Penn State Basketball defeated the Hoosiers with stout defense. What were some notable takeaways from the matchup?
Indiana Head Coach Archie Miller answered reporters’ questions during the post-game press conference in the bowels of the Bryce Jordan Center with candor. His team took a 28-28 first-half tie into the locker room and ended the game with a 49-64 loss to Penn State Basketball. His opening statements covered his team’s second-half performance and his response to a follow-up question covered the “Why?”
"In the second-half, we just played terrible. When you look at the turnovers in the second-half, I believe it was 12…when you look at 3-26 from the back-court from the floor, I think it was 1-8 from 3, you’re going to have a hard time. I think Penn State does a real good job with their pressure defense. I think in their switches they took away alot of things that you normally get. They’re a very good defensive team this season."
Penn State Basketball is built on defense. Good team defense has been a core foundational principle that Coach Chambers has instilled in his team since he arrived in Happy Valley. On a night when your team shoots 37.5% from two and 33.3% from three, playing stout, hard-nosed defense will get your team some ugly wins. You can control your effort on defense and rebounding. Every team has nights when the ball doesn’t go through the iron.
The dynamo that powers the Nittany Lion defense is Jamari Wheeler. His stat line from last night reads 4 steals, 4 points, 5 assists, 1 turnover,1 offensive rebound, and 4 defensive rebounds. Here’s what Coach Chambers had to say about his point guard,
"Jamari Wheeler was that ‘engine that could’. His defense, I thought really dictated a lot of this game. He was fantastic for the 32 minutes that he played. I think his impact on the game is critical for our success. I thought he did a really great job on their Point Guard (Phinisee). I thought he really gave us pace and tempo on the offensive end and he came up with four steals and five rebounds. He played as tough as you can, as far as a Point Guard for Penn State’s concerned."
A major part of Penn State’s offensive output is fueled by their transition game. The Nittany Lions turned 17 Indiana turnovers into 21 points. Twelve of those points came from fast-breaks. As a team, Penn State racked up 15 steals with Lamar Stevens, Myreon Jones, and Jamari Wheeler nabbing 4 each. Penn State’s big men John Harrar and Mike Watkins added the final three to the total.
What other takeaways can we take from last night’s performance at the Bryce Jordan Center?
Shooters need to keep shooting
The Nittany Lions rely on their shooting guards to stretch opposing defenses and open up driving lanes. Myles Dread has been in a funk from three-point range of late. Over a four-game span from the Wisconsin loss to the Ohio State win, Dread drained two out of his ten attempts. Last night, he went 2-5 and scored nine points for the Blue and White.
At the 14:48 mark of the second half, Myles launched an airball from deep. On the next play, Jamari Wheeler stole the ball from DeVonte Green and Dread filled the lane on the left-wing. Wheeler passed the ball to Myles on the fast-break and this time, the ball went through the net and the crowd went nuts. Coach Chambers was asked about that play at the press conference.
"Reporter: Pat, after Myles hit his first three you had a pretty excited reaction on the sideline with him. What does that say about his importance to this team and him making shots from beyond the arc?Coach Chambers: It wasn’t the shot. It’s what I was yelling at him as the ball was in flight ’cause he had just shot an airball and he was his lane like he was supposed to. I was screaming at him, “Shoot it again! Shoot it again! Shoot it again!” And that’s what he did. He shot it again and he made it."
Coach Chambers screamed for Myles to take another shot before his three-point attempt went through the hoop. Chambers has given his guards free rein to pull the trigger from deep. From a confidence standpoint, his players know that he has their back.
Instilling confidence greatly augments a player’s development. That’s how Myreon Jones goes from averaging 10.8 minutes per game with a scoring average of four points per contest as a freshman, to 29.2 minutes played per game averaging 13.9 points per contest.
Likewise, senior Curtis Jones, Jr. lit up Michigan in the second half, scoring 18 points, 9 of which were daggers from deep. Jones, Jr. then provides twelve points of timely scoring in the first half against Indiana including two three-pointers.
The bottom line for Penn State’s guards is that they know their roles and their coach believes in their ability.
In summary, #24 Penn State used hard-nosed defense to limit Indiana’s offensive opportunities. The Nittany Lions limited the Hoosiers to 49 points – their lowest point total this season. Coach Pat Chambers loves the play of his guards and does his best to instill confidence in his ball handlers.