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Penn State basketball keeps tournament hopes alive, downs OSU

On Thursday, the Penn State Nittany Lions added a much-needed quad one win to their resume.

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Penn State basketball
Mar 10, 2022; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions guard Jalen Pickett (22) dribbles the ball while Ohio State Buckeyes guard Jamari Wheeler (55) defends in the first half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

COLUMBUS, OH — After a season-saving victory over Minnesota on Saturday, the Penn State basketball team (17-11, 8-9 Big Ten) traveled to Columbus to take on the struggling Ohio State Buckeyes ( 11-17, 3-14 Big Ten) in another crucial conference matchup. The Nittany Lions’ tournament hopes are not lost just yet as Penn State escaped with a win — the Lions’ 17th of the season.

This win was massive for the Nittany Lions seeing as, according to the NET rankings, the Buckeyes are still a quad-one team at home. Penn State came into the matchup ranked No. 58 in the NET — Ohio State was ranked No. 67.

Penn State basketball hangs in during the first half

Within the game’s first five minutes, the Penn State basketball team took an 11-8 lead behind some impressive 3-point shooting. Just minutes into the game, the Nittany Lions broke the team’s record for 3-pointers made in a single season (295) — the bucket was made by super senior guard Cameron Wynter, who finished the first half with 14 points.

With 15:47 remaining in the half, Penn State’s Seth Lundy made it a 12-8 game before Ohio State brought the game back within two with a pair of free throws. The Buckeyes regained the lead a minute later with a deep 3-ball, yet Penn State answered with a three of its own, making it a 15-13 ball game with 14 minutes remaining.

The Nittany Lions’ lead stretched as far as six points within the first ten minutes of play (19-13), though as it did all night, Ohio State managed to bring the game back within three and keep some life on their sideline. Penn State’s biggest flaw was its inability to stop Ohio State star Brice Sensibaugh, who finished the first half with 14 points.

With 8:25 remaining, Ohio State’s Sensibaugh drilled a jumper, which gave the Buckeyes a 24-23 lead — the Buckeyes’ third lead of the game. On the following possession, Penn State’s Seth Lundy gave PSU the lead right back before Ohio State took it once again on its next possession. The two traded blows over their next few possessions — in all, the game saw 12 lead changes throughout the first half alone.

Ohio State pushed its lead to four before Seth Lundy sunk a 3-pointer to keep Penn State in it. Two possessions later, Cam Wynter drilled a three to tie the game at 35  with three minutes remaining. He added another pair on his next trip down the court — which was answered by an Ohio State alley-oop. With two minutes left in the half, the Nittany Lions and Buckeyes remained deadlocked at 37-37.

As the half winded down, an offense-heavy game saw a scoring drought as neither team managed to score since Ohio State tied it up at the 2:09 mark.

First half stats

  • Lundy, Wynter combine for 25 of Penn State’s 37 points.
  • PSU shoots 46.4% from the floor, 54.5% from 3-point range.
  • 49% of Penn State’s points come from the long ball, 38% from close, and 14% from the charity stripe.
  • At the half: Penn State 37, Ohio State 37

Gritty second half leads to Penn State victory

To open the second half of play, Penn State’s Cam Wynter sunk a 3-pinter to give PSU a 40-37 lead before Sensibaugh brought the game back within one. Early on, it was clear that a gritty first half would bleed into the second half as both teams battled for every small advantage they could find.

The Nittany Lion lead was pushed to four, though an Ohio State 3-pointer kept the game within one with 17:30 remaining. A goaltend on Ohio State’s end gave PSU a 45-42 lead — Ohio State drilled another jumper and again cut Penn State’s lead to one. Jalen Pickett, Penn State’s saving grace as of late, managed to burry a jumper of his own at the other end, though OSU added a layup on their following possession, making it a 48-46 Nittany Lion lead.

The two teams traded blows on nearly every possession throughout the first five minutes of the second half. A Lundy 3-pointer made it a 53-49 game, Penn State grabbed a massive defensive rebound and managed to make it a six-point game with a pair of free throws with just under 14 minutes remaining.

The Nittany Lions’ two-possession lead did not last long, as the Buckeyes scored four (field goal and two free throws) unanswered, bringing the game back within two with 13:17 remaining. Seconds later, the game was tied at 55-55 after OSU sunk another layup — the momentum that Penn State basketball had acquired was short-lived.

With 11:23 remaining, Ohio State took a two-point lead, another short-lived lead, as Penn State’s Cam Wynter sunk a layup and was fouled on the following possession — Wynter missed his free throw, though the game was tied once again. On Penn State’s next offensive possession, Wynter gave the Nittany Lions a 59-57 lead.

As the game entered its final stages, Penn State trailed the Buckeyes by one. A back-and-forth of massive baskets had Value City Arena on its feet as the Buckeyes came roaring back. With 5:46 to go, Jalen Pickett kept Penn State basketball in the game with a miraculous layup that, for some reason, was not a foul.

Pickett hit a series of crucial shots to follow, giving Penn State a 70-65 lead before Ohio State answered and made it a three-point game just before the final TV timeout of the evening.

With under 1:30 to play, Ohio State brought the game within one, though Jalen Pickett scored a bucket and was fouled immediately after — Pickett sunk his free throw and made it a four-point game  (73-69) with 59 seconds remaining. Ohio State answered on the following possession and was forced to foul Jalen Pickett, who sunk both free throws and pushed Penn State’s lead back to four with 28.5 seconds remaining in the game.

Penn State held on throughout the game’s final seconds, securing a massive four-point victory over the Buckeyes.

End of game stats

  • Pickett finished with 23 points on 8-11 shooting. Pickett scored the Lions’ final 14 points over last eight minutes of game time.
  • PSU shoots 58.3% from the floor in the second half, 51.9% overall.
  • Wynter (18), Lundy (19), and Pickett (23) were the only three Nittany Lions to score in double-digits. Andrew Funk went 0-2 on the night, his worst scoring performance this season.
  • The lead changed 20 times in this game, in addition to five ties.

FINAL: Penn State 75, Ohio State 71

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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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Micah Shrewsberry Penn State basketball
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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