Penn State got a much-needed win over Rutgers at the Bryce-Jordan Center on Monday, knocking off the Scarlet Knights 80-72 to avenge an early season loss to Steve Pikell’s squad. Mike Rhoades’ Nittany Lions were reeling off a four-game losing streak in Big Ten play, but now, they have a chance to start a little win streak of their own against the Iowa Hawkeyes on Friday night.
After missing the Oregon loss with a back injury, Penn State star point guard Ace Baldwin Jr. returned with back-to-back 20-point games against Michigan State and Rutgers. The fifth-year senior is leading the Nittany Lions on the offensive end with 14.7 points and 8.1 assists, and is living up to last year’s Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Award with over two steals a night.
However, for the second straight year, Baldwin is shooting under 40% from the field and his turnovers per game have jumped from 2.6 to 3.8. He’ll need to have an efficient night against an Iowa team that is fourth in the country in scoring, averaging 87.3 points a game. Sophomore forward Owen Freeman leads the way for the Hawkeyes, scoring nearly 17 points a night and he could be tough for the Nittany Lions to slow down. Freeman is shooting 65.4% from the field in head coach Fran McCaffrey's highly efficient offense.
McCaffrey’s team will want to speed up the pace on the Penn State and that could make for a fun back-and-forth affair in Iowa City. Here’s how you can watch the action as the Nittany Lions look to climb up the Big Ten standings.
How to watch Penn State vs. Iowa
- Date: Friday, January 24
- Time: 9:00 p.m. ET
- Venue: Carver-Hawkeye Arena (Iowa City, Iowa)
- How to Watch: FS1
- How to stream: Fubo TV
- Penn State record: 13-6 (3-5)
- Iowa record: 12-7 (3-5)