# 2023–24 Penn State Nittany Lions basketball team

The 2023–24 Penn State Nittany Lions basketball team represented Penn State University during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were led by first-year head coach Mike Rhoades, and played their home games at Bryce Jordan Center located in University Park, Pennsylvania as members of the Big Ten Conference. They finished the season 16–17, 9–11 in Big Ten play to finish in a three-way tie for 10th place. As the No. 11 seed in the Big Ten tournament, they defeated Michigan in the first round before losing to Indiana in the second round.

## Previous season

The Nittany Lions finished the season 23–14, 10–10 in Big Ten play to finish in a tie for ninth place. They defeated Illinois, Northwestern, and Indiana in the Big Ten tournament to advance to the semifinals before losing to Purdue. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2011 as the No. 10 seed in the Midwest region. They defeated Texas A&M in the first round of the tournament, marking their first tournament win since 2001, before losing to Texas in the second round.
On March 22, 2023, head coach Micah Shrewsberry left the school to take the head coaching job at Notre Dame. On March 29, the school named VCU head coach Mike Rhoades the team's new head coach.

## Offseason
### Departures

Penn State departures :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Seth Lundy | 1 | G/F | 6'6" | 220 | Senior | Paulsboro, NJ | Declared for 2023 NBA draft; selected 46th overall by Atlanta Hawks |
| Myles Dread | 2 | G/F | 6'4" | 235 | GS Senior | Detroit, MI | Graduated |
| Kebba Njie | 3 | F | 6'10" | 237 | Freshman | Centerville, OH | Transferred to Notre Dame |
| Caleb Dorsey | 4 | F | 6'7" | 235 | Junior | Westminster, MD | Transferred to William & Mary |
| Andrew Funk | 10 | G | 6'5" | 200 | GS Senior | Warrington Township, PA | Graduated; went undrafted in 2023 NBA draft |
| Camren Wynter | 11 | G | 6'2" | 200 | GS Senior | Hempstead, NY | Graduated |
| Evan Mahaffey | 12 | G/F | 6'6" | 200 | Freshman | Cincinnati, OH | Transferred to Ohio State |
| Jalen Pickett | 22 | G | 6'4" | 209 | GS Senior | Rochester, NY | Graduated; selected 32nd overall by Indiana Pacers in 2023 NBA draft |
| Dallion Johnson | 23 | G | 6'3" | 180 | Junior | Haverhill, MA | Transferred to Florida Gulf Coast |
| Michael Henn | 24 | F | 6'8" | 244 | GS Senior | Bellevue, WA | Graduated |
| Ishaan Jagiasi | 35 | G | 6'1" | 197 | Senior | Wilmington, DE | Graduated |

### Incoming transfers

Penn State incoming transfers :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
| Ace Baldwin Jr. | 1 | G | 6'1" | 190 | Senior | Baltimore, MD | VCU |
| D'Marco Dunn | 2 | G | 6'5" | 195 | Junior | Tucson, AZ | North Carolina |
| Nick Kern Jr. | 3 | G | 6'6" | 200 | Junior | St. Louis, MO | VCU |
| Puff Johnson | 4 | G/F | 6'8" | 205 | Senior | Moon Township, PA | North Carolina |
| Leo O'Boyle | 11 | F | 6'7" | 225 | GS Senior | Scranton, PA | Lafayette |
| Favour Aire | 12 | F | 6'11" | 220 | Sophomore | Ekpoma, Nigeria | Miami (FL) |
| RayQuawndis Mitchell | 21 | G | 6'5" | 195 | GS Senior | Blaine, MN | Kansas City |
| Qudus Wahab | 22 | F/C | 6'11" | 245 | GS Senior | Lagos, Nigeria | Georgetown |
| Zach Hicks | 24 | F | 6'8" | 200 | Junior | Camden, NJ | Temple |

### Recruiting classes
#### 2023 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Bragi Guðmundsson PG | Grindavík, Iceland | Fjölbrautaskóli Suðurnesja | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | May 17, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: 73 247Sports: 129 ESPN: — ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Penn State 2023 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved March 9, 2024. "2023 Penn State Nittany Lions Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 9, 2024. "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved March 9, 2024. "Penn State 2023 Basketball Commits". 247sports.com. Retrieved March 9, 2024. ||||||

#### 2024 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2024) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Miles Goodman #17 C | Seattle, Washington | Southern California Academy | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | Nov 6, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Jahvin Carter #39 SG | Alcoa, Tennessee | Alcoa High School | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Jun 26, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: |||||||
| Dominick Stewart #33 PG | Lanham, Maryland | Southern California Academy | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Sep 22, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: |||||||
| Hudson Ward #40 SF | Edmonton, Alberta | Western Canada Prep Academy | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Jan 31, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: 39 247Sports: 25 ESPN: — |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Penn State 2024 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved March 9, 2024. "2024 Penn State Nittany Lions Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 9, 2024. "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved March 9, 2024. "Penn State 2024 Basketball Commits". 247sports.com. Retrieved March 9, 2024. |||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 27, 2023 7:00 p.m. | | at Robert Morris Coaches vs. Cancer and American Cancer Society | W 68–58 | | 15 – Wahab | 10 – Wahab | 6 – Baldwin Jr. | UPMC Events Center (2,417) Moon Township, PA |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 6, 2023* 7:00 p.m., BTN Plus | | Delaware State | W 79–45 | 1–0 | 22 – Clary | 13 – Wahab | 5 – Baldwin Jr. | Bryce Jordan Center (7,345) University Park, PA |
| November 10, 2023* 7:30 p.m., BTN Plus | | Lehigh | W 74–65 | 2–0 | 20 – Clary | 18 – Wahab | 2 – Clary | Bryce Jordan Center (10,272) University Park, PA |
| November 14, 2023* 7:00 p.m., BTN | | Saint Francis (PA) | W 83–53 | 3–0 | 14 – Clary | 6 – Wahab | 4 – Baldwin Jr. | Bryce Jordan Center (7,546) University Park, PA |
| November 17, 2023* 7:00 p.m., Peacock | | Morehead State | W 74–51 | 4–0 | 14 – Tied | 12 – Wahab | 4 – Baldwin Jr. | Bryce Jordan Center (7,558) University Park, PA |
| November 23, 2023* 12:00 p.m., ESPN | | vs. No. 12 Texas A&M ESPN Events Invitational quarterfinal | L 77–89 | 4–1 | 19 – Clary | 5 – Wahab | 4 – Clary | State Farm Field House Bay Lake, FL |
| November 24, 2023* 1:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | vs. Butler ESPN Events Invitational consolation 2nd round | L 78–88 | 4–2 | 28 – Clary | 8 – Hicks | 3 – Tied | State Farm Field House (2,194) Bay Lake, FL |
| November 26, 2023* 10:30 a.m., ESPNU | | vs. VCU ESPN Events Invitational 7th place game | L 74–86 | 4–3 | 27 – Baldwin, Jr. | 6 – Wahab | 5 – Baldwin, Jr. | State Farm Field House Bay Lake, FL |
| December 2, 2023* 12:00 p.m., BTN | | Bucknell | L 67–76 | 4–4 | 18 – Wahab | 8 – Wahab | 6 – Clary | Bryce Jordan Center (8,590) University Park, PA |
| December 6, 2023 7:00 p.m., BTN | | at Maryland | L 75–81 $^{OT}$ | 4–5 (0–1) | 25 – Clary | 9 – Wahab | 5 – Baldwin Jr. | Xfinity Center (15,290) College Park, MD |
| December 9, 2023 6:00 p.m., BTN | | Ohio State | W 83–80 | 5–5 (1–1) | 19 – Clary | 6 – Hicks | 5 – Baldwin Jr. | Bryce Jordan Center (9,732) University Park, PA |
| December 16, 2023* 12:00 p.m., BTN | | vs. Georgia Tech | L 81–82 $^{OT}$ | 5–6 | 23 – Clary | 10 – Wahab | 7 – Baldwin Jr. | Madison Square Garden New York, NY |
| December 21, 2023* 7:00 p.m., Peacock | | Le Moyne | W 72–55 | 6–6 | 20 – Clary | 9 – Wahab | 6 – Clary | Bryce Jordan Center (5,023) University Park, PA |
| December 29, 2023* 2:00 p.m., BTN Plus | | Rider | W 90–63 | 7–6 | 29 – Clary | 7 – Wahab | 9 – Baldwin Jr. | Bryce Jordan Center (6,807) University Park, PA |
| January 4, 2024 7:00 p.m., Peacock | | at Michigan State | L 61–92 | 7–7 (1–2) | 21 – Clary | 8 – Wahab | 5 – Clary | Breslin Center (14,797) East Lansing, MI |
| January 7, 2024 12:00 p.m., BTN | | vs. Michigan The Palestra Game | W 79–73 | 8–7 (2–2) | 25 – Baldwin Jr. | 8 – Kern Jr. | 4 – Baldwin Jr. | The Palestra (6,200) Philadelphia, PA |
| January 10, 2024 6:30 p.m., BTN | | Northwestern | L 72–76 | 8–8 (2–3) | 25 – Clary | 10 – Wahab | 5 – Baldwin, Jr. | Bryce Jordan Center (7,822) University Park, PA |
| January 13, 2024 2:15 p.m., BTN | | at No. 1 Purdue | L 78–95 | 8–9 (2–4) | 18 – Kern Jr. | 4 – Tied | 13 – Baldwin Jr. | Mackey Arena (14,876) West Lafayette, IN |
| January 16, 2024 9:00 p.m., BTN | | No. 11 Wisconsin | W 87–83 | 9–9 (3–4) | 27 – Clary | 6 – Lilley | 5 – Baldwin Jr. | Bryce Jordan Center (8,462) University Park, PA |
| January 20, 2024 12:00 p.m., BTN | | at Ohio State | L 67–79 | 9–10 (3–5) | 16 – Tied | 10 – Wahab | 3 – Baldwin Jr. | Value City Arena (15,267) Columbus, OH |
| January 27, 2024 6:30 p.m., BTN | | Minnesota | L 74–83 | 9–11 (3–6) | 16 – Baldwin Jr. | 5 – Wahab | 6 – Baldwin Jr. | Bryce Jordan Center (12,336) University Park, PA |
| January 31, 2024 8:30 p.m., BTN | | at Rutgers | W 61–46 | 10–11 (4–6) | 15 – Baldwin Jr. | 11 – Wahab | 10 – Baldwin Jr. | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ |
| February 3, 2024 12:00 p.m., FS1 | | at Indiana | W 85–71 | 11–11 (5–6) | 22 – Baldwin Jr. | 7 – Wahab | 8 – Baldwin Jr. | Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (17,222) Bloomington, IN |
| February 8, 2024 7:00 p.m., BTN | | Iowa | W 89–79 | 12–11 (6–6) | 22 – Baldwin Jr. | 7 – Wahab | 6 – Baldwin Jr. | Bryce Jordan Center (8,140) University Park, PA |
| February 11, 2024 1:00 p.m., BTN | | at Northwestern | L 63–68 | 12–12 (6–7) | 18 – Kern Jr. | 7 – Kern Jr. | 8 – Baldwin Jr. | Welsh–Ryan Arena (5,541) Evanston, IL |
| February 14, 2024 6:30 p.m., BTN | | Michigan State | L 72–80 | 12–13 (6–8) | 15 – Tied | 4 – Tied | 7 – Baldwin Jr. | Bryce Jordan Center (8,813) University Park, PA |
| February 17, 2024 12:00 p.m., BTN | | at Nebraska | L 49–68 | 12–14 (6–9) | 13 – Hicks | 6 – Hicks | 2 – Baldwin Jr. | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,751) Lincoln, NE |
| February 21, 2024 6:30 p.m., BTN | | No. 12 Illinois Return to Rec | W 90–89 | 13–14 (7–9) | 22 – Kern Jr. | 8 – Hicks | 12 – Baldwin Jr. | Rec Hall (6,150) University Park, PA |
| February 24, 2024 12:00 p.m., BTN | | Indiana | W 83–74 | 14–14 (8–9) | 23 – Baldwin Jr. | 11 – Wahab | 9 – Baldwin Jr. | Bryce Jordan Center (11,578) University Park, PA |
| February 27, 2024 9:00 p.m., BTN | | at Iowa | L 81–90 | 14–15 (8–10) | 18 – Wahab | 7 – Tied | 9 – Baldwin Jr. | Carver–Hawkeye Arena (8,502) Iowa City, IA |
| March 2, 2024 3:15 p.m., BTN | | at Minnesota | L 70–75 | 14–16 (8–11) | 19 – Johnson | 6 – Tied | 8 – Baldwin Jr. | Williams Arena (11,318) Minneapolis, MN |
| March 10, 2024 7:30 p.m., BTN | | Maryland | W 85–69 | 15–16 (9–11) | 19 – Wahab | 15 – Wahab | 11 – Baldwin Jr. | Bryce Jordan Center (8,796) University Park, PA |
| Big Ten Tournament |||||||||
| March 13, 2024 9:00 p.m., Peacock | (11) | vs. (14) Michigan First round | W 66–57 | 16–16 | 20 – Hicks | 8 – Wahab | 6 – Baldwin Jr. | Target Center (12,379) Minneapolis, MN |
| March 14, 2024 9:00 p.m., BTN | (11) | vs. (6) Indiana Second round | L 59–61 | 16–17 | 16 – Johnson | 9 – Wahab | 6 – Baldwin Jr. | Target Center (12,338) Minneapolis, MN |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
Sources:

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | — | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | | |
| Coaches | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |