Penn State's Mike Rhoades Responds to Being Voted Last in Big Ten Media Ranking

The Columbus Dispatch recently released the Big Ten media preseason rankings/awards, with the Nittany Lions coming in at number 18, which would rank last in the Big Ten. 

Penn State had just 35 votes, a very concerning sign for a team that has to win some games after a disappointing showing a year ago. It's tough to get a feel for what this Penn State basketball team will look like next season, largely because of all the new faces. 

Head coach Mike Rhoades added some intriguing players through the transfer portal and chose a completely different route than his team did a season ago. Instead of being the youngest team in the Big Ten, Rhoades tried to bring in veterans who could come in and make an immediate impact. 

“Last year we were being so young and weak, I thought in my 30 years it was the weakest, softest team I’ve coached,” Rhoades said. “That ain’t happening anymore, so it's all about physicality, playing through physicality, being good, strong and tough.”

I think that's the main reason this team will improve, though I still don't expect it to be much of anything.

As for Penn State responding to some of these preseason rankings, Rhoades and his team can't really think about it too much. 

Ultimately, everybody's going to say that Penn State is the worst team in the Big Ten until it shows anything else.

“You can only control what you can control. If you're worried about outside the doors, what people say and opinions, you're already beat. Nobody matters. Nobody else matters but inside this gym. It's always going to be like that,” Rhoades said, per Will Horstman.

It's unfortunate the basketball program has gotten to this point, but it's the reality of what the school hasn't been able to do. 

Much of this falls on athletic director Pat Kraft for not finding ways to ensure Penn State has enough NIL money to compete with some of the other Big Ten teams.

The Big Ten is arguably the best conference in all of college basketball, and with the lack of funds that Penn State has to spend on its team, it's likely never going to find too much success.