Penn State men’s basketball (9-10, 0-8 Big Ten) fell to Wisconsin (14-5, 6-3 Big Ten) 98-71 Thursday evening in what was a sad state of affairs in the program’s annual “Return to Rec” game.
The Nittany Lions were feeding off an energized and semi-Whited Out Rec Hall crowd in the game’s early minutes. Mike Rhoades’ squad was hanging with a tougher Wisconsin squad through most of the first half – in fact, they held a lead until about the 12-minute mark.
But, from here, the floodgates opened. The Badgers snapped back into it and mounted an absurd 30-4 run, which included a 14-0 mark, sucking the life out of Rec Hall. Braedan Carrington was the star of the show, scoring 17 first-half points and cashing four threes. When the halftime buzzer sounded, it was a 50-22 lead for Wisconsin.
Penn State shot just 24% from the field in the first half, made two of its 12 three-point attempts, and only made half of its attempts from the charity stripe. It was, to put things bluntly, embarrassing for a Rec Hall White Out.
There was not much to discuss from this point forward. Wisconsin continued to run away with things, and at times it looked a bit like the Harlem Globetrotters. The Badgers emptied their bench early, but Carrington and John Blackwell each finished with 17 points, while Nolan Winter’s double-double came off 13 points and 10 rebounds.
When the final whistle blew, and the Rec Hall seats were nearly empty, Wisconsin was holding a 98-71 lead. At least it wasn’t a 100 spot.
Player of the Game
Mason Blackwood- 14 points, 6 rebounds, 4-4 FT
Blackwood’s perforamnce was one of the brighter spots in an otherwise demoralizing loss. The freshman made two threes, shot 4-for-7 from the field, and was perfect from the free-throw line. While Josh Reed had a better all-around game (18 pts, 3-for-3 from deep), I’m giving the freshman the nod here.
Random Observations
- This season in context- Penn State has already gotten off to its worst start in conference play since 2018-19, but at this rate, it’s unclear if a win is in sight. The 0-14 start in Big Ten play in 2012-13 is still the low-water mark, but we may need to keep an eye on this squad for the record books.
- Sorry, Rec Hall- It was great news when Penn State brought back its “Return to Rec” series (if I could choose, they would play every game here), but tonight did not do the old gym justice. There have been better days.
What’s Next
Penn State will hit the road and take on Ohio State at Value City Arena in Columbus on Monday, January 26. The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on FS1
