Penn State Basketball: Ace Baldwin Jr. Named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year

Penn State senior Ace Baldwin Jr. defended his Big Ten defensive player-of-the-year award this season, as he led the conference in steals and was considered one of its toughest on defense. Baldwin capped his college basketball career as a three-time conference player of the year, winning the Atlantic 10 award in 2023, when he also was the conference’s player of the year.

Baldwin was among three Penn State players named to the All-Big Ten men’s basketball teams. Baldwin and center Yanic Konan Niederhauser received honorable mention all-conference honors. Nittany Lions guard Puff Johnson won the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award for Penn State for the second straight season. Johnson, a two-time Penn State captain, was averaging 10.2 points and 4.4 rebounds per game before sustaining a season-ending injury in January.

Baldwin averaged 2.34 steals per game, ranking 10th nationally, and led a defense that ranked second in the Big Ten in steals per game (8.1) and third in turnovers forced (14). He was the Big Ten’s lone player named to the watch list for the Naiismith National Defensive Player of the Year award.

Baldwin ended the regular season averaging 14 points, 7.1 assists and 2.4 steals per game, making him just one of two players nationally with the 14/7/2 line. He also ranked second in the Big Ten and third nationally in free-throw shooting (92.7 percent). Baldwin set a Penn State single-season record in assists per game.

Baldwin capped a strong five-year career at VCU and Penn State with some high-level numbers. He is the active leader in steals (342) in NCAA Division I men’s basketball and third in career assists (831). He is the only active Division I men’s player with at least 1,700 career points, 800 assists and 300 steals.

Penn State concluded the regular season with an 86-75 victory at Wisconsin, the program’s first win at the Kohl Center and first win over a top-15 team since 2009. The Nittany Lions went 16-15 under second-year coach Mike Rhoades.