Throughout the season, Ace Baldwin Jr. has recorded highs and lows as a player. Coming off the best season of his young career, which culminated in Atlantic 10 Player of the Year honors and an NCAA Tournament appearance, big things were expected from Baldwin when he announced he’d follow head coach Mike Rhoades to Happy Valley.

As the season kicked off, Baldwin’s play was fairly up and down. Some nights, he’d be focused, alert, and the best player on the floor. There were also games when he felt invisible.

On paper, Baldwin is the Nittany Lions’ best player, but when that didn’t ring true, Rhoades demanded more of him.

“I need a better Ace,” Rhoades said. “I love that kid with every fiber in my body, but at all levels, I need a better Ace. We all do.”

After making significant strides in performance level through 17 games, Baldwin demonstrated untapped prowess against Wisconsin Tuesday night.

To open the game, Penn State rolled to a 12-2 run — a run in which Baldwin scored or assisted on all but two points.

As the game wore on, Penn State knew it was in a dogfight, and with the Badgers cutting the deficit to single digits, Baldwin knew he had to step up. He began with a clutch jumper to return the lead to the Nittany Lions, then a couple of possessions later, he dropped one of four triples.

Though he registered 20 points, Baldwin continued to lead the team in assists to help his teammates find huge buckets.

When it was all said and done, Baldwin finished with 20 points, five assists, and two steals, while shooting 7-for-11 from the field and 4-for-5 from beyond the arc. While it’s the eye-popping stat sheet of the year, his performance and efficiency sealed the game for Penn State.

“Ace could have scored two points today. The clear mind he had today, he would’ve had a chance to will his team because he’s got good players around him too,” Rhoades said of Baldwin. “I just loved his approach today. I thought his talk to his teammates today was high-level. He was a high-level point guard today, and that’s one reason why we won.”

While Baldwin’s play was a large part of the victory, Rhoades felt the team excelled in every category, largely by way of flawless performances from Baldwin and Kanye Clary.

“Our mentality was just above it. Nobody came to the bench bummed out,” Rhoades said. “Next play mentality is what we talked about all the time, and I just thought we played with clear minds. I think Kanye and Ace led the way with that, and other guys stepped up. I just think we grew today and we put a 40-minute game together.”

Sitting at 9-9, the Nittany Lions still have a long way to go. They are faced with a tough uphill Big Ten battle, and while many see the remaining schedule as a challenge, with Baldwin’s play on the rise, things can only continue to fall into place.

“There are more games to be played,” Baldwin said. “Coach tells us all the time, ‘just stick together.'”