Penn State 65, No. 20 Illinois 73: Pain at the Palestra

Penn State men’s basketball (9-5, 0-3 Big Ten) fell to No. 20 Illinois (11-3, 2-1 Big Ten) 73-65 Saturday afternoon at the Palestra in Philadelphia.

The Nittany Lions played hard and went on plenty of well-timed runs, but they were ultimately out-shot by Illinois in the end. While neither team played an especially good offensive game, the Fighting Illini were able to get to the line about twice as often as Penn State and shot much better from the field.

The Illini started the game on a 13-3 blitz thanks to great passing and a poor shooting performance from Penn State, prompting a Mike Rhoades timeout. But, a Dominic Stewart three-ball and a Kayden Mingo steal-turned Melih Tunca and-one quickly put the Nittany Lions back into the game out of the stoppage.

Penn State was able to stabilize things throughout the middle section of the first half, but Illinois was clearly sharper and more physically imposing than the Nittany Lions. By the U8 timeout, it was 27-15 in the Illini’s favor, despite a combined 5-for-20 three-point shooting effort from both squads.

It was more of the same heading into halftime, and Illinois boasted a 40-26 lead. The Nittany Lions shot just 29% from the field in the first half to the Illini’s 45%. Eli Rice, who shot very well from three against NCCU, continued this effort against Illinois and made three triples in the first frame.

In the second half, Illinois cooled off dramatically coming out of the locker room and at one point made just one of their last eight attempts. Stellar rebounding and shooting from the likes of Kayden Mingo and Freddie Dilione cut the lead to single digits near the 13-minute mark. But, it was only a matter of time before Illinois locked back in, and the lead was extended to 14 points at the U12 stoppage. Loud “Illini” chants broke out at the Palestra during this break.

But, Penn State didn’t let Illinois simply run away with the game. The Nittany Lions were able to string together a few stop-and-scores, prompting a Brad Underwood timeout after a 6-0 run. Suddenly, the game was back within arm’s reach at the U8 as Penn State trailed by just eight points. Illinois committed a shot-clock violation after the stoppage, and the Palestra erupted.

The momentum did not last forever. Penn State could not go shot-for-shot with Illinois down the stretch, and the No. 20 Illini slowly pulled away for a final time.

Player of the Game

Kayden Mingo- 16 points, 5 assists, 4 steals, 2-for-2 FT

While Mingo didn’t shoot the roof off the Palestra, he played a well-rounded game and was the architect of Penn State’s high-energy runs in the second half. Eli Rice was the only other Nittany Lion to finish in double figures.

Random Observations

• Pat Kraft in the house– Penn State’s AD made his way down to the City of Brotherly Love to support his men’s basketball team Saturday night. He was sitting courtside, invested, and greeting plenty of young fans who walked down from the bleachers to say hi.
• Less Palestra juice- While Penn State fans have typically packed the annual Palestra game since it returned in 2017, tonight was not like that. The historic arena was nowhere close to sold out, and plenty of Illini fans blotted the “White Out’ with orange. Still, it got very loud from the Penn State fans who were in attendance when it needed to be.

What’s Next

Penn State will head home to host No. 2 Michigan on Tuesday, January 6, at the Bryce Jordan Center. The game will tip at 7 p.m. and be broadcast on FS1.