Penn State's 7-foot freshman will have to be Mike Rhoades' savior after embarrassing blowout loss

It's hard to bounce back from a 41-point loss, even when it's against the No. 2 team in the nation, but that's exactly what the Penn State Nittany Lions are looking to do this weekend as they host the USC Trojans.

Head coach Mike Rhoades, who has been with the Nittany Lions since 2023, spoke about the current state of his team after the game and what changes he's at least hoping to make ahead of the next Big Ten matchup.

"He tried to go in shoot around today, but he's not right," Rhoades said of freshman forward Ivan Juric, who had been a highlight of the team before falling ill. "So, we've got to get him right so we have him for the next game."

Rhoades continued, talking about Justin Houser's increased playing time due to Juric's absence from the depth chart.

Ivan Juric's return could save the Nittany Lions

At 7-foot-0, Juric dominates the front court for the Nittany Lions, and was excelling for the team, even as a true freshman

Before getting sick ahead of Penn State's game against Minnesota, Juric was averaging 9.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.3 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game. If he can return for PSU's game against USC, the Lions might be set up for success once again.

Houser, of course, hasn't exactly been playing poorly for the Nittany Lions while filling the gap left by Juric's absence. However, his 1.5 points and 0.9 assists per game don't quite compare to those of the other Penn State power forward.

So far this season, Rhoades and the Nittany Lions have gone 10-13 overall and 1-11 against Big Ten opponents, dropping them to last place in the conference standings. The Trojans also aren't ranked but have gone 17-6 overall and 6-6 in Big Ten play, which is quite a different tale.

USC and Penn State are scheduled to tip off at noon ET on Sunday, Feb. 8, and the conference matchup will be aired on the Big Ten Network.