Penn State men’s basketball’s West Coast trip extended the Nittany Lions losing streak to six games as Mike Rhoades allowed the program to sink to the bottom of the Big Ten. However, that’s where the Nittany Lions will find the Washington Huskies who head to Happy Valley for a Saturday afternoon contest at the Bryce Jordan Center on the Big Ten Network. The Huskies, also have three wins in conference play, and the loser of this matchup will be all alone in last place with its chances of making the Big Ten tournament continuing to diminish.
Penn State dropped last Saturday’s matchup at UCLA 78-54 while shooting under 40% from the field and committing 18 turnovers. Rhoades has long been known for his team’s ferocious defensive intensity, however, against Mick Cronin’s Bruins the Nittany Lions only forced three turnovers. Then, Eric Musselman's USC Trojans pounded Penn State 92-67 on Tuesday night, the most points Rhoades’ team has given up all year.
USC senior guard Chibuzo Agbo was the game’s high-scorer with 21 points in Yanic Konan Niederhauser’s return. The Penn State center played just 12 minutes before fouling out and didn’t provide much defensive resistance. The lone bright spot in Tuesday night’s loss was 6-foot-5 freshman Dominick Stewart who scored 13 points in 18 minutes on 5-9 shooting.
Stewart has begun to get more minutes off the bench for Rhoades, and his development could be crucial as Penn State begins to look forward to next season and the arrival of the highest-rated recruit in the program’s history, Kayden Mingo.
How to watch Penn State vs. Washington
- Date: Saturday, February 14
- Time: 2:00 p.m. ET
- Venue: Bryce Jordan Center (State College, PA)
- How to Watch: BTN
- How to stream: Fubo TV
- Washington record: 12-12 (3-10)
- Penn State record: 13-12 (3-11)