Big Ten Basketball: Illinois rises, Iowa falls in latest power rankings

The Nittany Lions have double-digit losses to both Michigan State and Ohio State to this point and looks like the preseason bottom-feeder many were expected to be in the conference. But there are some positives that first-year head coach Micah Shrewsbury can build off on.

Former four-star prospect Seth Lundy has blossomed into a go-to player, leading the team with 14.7 ppg, along with 6.0 rpg. And while he hasn’t been in the limelight like the other bigs in the conference, John Harrar has been putting up great numbers, averaging 11.4 ppg and 10.6 rpg. Guards Sam Sessions and Jalen Pickett have been solid in the backcourt, combining to produce 25.2 ppg and 7.7 apg.

The problem for Penn State is that outside of these four players, they have next to nothing. They rank at the bottom of Big Ten Basketball in terms of scoring at 67.2 ppg, which includes a bunch of “buy games” to this point. Expect that number to get closer to 60 once a bunch of league games is played.

Right now, Lundy isn’t good enough to be the best player for a competitive team in the Big Ten. And a lack of depth overall won’t get any better going forward. The Nittany Lions have the least amount of talent in the conference but they’ve simply looked more competitive than Nebraska, hence being out of the very bottom.