Penn State basketball: Status of leading scorer Kayne Clary unknown after surprise abscence

Penn State basketball continued its downward slide this weekend, dropping its third consecutive game Saturday with a 68-49 loss to Nebraska. While the losing streak raises many questions about the Nittany Lions as the season reaches its home stretch, the biggest unknown emerging from Saturday is the status of Kayne Clary, who did not travel to Lincoln. Although Mike Rhoades did address the absence of his leading scorer after the game, his response only brought more questions as Penn State prepares for its anticipated return to Rec Hall against No. 14 Illinois this week.

Penn State basketball “stuck in the mud” in blowout loss at Nebraska

Whatever Penn State basketball found to string together three straight wins at the start of February appears to be all but gone as the month’s second week comes to a close. Presented with an opportunity to secure several resume-building wins, the Nittany Lions have faltered.

Saturday’s 19-point defeat to Nebraska was Penn State’s second-largest loss of the year. The Nittany Lions’ 49 points scored was the offense’s lowest point total of the season, and by a considerable margin.

It’s not difficult to see why Penn State basketball struggled in Lincoln. The Nittany Lions shot an abysmal 33% from the field, including 22% from three-point range. The performance was one that head coach Mike Rhoades cited as lacking flow and as being “stuck in the mud” after the game.

Mike Rhoades addresses absence of Kayne Clary

Over the last month, Penn State’s leading scorer Kayne Clary has all but disappeared from the stat sheet for the Nittany Lions. Injured in the loss against Minnesota on January 27, Clary missed a pair of road wins versus Rutgers and Indiana.

The Penn State basketball star has played sparingly since his return on February 8. Playing an average of 18 minutes, Clary has 16 points and nine assists coming off the bench in three games.

The Nittany Lions’ leading score was figuratively and literally nowhere to be found Saturday. Kayne Clary was listed as “out” on the Big Ten’s availability report before the contest at Nebraska. The broadcast crew noted that he did not travel with the team to Lincoln.

Asked about his leading scorer’s absence after the game, Mike Rhoades unfortunately created more questions than answers.

“He just didn’t make the trip this weekend,” Rhoades told the media Saturday. “So we’re going from there.”

Unknown if the absence is injury-related or something else, the Nittany Lions could desperately use a return to form from the sophomore guard with a top-15 opponent looming on the horizon this week. Kayne Clary is averaging almost 17 points in 30 minutes played per game so far this season.

But Wednesday night presents one of the toughest tests yet, as Penn State basketball welcomes 19-6 Illinois to town in the Nittany Lions’ anticipated return to Rec Hall. Tipoff with the 14th-ranked Fighting Illini is scheduled for 6:30 and will air on the Big Ten Network.

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