Nittany Lions look to bounce back in Annual THON game

In a season full of firsts for Mike Rhoades, the head coach will get his first taste of what the winter season is all about in State College as Penn State will host their annual THON game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.

In an effort to contribute towards the largest student-run philanthropy in the world, the student section will wear colorful shirts made specifically for the event.

Players and coaches on the bench have donned the shirts in the past as well.

Coach Rhoades even revealed that he will be sporting a custom pair of Air Forces made by a young child battling cancer.

In terms of the game itself, it’s going to be a challenging one for the Nittany Lions.

Coming off a loss on the road against Ohio State and sitting under .500 once again, Penn State will now host a 12-7 Minnesota Golden Gophers team that holds opponents to an average of just 68 points per game.

After starting the year 12-3, Minnesota is riding into Happy Valley on a four-game skid.

Experiencing a similar skid of their own earlier this season, Mike Rhoades reflected on what the energy might be like from their opponent on Saturday.

"I know they'll be excited to play. After the last couple of games, they want to get in here and they want to go get a road win in the Big Ten so we gotta be ready to go."

More than just the mental battle, Rhoades mentioned the importance of how his squad matched up with the Golden Gophers from a physical standpoint as well.

A key to that matchup will be a focus on forward Dawson Garcia, who Rhoades immediately described as a “big challenge.”

“He’s a versatile big guy. He’s 6-foot-10 230 [lbs]. He can hit threes. He’s a guy that can attack you with different isolations all over the court and, of course, he’s down on the block… So we’ll have our hands full.”

The Nittany Lions won their lone matchup against Minnesota last season by a score of 76-69.

However, this was a very different Penn State team, which didn’t feature the likes of transfers Ace Baldwin Jr. and Qudus Wahab as well as a freshman Kanye Clary in a much less prominent role.

Puff Johnson is another new face on Penn State’s roster who has been coming alive as of late.

Losing his starting job two games back, the transfer from North Carolina accepted the challenge and had one of his strongest performances on Sunday against the Buckeyes, totaling 13 points off the bench which was tied for the team-high.

“It’s been a year of adjustments,” Johnson said of his season thus far.

“One thing I can hang my hat on is to do what coach needs me to do and just be a team player in whatever aspect that may be.”

The Nittany Lions will look to improve on their already impressive 9-2 home record in the BJC during Saturday’s affair.

Jakob Schnur is a fourth-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jks6463@psu.edu