2. An efficient offense leads to a balanced scoring attack
Mike Rhoades has unleashed an offense that has increased its effective field goal percentage from 50.3% in 2023-2024 to nearly 59% in 2024-25 -- the 12th-highest eFG% in NCAA basketball. Sure, it’s only a nine-game sample size but the early returns illustrate how vastly improved its offense has become.
The Nittany Lions have scored 80+ points in all of its eight wins. In its lone loss to Clemson, the offense sputtered thanks to 17 turnovers and 22% shooting from behind the arc. Through nine games, Penn State is shooting 38.2% from three and almost 60% from two. With six Nittany Lions nearly averaging double figures, its scoring attack has suddenly become multi-dimensional beyond its backcourt, which wasn’t necessarily the case last season.
It's TBD if these numbers can consistently translate throughout Big Ten play. But if these past nine games indicate what's to come, it’d be wise to bet the latter here.
3. A frontcourt answer is found
Among the pressing question marks for Penn State entering the 2024-25 NCAA basketball season was its new-look frontcourt. Qudus Wahab (graduation) and Demetrius Lilley (La Salle) departed, prompting Mike Rhoades to address the issue this offseason. Four-star recruit Miles Goodman has yet to see the floor following an undisclosed injury. According to Mark Brennan, publisher of Lions247, his debut appearance may be sooner than expected:
Mike Rhoades on Penn State rookie post player Miles Goodman, who has yet to see the floor this year due to an undisclosed injury: “You’ll see him soon.” Some enthusiasm in his voice on that.
— Mark Brennan (@MarkXBrennan) December 9, 2024
Aside from Goodman, the unheralded star in Penn State’s frontcourt has been the emergence of the 6-foot-10 Northern Illinois transfer Yanic Konan Niederhauser. Niederhauser boasts an impressive average of 13.3 PPG and six boards with nearly two BPG.
For a team that faced dire rebounding woes last season, Niderhauser has been a much-needed addition as a rim-protecting scorer. According to Hoop Math, Niederhauser is shooting 80% at the rim. He has been an excellent fit alongside Ace Baldwin running the backcourt and has created a daunting high/low duo in State College. Take a look at that fit here, courtesy of Joe Jackson, creator/owner of Feed The Post on YouTube.
This was some of the impact I was hoping Niederhauser was going to bring to Penn State this season
— Joe Jackson (@joejacksonCBB) November 25, 2024
High PnR and Baldwin snakes to get into the middle of the paint. Fordham in a deep drop which allows Niederhauser to get good positioning on the roll pic.twitter.com/zES5nVwmDK