Big Ten Basketball power rankings: Rutgers falls while Michigan moves up

The road trip wasn’t very kind to the Nittany Lions, losing to both Iowa and Ohio State in the past week. Against the Buckeyes, they lost 61-56 in a game where neither team shot over 40% from the field. Sam Sessoms had 15 points to lead the Nittany Lions, while point guard Jalen Pickett had 11 points and five assists while playing all 40 minutes.

The offense was even worse against the Hawkeyes, scoring a season-low 51 points in a 17-point road defeat. Pickett was the only individual in double figures with 14 points but as a team, Penn State shot just 33% from the field overall. It also was the worst game yet for big man John Harrar, going scoreless from the field in 23 minutes played. Unless guards Pickett, Sessoms, and leading scorer Seth Lundy have a big night from the field, the team can’t afford not to have any production from the frontcourt.

Penn State is the worst scoring team in the Big Ten at 65.5 ppg but is in the upper half in most defensive categories. They’ll need to continue playing well on that end while getting more consistent production from the likes of Lundy. Otherwise, future matchups against Indiana and Iowa will end up in a loss.