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‘Not Good Enough’: Penn State Hoops Frustrated Amid Four-Game Losing Streak

A 6-0 start provided the best opening to a Penn State men’s basketball season in 25 years.

Now, with a 12-6 record, the Nittany Lions are looking for improvement after dropping four games in a row and falling to 2-5 in Big Ten play.

In his second year at the helm, head coach Mike Rhoades said it’s become a standard within Penn State’s program to win, and a sense of discontentment has taken over the locker room during the skid.

“We’ve had moments of really good play against really good teams. Not enough of those good moments to win the game, and that’s disappointing. That’s the frustrating part,” Rhoades said. “Our guys are disappointed and pissed, and I’m glad that only in my second year, people think we should be winning these games, and our guys think that. That’s what we want, but we got to go win them.”

The good moments Rhoades mentioned have certainly been present for Penn State despite losing four games in a row, as three of the losses have been by six points or fewer.

Most recently, the Nittany Lions fell to then-No. 12 Michigan State on the road, and while his team didn’t lead at any point throughout the contest, Rhoades took away several positives from that trip, such as the team’s “approach and effort.”

D’Marco Dunn, who dropped a career-high 18 points against the Spartans, also said there had been spurts of play to be proud of, but winning is the most important thing, which hasn’t been the case as of late.

“I think we respond well at certain times during the game, but, obviously, we gotta capitalize how we wanted to, especially in the late game stretches,” Dunn said. “Going forward, that’s what we’ll have to do.”

After capping off a three-game stretch against ranked opponents with its loss to Michigan State, Penn State has turned its attention to Rutgers, which spent the first three weeks of the season in the AP Poll but has since fallen out.

While the Scarlet Knights are the first unranked team Penn State has met in more than two weeks, Rhoades and his team know this conference provides a tough outing each time they take the floor.

“One thing I’m learning about this journey in the Big Ten is you got to be ready for the next opponent no matter what happened last time. We got to play better than we have been. We’re close, but that doesn’t count,” Rhoades said. “That’s our No. 1 goal, is continue to get better and figure it out.”

According to Rhoades, the ability to move past this losing streak begins with himself and the message he gives his players in the locker room, which is one full of hope.

Ahead of Monday night’s home clash with Rutgers, Penn State looked back on the challenges it faced recently, and is hoping to use it as a lesson.

“When you play in a league like this with so many great teams, great coaches, great players, there’s adversity, right? That adversity teaches you a lot of things,” Rhoades said. “We’re right there, and we have contact. We gotta overcome it. We gotta figure it out.”

Despite disappointment flowing throughout the Penn State program, it hasn’t lost any belief.

“We need to win, right? There’s an urgency around here to win, and people think we can, but that’s just a thought. We gotta go do it,” Rhoades said.

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About the Author

Michael Siroty

Michael Siroty is a sophomore from Westfield, New Jersey, majoring in broadcast journalism. When he isn't writing articles or making TikToks for Onward State, Siroty is either taking a peaceful walk around Beaver Stadium or at his summer day camp job. You can contact him to discuss your sushi order or music taste on Instagram and X @msiroty or by email at [email protected].

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