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A Win is a Win: Penn State Basketball Advances to B1G Semifinals

Their second overtime win against Northwestern advances the Nittany Lions to their first Big Ten Semifinal appearance since 2018.

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Penn State Basketball
Mar 10, 2023; Chicago, IL, USA; The Penn State Nittany Lions bench celebrate a three point basket against the Northwestern Wildcats during overtime at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Penn State basketball advanced to the Big Ten Tournament Semifinals by upsetting the No. 2 seed Northwestern 67-65 in overtime Friday night. With their second overtime win against the Wildcats in nine days, the Nittany Lions will play in the Big Ten Tournament Semifinals for the first time since 2018.

Many bracketologists had Penn State in the NCAA Tournament following Thursday’s massive win against Illinois. But Micah Shrewsberry and company are not leaving anything to chance and continue to rack up impressive wins. The Lions have won seven of eight games since suffering a four-game losing streak in early February.

Sicko Mode

Like the last time these teams played, Penn State struggled to hold on to the basketball early. The Lions had four turnovers in the opening minutes to go along with an abysmal 2-11 start from the field. Thankfully for Penn State, Northwestern was just as bad, shooting 2-13 to start. Going into the midway point of the first half, the 6-6 score looked reminiscent of something we might see in October.

There may be some deeper analysis to glean from the first 20 minutes of play. But there’s also a saying about putting lipstick on a pig. The first half was borderline unwatchable.

Penn State and Northwestern shot a combined 18-57 from the field in the first half. But relatively speaking, both teams went on a scoring spree in the final two minutes. The Lions claimed the lead after an 8-0 run, but Northwestern answered with five quick points to take a 26-25 lead into halftime.

While shooting woes made a one-score deficit feel like a mountain, the Nittany Lions’ lack of ball security was the differentiating factor in the half. Penn State entered the game ranked third in the nation with an average of 8.8 turnovers per game. Through 20 minutes of play, the Lions had already turned the ball over seven times, which led to nine Northwestern points on the other end.

Penn State Unable to Pull Away in the Second Half

Penn State basketball jumped out to an early six-point lead to start the second half, which for this game could have been classified as “running away with it.” Despite shooting 21% to start the half, the Wildcats had nine points off five Penn State turnovers, allowing them to stay in the game. In total, Northwestern had 23 points off turnovers on the night. Using a 9-0 run, Northwestern reclaimed the lead, 47-45, with 6:15 to play.

But then, Seth Lundy silenced the pro-Northwestern crowd with a three-pointer essentially shot from downtown Chicago. Both sides exchanged baskets over the subsequent sequences, but Penn State held a 52-49 lead going into the final media timeout.

Penn State had several opportunities to extend the lead but could not. Northwestern hit a three to take a 54-52 lead, but a Jalen Pickett layup quickly tied the game. With 1:33 remaining, Pickett went to the line with the chance to give Penn State the lead. He missed both shots.

The Wildcats quickly moved the ball down to Robbie Beran, who gave Northwestern the 56-54 lead with 1:08 to play.

With 37 seconds remaining, Seth Lundy drilled a clutch jumper to tie the game.

Northwestern’s next possession came up empty, and Penn State chose not to use their final timeout and instead played out the last possession. Andrew Funk had a clean look from deep but missed, sending the game to overtime.

Lundy Boosts Lions in Overtime

Jalen Pickett hit a three to open the extra period, followed by a point from the foul line to extend the Lions’ lead to four.

The lead didn’t last long, as Northwestern tied the game for the eighth time of the night with 2:03 to play.

After Kayne Clary went 1-2 from the foul line, Northwestern took a 62-61 lead with 1:17 remaining in overtime. But, like in regulation, Seth Lundy came down the floor and hit a massive shot. This time, it was from deep, and Penn State took a two-point lead with 45 seconds left.

Northwestern’s Boo Buie missed a wide-open three-pointer, giving Pickett a chance to make it a two-possession game with 25 seconds remaining. Penn State had missed six of their last eight free throws, but Pickett hit both to make it 66-62.

Much like the entire night, nothing came easy for Penn State. Boo Buie was at the foul line down by three with four seconds remaining. Buie made the first foul shot before intentionally missing the second. The Lions couldn’t get their hands on the rebound, giving the Wildcats one final chance for the win. For what felt like a lifetime, it looked like Chase Audige’s shot would fall. Ultimately the shot rimmed out, and Penn State escaped with the 67-65 win.

On a night when he could not establish any offensive presence, Jalen Pickett showed up in overtime. Pickett had six of his 15 points over the final five minutes of play.

But the hero of the night was Seth Lundy. His stat line won’t go down in the record books, scoring 16 points on 5-12 shooting with seven rebounds. However, Lundy hit two clutch shots – one to tie the game in regulation and one to give the Lions the win in overtime.

And just like that, Penn State’s drive for a Big Ten Tournament title continues.

Penn State Basketball: It’s Time to Believe

Despite Friday’s ugly performance, Penn State basketball is hitting its stride at the right time.

Less than a month ago, the Nittany Lions were in the middle of a two-week-long losing streak. Many outside of the locker room didn’t give the Lions a realistic chance to make March Madness. And at the time, they were right. Penn State was playing lousy basketball.

What the Lions have done since then is nothing short of spectacular. Penn State has won all but one game, including an upset of then No. 21 Marylandtwo wins against Illinois, and two wins against Northwestern. The Lions now have seven Quad 1 victories, including two double-digit wins against Quad 1 opponents.

In all reality, Penn State’s play over the last month was likely enough to punch their ticket to the dance. The win on Thursday night essentially assured it.

But now, it’s about something more. Penn State has a realistic shot to content for – if not win – the Big Ten Tournament title. The Nittany Lions will play the winner of Friday’s late-night quarterfinal between No.3 seed Indiana and No. 6 seed Maryland – two teams the Lions have already defeated this season.

Yes, a rematch against top-seeded Purdue would likely loom in the finals if Penn State were to win. But the Boilermakers have experienced their struggles down the stretch, and Penn State is playing its best basketball of the season.

The Lions may historically give us hope, only to rip it away. But something about this latest stretch feels different. Penn State has gutted out more gritty wins in the last month than at any other point that I can remember in my lifetime.

Folks, it’s time to start believing in Penn State basketball.



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REPORT: Penn State Basketball Coach Micah Shrewsberry Decision Coming ‘in Next 36 Hours’

Penn State head coach Micah Shrewsberry is expected to decide on his coaching future in the coming days, according to reports.

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Mar 18, 2023; Des Moines, IA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach Micah Shrewsberry reacts during the second half against the Texas Longhorns at Wells Fargo Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

State College — It’s been a whirlwind month inside the men’s basketball facility at the Bryce Jordan Center. In February, it looked like Penn State basketball was in for a post season letdown. But then, Micah Shrewsberry led the Nittany Lions on a 5-1 run to close out the regular season. Penn State made it all the way to the Big Ten Tournament Championship, and won the program’s first NCAA Tournament game since 2001. 

All the while, tension built as to Shrewsberry’s future in Happy Valley. Reports surfaced Monday that Shrewsberry was in talks with Notre Dame. Speculation swirled as to AD Pat Kraft’s push to keep Shrewsberry as the Penn State basketball coach.

And after all the reading of tea leaves, it appears that an answer is coming soon.

Penn State Basketball Coach Micah Shrewsberry Decision Imminent

According to a report from ESPN on Tuesday afternoon, Micah Shrewsberry is expected to decide on his future “in the next 36 hours or so.”

The article notes that Shrewsberry has also emerged as a candidate for the Providence job, after the Friars’ coach Ed Cooley took the Georgetown job on Monday. However, headlines quickly pinpointed that Shrewsberry was either considering staying at Penn State or going to Notre Dame.

It is widely believed in Penn State circles that the university made as good of a push as it could to retain Shrewsberry after the season ended in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32 Saturday. Now, Penn State must wait and see what Notre Dame can offer and if the opportunity to counter exists.

Notre Dame coach Mike Brey left the program after going 11-21 this season. He is expected to become the new head coach at South Florida.

Notre Dame could be an appealing job to Shrewsberry, an Indiana native who has spent much of his professional career coaching in the state. Shrewsberry was the head coach at Indiana University-South Bend from 2005 to 2007 before coaching at both Butler and Purdue.

We will provide updates as the situation evolves.



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Regardless of the outcome, Penn State needs to go down swinging for Shrewsberry

The Nittany Lions need to prove that the school is ready to take hoops seriously.

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Penn State basketball coach Micah Shrewsberry
Dec 10, 2022; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach Micah Shrewsberry reacts off the bench during the second half against the Illinois Fighting Illini at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

STATE COLLEGE, PA — Yesterday, we reported that Penn State’s head basketball coach is currently in talks with Notre Dame for their coaching vacancy. This is bad news for Nittany Lion basketball fans; however, regardless of the outcome, Penn State University needs to fight to keep Micah Shrewsberry in town. If nothing else, the school needs to show fans, players, and its potential next head coach that they are ready to take Penn State basketball seriously.

Penn State basketball sees a marvelous turnaround in just two seasons

Since 2001, the Penn State basketball team had appeared in the NCAA tournament twice (2001, 2011) and won a tournament game once (2001). That all changed when Micah Shrewsberry was introduced as Penn State’s new basketball coach. In just two seasons at the helm in State College, Shrewsberry took Penn State from a doormat program to the Big Ten title game, an NCAA tournament berth, and even a tournament win over Texas A&M.

On top of Shrewsberry’s on-court success, he also managed to pull two of the best recruiting classes that Penn State basketball had ever seen, and used the transfer portal to bring in some of the team’s best players (such as Andrew Funk). If the 2022-23 season proved anything, it is that the Nittany Lions should be ready to go all out to keep Micah Shrewsberry in town.

Notre Dame might be an offer that Micah Shrewsberry cannot refuse

Micah Shrewsberry has spent the majority of his life in Indiana — many of his coaching jobs have been in IN as well. While State College is still in the midwestern area, it is not truly home for Shrewsberry, which is something that has been cited as possibly being a reason that he eventually leaves for a school in Indiana. Notre Dame is also willing to spend good money on basketball and has very nice facilities to work with; if you want to build a winner, the Notre Dame job likely looks more appealing than Penn State does right now — for basketball, that is.

If Notre Dame puts a solid offer on the table for Shrewsberry, offers him enough to pay his staff well, and gives him a chance to coach in a place that he calls home, there might not be much that Penn State basketball can do. Still, Penn State needs to go down swinging even if this is the case.

Penn State University needs to go down swinging

Pat Kraft is a fantastic athletic director, and right now, he is facing his biggest test to date. Even if Micah Shrewsberry decides to leave, Kraft and the administration need to go all out in keeping him around — if nothing else, it sends the right message for whoever is next.

If the Penn State basketball program ever wants to be successful, they need to find someone that is willing to put the work into building a winner — if the school goes down swinging trying to keep Micah in town, it shows the fans, recruits, and even the next head coach that Penn State is ready to become a contender. PSU has the money to put into hoops, now its time to find a coach that wants to build something special in State College. If that person is Micah Shrewsberry, that is great news; however, even if it’s not, it is time that Penn State takes the program seriously.



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Micah Shrewsberry reportedly in talks with Notre Dame

According to reports, the Nittany Lions’ head coach is in talks with Notre Dame.

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Mar 18, 2023; Des Moines, IA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach Micah Shrewsberry signals to his players during the first half against the Texas Longhorns at Wells Fargo Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

STATE COLLEGE, PA — On Monday, Penn State fans got some news that they likely did not want to hear. According to David Jones of PennLive, Penn State basketball coach Micah Shrewsberry began talks with Notre Dame for its head coaching vacancy. Jones also claims that the Nittany Lions have likely already made their pitch to Shrewsberry, so the ball is in his court.

Penn State basketball coach Micah Shrewsberry reportedly in talks with Notre Dame

Micah Shrewsberry has done magical things with the Penn State basketball program over the past two seasons, so it comes as no surprise that he is a top target for many major schools like Notre Dame. Before the Shrewsberry era, the Nittany Lions had not made a trip to the NCAA tournament since 2011, and had not won a tournament game since 2001.

In just two seasons at the helm, Micah Shrewsberry turned Penn State basketball into a tournament team — the Nittany Lions went 23-14 in 2022-23, and made an appearance in the Big Ten title game. Penn State also beat Texas A&M in Round 1 of the NCAA tournament; the program’s first tournament win in over two decades. If that was not enough, Shrewsberry also pulled the two best recruiting classes in Penn State history during his two seasons in State College, and is already working on a brand new transfer and freshman class that could be just as special.

Right now, the Penn State basketball program needs to do everything that it can do to keep Shrewsberry. If the Nittany Lions are to lose out on an incredible head coach like he has been, the program will lose all momentum and begin to regress back to the state it has been for decades now. Assuming Jones’ report is accurate, Penn State basketball fans need to cross their fingers that Pat Kraft’s offer is better the what the Fighting Irish are putting on the table.



Thank you for reading Basic Blues Nation. Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news and insights on your favorite Penn State athletics.

For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email us at basicbluesnation@gmail.com or direct message us on our social media. It’s due to your support that we can become one of the market’s fastest-growing Penn State sports outlets!

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