BREAKING: Penn State basketball lands transfer from Big Ten foe

Penn State basketball has landed its third transfer portal commit of the cycle with former Nebraska guard Eli Rice making his pledge to the Nittany Lions. The 6’7 rising sophomore becomes the first guard of the transfer class for Mike Rhoades. He joins the newest Penn State big men Kachi Nzeh and Yanic Konan Niederhauser.

Penn State basketball lands transfer from Big Ten foe

Eli Rice is coming off a freshman season at Nebraska that saw him average 4.2 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 0.4 assists on 41% from the field, 37% from deep, and 72% from the free throw line in just 17 games. He was a three-star in the class of 2023 playing at IMG Academy in Florida. The guard, originally from Tennessee, was recruited heavily by Penn State coach Mike Rhoades to VCU before ultimately landing at Nebraska.

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This past season didn’t go how Rice likely wanted in terms of playing time but that does not seem to be due to his level of play. The advanced stats loved him, finishing with a +4.0 BPM on the season which would have ranked 4th on the Nittany Lions roster last season.

While you could expect the number to decrease with extended minutes against better competition it shows that in the minutes he did play he played well. Rice is a strong defender who has shown a lot of flashes on the offensive end. He’s got a good jumper that he has a lot of faith in, good athleticism that helps him finish around the rim, and he’s very effective at getting to the free throw line with an astronomical 69.6% free throw rate.

He also limited mistakes well, with a low 6.1% turnover percentage and a low foul total. He didn’t play a lot of minutes at Nebraska so you aren’t exactly sure how his play will translate to a bigger workload. But he has a lot of valuable skills and he certainly looked like he belonged on this level in his limited minutes. A good comparison for him that all Penn State fans should be familiar with is Seth Lundy. I do not think his jumper is on Lundy’s level yet but he has a similar build and size and projects as the type of off-ball scorer Lundy was in Happy Valley.

Eli Rice picked Penn State over the hometown Middle Tennessee State and looks to be a factor in Nittany Lion’s backcourt rotation next season. Penn State still awaits a decision from Ace Baldwin. However, if he does return he and Rice would add a level of excitement and a potential new element to the group with his size and athleticism. He joins a group that includes rising sophomore D’Marco Dunn and incoming freshmen Jahvin Carter and Dominick Stewart, as well as Nick Kern in some lineups. Rice could emerge as the starter if his shooting and defense transfer over to bigger minutes, but at the very least he adds some versatility and becomes another strong option for the group.

Reviewing the current state of Penn State’s roster

This commitment puts Penn State at 12 scholarship players, with just 1 opening still to fill. That of course depends on what Ace Baldwin decides to do. He can return to Happy Valley or enter the transfer portal to play elsewhere next season. The last day for a transfer portal entry is May 1st. If the roster holds the current breakdown looks like this:

Guards- Ace Baldwin Jr (pending decision), Eli Rice, D’Marco Dunn, Jahvin Carter, Dominick Stewart

Wings- Nick Kern Jr, Puff Johnson, Zach Hicks, Hudson Ward

Bigs- Miles Goodman, Kachi Nzeh, Yanic Konan Niederhauser

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