Indiana basketball took down Penn State on the road. Read more for 3 takeaways.
The Indiana Hoosiers took down the Penn State Nittany Lions at the historic Palestra on Sunday afternoon in a game that was nothing short of exciting. Both teams came out with intensity right away and played very well on both ends of the court. The score was tied going into the second half, but Indiana was eventually able to pull away and come out on top. Here are 3 takeaways:
Takeaway #1: Kern kept it close for Penn State
Even though the Penn State guard came off the bench in the game against Indiana, junior Nick Kern Jr. had no problem leading the way in scoring for the Nittany Lions. Kern finished the game with a season high of 21 points. Arguably most importantly though, was his aggressive defense against Indiana center Oumar Ballo. It was evident that his pressure on Ballo was focused on drawing the offense foul; however, keeping up with Ballo’s size proved to be a difficulty.
Kern transferred to Penn State from VCU after his sophomore year. Last season, he was seen in a total of 32 games and averaged 8.7 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. What tends to be most consistent about Kern is his field goal percentage where he tends to shoot around 55%. In the game against Indiana, Kern shot 8-13 from the FG and was 1-1 in 3 point shooting.
Takeaway #2: Ballo is Balling
After coming off of a double-double last game against Rutgers, Oumar Ballo scored 25 points against Penn State to help secure the win. He also brought down 13 rebounds. There is no question of Ballo’s talent as a center. He shoots, he defends, and he dominates on the court. His presence helped the Hoosiers sneak by the Nittany Lions at their arena. His absence against Winthrop was noteworthy and concerning to many. Ballo, however, has responded in the best way with his past 2 performances. At this rate, the center may be just what the Hoosiers need to propel them to the top of the conference.
Takeaway #3: Way to go, defense
While the Hoosiers this season have continuously come up short with their shots outside the arc, today, they certainly did a great job defending it. Penn State only succeeded with 3 of their 21 3-point attempts. While Penn State came up with 46% from the field and 58.8% from the stripe, it is apparent that the lack of 3-point success caught up to them and resulted in a Nittany Lion loss. Indiana basketball has had enough of a 3-point drought and wanted to dish it out to another team. In the last game against Rutgers, the Hoosiers went 12-27 outside the arc after their inferior previous performance of 1-20. Against Penn State, Indiana shot 9-23 3-pointers. While this 39.1% isn’t exactly an outstanding number, it is clear that they are improving in this area. Will they continue to do so as Big Ten play moves forward?
Next up for Indiana (12-3, 3-1): vs. USC (9-5, 1-2) – Jan. 8 at 7 p.m. EST
Next up for Penn State (12-3, 2-2): at Illinois (11-3, 3-1) – Jan. 8 at 9 p.m. EST
[…] second time this season. When they last played each other in January, Indiana won in Happy Valley 77-71. Throughout the past 10 matchups, the two teams are tied […]