Penn State Basketball hosted Villanova on Saturday, October 12th, as their first of two preseason scrimmages. The Nittany Lions lost by a score of 75-70 per Trilly Donovan.
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Last year’s leading scorer and Big Ten defensive player of the year, Ace Baldwin, didn’t suit up for the Nittany Lions. Northern Illinois transfer Yanic Niederhauser led the team with 14 points and nine rebounds. Tennessee transfer Freddie Dilione V wasn’t far behind with 13 points and five assists. Villanova’s leading scorer was 2024 Big East All-2nd team member Eric Dixon, with 38 points in just 26 minutes.
Villanova struggled in the 2023-24 campaign, going 18-16 with a 10-10 record in conference play. However, they seem poised to be significantly better this year. Kyle Neptune’s squad is ranked 20th in KenPom’s preseason rankings, and CBS Sports projects a 7th-place Big East finish.
For their second preseason scrimmage, Mike Rhoades and company will travel to Lebanon Valley College to play Lafayette on October 25th. Proceeds from the scrimmage will go to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and Hope Within Ministries. Rhoades played basketball at Lebanon Valley College, leading the team to the NCAA Division III national championship in 1994 before winning NCAA Division III national player of the year in 1995. Lafayette will enter the year ranked 275th in KenPom’s preseason rankings.
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