Penn State fans storm court after defeating Wisconsin

Tuesday night, Penn State did something no Big Ten team has done yet this year. The Nittany Lions defeated Wisconsin, handing the Badgers their first conference loss of the season.

It was a huge night for Mike Rhoades’ group, which shot 60.7% in the second half to come away with the 87-83 victory. At one point, Penn State had a 12-point lead in the first half, but Wisconsin stormed back to eventually take a lead after halftime. But the Nittany Lions didn’t back down, fighting off the charge and eventually pulling off the win.

Then, the celebration began as the fans stormed the court. As he spoke with Big Ten Network’s Connor Onion, Rhoades soaked it all in.

What's better than a snow day?

A snow day court storm, that's what.@PennStateMBB fans were pumped to celebrate their team's first top-15 win in three years. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/vjOy9B7bcf

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) January 17, 2024

“I’m happy for the guys,” Rhoades said of getting his first signature win. “The snow, 9:00 game on a Wednesday … and all these guys showed up. Our students showed up, our people around here showed up.”

Penn State now improves to 9-9 overall and 3-4 with the top-10 victory. It also means Wisconsin suffered its first Big Ten loss of the year, making the standings even more crowded as conference play got going.

Rhoades knew the task the Nittany Lions were up against, facing a Badgers team that ranked 11th in the KenPom metrics entering tip-off. That’s why he issued a challenge Monday night during prep.

“I went at these guys last night in our meeting that you’ve got to do more, you’ve got to be more about the team,” Rhoades said. “Just because it’s there, it’s in in them, and they showed it today. I’m super proud of them. It’s a fun part of coaching. I just thought Kanye [Clary] and Ace [Baldwin] controlled the game, and they did some things and other guys really stepped up. We played enough defense to win a Big Ten game. We’ve got to get better on that end. We will. I’m really proud of our guys.”

The goal, Rhoades said, was to be the “hardest working team in the country” while facing first-place Wisconsin. Penn State certainly proved it, especially in the second half when the Badgers started to surge. In fact, the Nittany Lions nearly turned it over late, but stuck with the play and ended up sealing the victory.

Suffice to say, the players lived up to the task.

“They’re awesome,” Rhoades said of his players. “You’ve got to work the hardest, and you’ve got to do it the longest. And maybe it gives you a chance. Today, we gave ourselves a chance.”