ten game while shooting 57.7 percent from the field.

 
UP NEXT

  • The Nittany Lions turn their attention to the 2024 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament next week at the Target Center in Minneapolis. The tournament runs March 13-17, with seeding and matchups set following the conclusion of this weekend's regular-season games around the league.

 
The 2023-24 Penn State men's basketball season is presented by Highmark Health.