Full-court pressure was a staple for head coach Mike Rhoades’ team in his first year as the Penn State men’s basketball head coach, and in the first game of his second season, his defense was once again a nightmare for its opponent.

In Penn State’s season-opening 108-66 win over Binghamton Monday night, the Nittany Lions forced 21 turnovers in the game and held the Bearcats to 32.1% shooting from the field in the first half.

Having an aggressive defense has been an important piece of Rhoades-coached teams, and his philosophy proved to be successful on the opening night of the 2024-25 season, something he prepared for over the offseason.

“We recruited our guys specifically to be able to guard multiple players and positions. That gives you versatility, that gives you options. You can keep it on and do it differently,” Rhoades said.

While Rhoades emphasized recruiting players that would add defensive versatility, he said he’s been impressed with the improvement of returning players, especially Zach Hicks, who had three steals to go along with a team-high 22 points Monday.

“I don’t know if I ever had a guy, in four months, improve defensively as much as [Hicks] has. He’s a hard worker, he’s very coachable, so that helps, and he wants you to be demanding on him,” Rhoades said. “Just his openness to improve his defense, it’s just flat-out impressive.”

Rhoades didn’t want all the defensive pressure falling on last year’s Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Ace Baldwin Jr. this season, so he went into the transfer portal and high school class of 2024 to add players that would complement the fifth-year point guard.

Tennessee transfer Freddie Dilione V, and freshmen Jahvin Carter and Dominick Stewart were players that Rhoades recruited specifically to help Baldwin guard on the ball, and he was happy with what he saw from them in the season opener.

The combination of new and returning players on the defensive end proved crucial in Penn State’s first game, as Dilione, Baldwin, D’Marco Dunn, and Nick Kern Jr. combined for 12 of the team’s 16 steals.

“We recruited our guys specifically to be able to guard multiple players and positions and to be able to press. Ace isn’t the only one who can guard the ball. You have Freddie and Jahvin and Dom and D’Marco and, of course, Nick. I think Nick’s maybe the best presser in the country,” Rhoades said.

Rhoades also noted his big men as a key to the defensive success the Nittany Lions saw in game one, despite them not showing up in the steal column as much as some of the guards do.

Penn State was without 6’11” freshman Miles Goodman due to injury, but Rhoades said he’ll be back “sooner than later.” In the meantime, Rhoades said Yanic Konan Niederhauser would anchor the paint while guarding past half-court, a scheme Rhoades used in the first half of Monday’s game, leading to the Swiss center registering two blocks and a steal.

“You have some big guys like Miles and Yanic that can press because they can move so well. They show their versatility,” Rhoades said. “But also, if they break the press, you got to deal with those guys at the rim.”

Penn State will work to continue its defensive prowess when it faces UMBC at 6 p.m. on Friday, November 8, at the Bryce Jordan Center.