Penn State Basketball Takeaways: Freddie Dilione and the Nittany Lion Army Come Up Short Again

“We choked down the stretch,” said Mike Rhoades postgame.

“You know, we want to take pride in the last six minutes of the game, being solid on ‘D’. We gave up two 3s, miscommunication. (We) talk about being solid on defense, we weren’t. And we talked about taking care of the basketball, with two turnovers that led to baskets … We hung in there, got a steal. We did things the right way … But that’s not good enough … I need to help our guys more. I choked. We choked as a team, like, we got to win those games, man.”

The “games” Rhoades refers to extend beyond Sunday’s, though. Specifically, four out of the five losses for Penn State fall under a similar category: crunch time results.

PSU BASKETBALL HAS BEEN CLOSE BUT HAS NO CIGAR TO SHOW FOR IT

Penn State is 12-5 on the year, but in four of its five losses, it has either had the lead or been within three points in the final two minutes:

• 1:58 left — PSU 64, Clemson 67
• 1:56 left — PSU 75, Rutgers 77
• 1:43 left — PSU 71, Indiana 73
• 1:29 left — PSU 78, Oregon 76

Before Sunday, the Nittany Lions were clawing their way back in three of those losses. Against Oregon, PSU had the lead and had been leading for over nine minutes of the second half.

While shooting struggles have plagued this Penn State team, it was its defense that disappeared down the stretch against the Ducks. Oregon made eight of its last 10 shots and didn’t turn the ball over in the final five minutes and 28 seconds.

Heading into Sunday’s game, PSU ranked within the top 10 in turnovers forced per game and held its opponents to under 50 percent field goal shooting. But when it needed it most, Penn State’s calling card was nowhere to be found at the end of its third straight loss.

FREDDIE DILIONE V SCORES A CAREER-HIGH 21 POINTS

Before the 2024-25 season, Freddie Dilione V had never scored more than seven points in a collegiate basketball game.

In 17 games with Penn State, Dilione has eclipsed double-digits in nine games and scored a career-high 21 against the No. 15 team in the country. Even more impressive was that he had his best night when PSU’s No. 1 player was out.

Ace Baldwin Jr. Out Against No. 15 Oregon

While Dilione was “more focused on the game than a career-high”, he said so following a dap-up by teammate Nick Kern Jr., an acknowledgment well earned after the Tenessee transfer fought tooth and nail until the end.

Considering how Dilione went from a four-star recruit at Tennessee to playing only 5 minutes a game last year for the Vols, Sunday’s performance deserves more than just a “next game mentality.”

It was Dilione’s two free throws that gave Penn State its largest lead of the night, and it was his career-high-tying fourth 3 of the game that gave PSU a six-point lead with 3:45 left. The sophomore guard scored nine of the Nittany Lions’ last 18 points, just shy of his season average of 10.4.

“Freddie’s biggest thing is you just got to keep growing up and maturing and understanding the game and being a student of the game,” said Rhoades postgame.

“When you play and you have coaches that are giving to you and investing in you, what happens? You start having success and you’re seeing that with Freddie. Now he’s got to become such a student of the game … But he’s getting better and better.”

Yes, the redshirt sophomore still has room to grow (especially on the passing front), but Freddie Dilione has already made noticeable improvements and is contributing to a team that could make the tournament again this year.

PENN STATE BASKETBALL IS MILITARISTIC

Nick Kern Jr. finished with 19 points, eight rebounds and four assists in an 82-81 loss to No. 15 Oregon. (Penn State Athletics)

On Thursday, Rhoades was asked how he would spread the potential minutes left on the table if Johnson and Ace Baldwin Jr. couldn’t go on Sunday.

“We got to do it by army,” he said.

“That’s sort of our mentality. Next man up. Who’s at the front of the line? When there is injuries or when you’re having a tough stretch, they don’t slow the season down or cancel days. It’s the other way around. You got to step up, and you got to get after it.”

And boy did the Nittany Lion army step up.

Four players scored 14 or more points, with Dilione (21 points) and Kern (19 points, eight rebounds, and four assists) combining for 40. The latter of those two was serving as the de-facto point guard, and while it was bumpy at first, it smoothed out in the second.

Kern had a 34.8 usage percentage in Sunday’s loss, meaning he was involved in some way on nearly 35 percent of Penn State’s possessions. In the first half, some of those ways included seven missed shots and two turnovers. But in the second, Kern shot 5-for-10 and had 3 assists to zero turnovers.

“I work on it (being a facilitator) a lot,” said Kern, “I’ve been working on it a whole lot more because that’s what I’m going to be on the next level.”

Even though Kern finished with four helpers, a playmaking void was still to be filled with Baldwin out. Enter Zach Hicks, who scored 14 points but also had four assists himself.

Penn State finished tied with its second-lowest amount of assists this year (13). Still, against a good Oregon team (41st in KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency) the Nittany Lions showed that they could potentially have multiple pressure points on offense as the season continues; a silver lining when the second-best assist man in the Big Ten is out of the lineup.