Penn State basketball routs Indiana, improves to 12-5 overall

Wednesday night, Penn State basketball (12-5 overall, 3-3 Big Ten) improved to 12-5 on the season with a 85-66 win over the Indiana Hoosiers (10-6 overall, 1-4 Big Ten). The win was much-needed after the Nittany Lions’ two-game conference losing streak over the past week, and gets Penn State hoops back on schedule.

While the win will likely not be enough for PSU to break the top-25 this weekend, it will do wonders for Penn State’s resume and confidence as we hit the bulk of Big Ten play.

Offense shines in massive win

For the first time since the Nittany Lions’ 83-79 win over Iowa, Penn basketball broke the 70-point mark. The Nittany Lions managed to score 85 points while shooting 54.2 percent from the floor and 75 percent from the charity stripe. Additionally, Penn State hit on 58.1 percent of its 3-point shots against the Hoosiers’ defense.

The Nittany Lions’ impressive offensive performance was led by three Penn Staters in particular: Seth Lundy, Andrew Funk, and Evan Mahaffey. Lundy — a senior guard — scored well above his home average (13) with 25 points tonight. Additionally, Lundy added two blocks and six rebounds to his stat column against Indiana.

Andrew Funk — also a senior guard at Penn State — added 23 points of his own, plus one assist and three rebounds. Off the bench, the Nittany Lions saw Evan Mahaffey — a freshman guard from Cincinnati, OH — go 4/4 from the field and 3/4 from the free-throw-line, totaling 12 points on the night. Penn State’s huge 19-point win over Indiana was one of the Nittany Lions’ best shooting performances that we have seen in some time, and was refreshing to see after back-to-back losses.

Win was much needed, but the season is not over for Penn State basketball

In college basketball, there are no guarantees — especially when it comes to the Big Ten conference. So far, Penn State has fared well throughout the 2022-23 season, and sits seven games above .500 — right now, PSU should be a tournament team. Still, the schedule is not getting any easier from here, and the Nittany Lions will need to remain focused in order to keep playing at a high level.

Next Tuesday, Penn State basketball will head to Wisconsin to face off against the 18th-ranked Badgers. After that, PSU will host Nebraska, travel to Rutgers, host Michigan, and then travel to Indiana to battle No. 3 Purdue. Right now, the Big Ten Championship is still up for grabs, and if PSU can amass a huge winning streak, there is no reason that Penn State basketball cannot claim it.

The season is far from over, but the Nittany Lions’ huge win over Indiana was much-needed to regain momentum this year.