Takeaways: Penn State basketball upsets No. 11 Wisconsin

Penn State basketball (9-9, 3-4 Big Ten) pulled off the first signature win of the Mike Rhoades era with an 87-83 win over No. 11 Wisconsin late Tuesday night. Led by Kanye Clary and Ace Baldwin Jr., the Nittany Lions earned their first ranked win under Mike Rhoades and defeated their highest-ranked opponent since 2019. Penn State played one of its most complete games of the season, and gave hope to the future of the program. How did the Nittany Lions get it done, and what are some takeaways from the upset win?

Turnover margin was the difference for Penn State

Penn State basketball has been one of the best teams in the nation in turnover margin, ranking No. 8 nationally with a ratio of +5.2 turnovers per game. The Nittany Lions once again won the turnover battle against the Badgers, finishing with a 13-6 advantage. The biggest difference in the game was that Penn State scored 16 points off turnovers while Wisconsin had just 8.

The Nittany Lions have pressured opposing offenses well all season. It has been a little bit of a risk-and-reward strategy. While the pressure can force turnovers, it also can give teams open looks if they are well-coached and have a good veteran presence on the floor.

The difference against Wisconsin was that Penn State basketball was able to capitalize on turnovers and shot 53.3% from the field. If the Nittany Lions can find a way to shoot more efficiently down the stretch, they will be a dangerous team for the rest of Big Ten play.

Kanye Clary and Ace Baldwin Jr. dominate the backcourt

Kanye Clary and Ace Baldwin Jr. have been the two best players for Mike Rhoades this season.

Clary once again flashed his brilliance, driving to the rim and cashing in on multiple difficult attempts. It doesn’t really matter who is in the paint on defense; the sophomore guard finds a way to finish over everyone. Against Wisconsin, Kanye Clary led all scorers with 27 points on 11-20 shooting. He constantly made timely baskets that prevented Wisconsin from getting any type of substantial momentum.

Baldwin Jr. had one of his most efficient games of the season. The VCU transfer scored 20 points on 7-11 shooting, including 4-5 from beyond the arc. Baldwin’s success from deep was truly shocking for most in attendance. He entered the contest missing his last 13 shots from three-point range, so going 80% against the No. 11 team in the nation certainly wasn’t on anyone’s bingo card.

This is the type of backcourt performance that Penn State basketball had been hoping for all season. We have seen multiple games where one of Clary or Baldwin had great individual performances. But it has been rare that both were playing at their peak. We saw it against Michigan at the Palestra and again versus Wisconsin. Tuesday night was the first time a pair of Nittany Lions scored at least 20 points in the same game since the season opener against Delaware State.

When both Clary and Baldwin are hitting shots and playing tough defense, this Penn State basketball team can beat anybody in the conference.

Demetrius Lilley has a breakout performance

Demetrius Lilley hasn’t played a lot of minutes this season. In fact, heading into the game against Wisconsin, the sophomore big man averaged 7.9 minutes per game and appeared in just 11 of the 17 games.

On Tuesday night, Lilley went 2-2 for 4 points and added 6 key rebounds to the upset effort. With Qudus Wahab in foul trouble throughout much of the game, Lilley played a season-high 19 minutes.

While the point total may not look impressive compared to others in the box score, Lilley seemed to play better than Wahab at times on the glass and eliminated second-chance opportunities for Wisconsin. This should be promising for Mike Rhoades because, as of now, Lilley is going to need to step up next season with Wahab out of eligibility. He has certainly come a long way from the out-of-shape freshman who showed up in Happy Valley last season.

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