On paper Penn State basketball’s roster is as deep as it has ever been under Pat Chambers.
In execution though that has not always been as obvious.
The past several weeks have been a masterclass by DJ Newbill in scoring, but he can’t carry the load alone. If anything, the likelihood of additional Penn State wins will drastically decline if the need for Newbill to score increases.
So as Penn State entered Wednesday night’s contest against Minnesota it was an obvious test of the team’s depth. With guard John Johnson suspended and forward Brandon Taylor out with a knee sprain there were large shoes to suddenly fill.
It is one thing to play in support of key players, it is another to have to replace them. So without two viable scoring and rebounding options on the floor, the Nittany Lions would have to collectively pick up the slack.
While it may not have been the best looking game, win No. 14 — a 63-58 victory over Minnesota — may have been the best team effort of the entire season.
The best indicator of this: nine different players would see the floor on Wednesday night.
And all nine scored.
By the game’s end Penn State had seven different players with six or more points to their names. Even more impressive is that DJ Newbill scored 10 of Penn State’s final 14 points and only netted 12 the entire night. In turn, the Nittany Lions effectively led for most of the game without Taylor, without Johnson and without Newbill contributing to that effort.
By the time Newbill found his shot Penn State was in a position to win and that was all the team needed to finish the job.
But really it was the play for the 35 minutes prior that were the most impressive. An 18-2 run midway through the first half turned an 18-15 Minnesota lead into a 33-20 Penn State lead with 2:24 to go. Four different players scored over that span from different parts of the floor. A Jordan Dickerson dunk, threes by Geno Thorpe and Payton Banks and a basket by Donovon Jack. Everyone chipped in and Minnesota nearly tapped out.
On the other end of the court Penn State’s defense smothered Gophers shots, blocking six first half attempts while fouling only five times in that same span. The Nittany Lions crashed the offensive and defensive glass, out rebounding Minnesota on both ends of the court and by a total margin of eight extra boards.
All in all, it was a surprisingly effective showing by a Penn State front court that has struggled to find consistent ways to contribute while staying out of foul trouble. Donovan Jack, Jordan Dickerson and Julian Moore finished the game with a collective outing of 16 points, 7 rebounds and 7 blocks.
“I look down at the box score here and I see 12[fouls],” Chambers said after the game. “There have been games where I have seen 12 just from the first half. It is nice to see us play hard, to get together, to over communicate and do it without fouling. It was great to see [Jordan] Dickerson really step up because he only played two minutes last game and he really stepped up for his teammates and did some great things on the defensive end for us to help us keep the lead and build the lead.”
Ten first half assists showed the Nittany Lions are getting back to the ball movement and offense that had helped them start the season 12-1.
All of this helped create a 33-23 halftime margin that gave the Bryce Jordan Center crowd a reason to cheer.
Like so many of Penn State’s games though, halftime leads are only halfway home. The second 20 minutes posed challenges to overcome.
So it was not too surprising when the Gophers cut the lead to only 5 with 13:38 to go in regulation. The first half performance by Penn State suddenly looked to be an afterthought. Just five minutes later the Gophers were leading by a single point. Sixteen turnovers plagued the Nittany Lions and easy baskets awaited Minnesota.
That was when Newbill broke his slump, driving to the hoop and slamming home a dunk. The basket came after a Devin Foster layup gave Penn State a lead of a single point. With 7:01 to play the Nittany Lions were now up 3, and they never looked back.
Prior to that moment it was a trio of players who carried Penn State. Devin Foster picked up 8 on the night, Geno Thorpe put in 9 to go with his 4 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals, all backed by Payton Banks and his 9 points from beyond the arc.
Even with the solid all around play, those final seven minutes had plenty of familiar Penn State basketball moments. Turnovers, mistakes and a few missed shots kept the door open for Minnesota but the Gophers never made that final push.
Penn State led by only two with 43 seconds to go but Minnesota failed to score in those final seconds and three free throws sealed the deal for the Nittany Lions.
On paper Penn State could have lost on Wednesday night, but on the court Penn State was clearly the better team. Twenty-seven points off the bench, 10 steals, 9 blocks, and only 12 fouls. The game’s final rejection was an emphatic swipe by Jordan Dickerson that sent the ball into the front row.
There would be no last second comeback by Minnesota. There would be no overtime heartbreak.
There was just an impressive team win.
And those kind of wins don’t show their face all that often come Big Ten play at the Bryce Jordan Center.
“It is great to see other guys step up – Geno Thorpe and [Payton] Banks in the first half, [Devin] Foster throughout the game and [Jordan] Dickerson. I felt bad for Julian Moore,” Chambers said. “I think you guys were about to see him really step up and do some different things because he is really skilled and he has a big time motor and when he came in the game, you felt his presence immediately. I was happy for those guys because they have been patient and they waited their turn and they are making the most of it.”
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