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Penn State Basketball Stuns No.21 Maryland at Buzzer

The Nittany Lions overcame a 16-point deficit to keep their March Madness hopes alive.

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Penn State Basketball
Mar 5, 2023; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach Micah Shrewsberry gestures from the bench during the first half against the Maryland Terrapins at Bryce Jordan Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports

In a must-win game, Penn State basketball (19-12, 10-10 Big Ten) rose to the occasion on Senior Day, rattling off a double-digit comeback to beat No. 21 Maryland (20-11, 11-9 Big Ten) 65-64 at the buzzer. The Quad 1 win – the Nittany Lions’ second of the week – comes following a dramatic overtime victory against Northwestern Wednesday.

Penn State now has five Quad 1 victories this season and has won five of its last six games. Finishing at .500 or better in the conference for only the eighth time in 31 years, the Lions have secured a first-round bye in the Big Ten tournament.

Most importantly, Penn State’s NCAA Tournament hopes live to fight another day.

First Half: Strong Start, Sloppy Finish

The Nittany Lions started strong on the defensive end, forcing the Terrapins to miss five of their first six shots from the floor. Meanwhile, Jalen Pickett made two quick buckets to give Penn State a 7-2 lead. The Lions started 2-4 from three-point range to make it 10-6 heading into the first TV timeout.

Maryland scored five quick points out of the break to take an 11-10 lead, their first of the contest. Penn State turned the ball over three times and went scoreless over three minutes as Maryland extended the lead to four.

But the Lions came storming back in a hurry. A Pickett jumper and a rim-rattling three from Michael Henn gave Penn State the 15-14 lead.

Head coach Micah Shrewsberry was extremely vocal through several no-calls and lackluster defensive sets in the opening frame. Approaching 10 minutes to play in the first half, the Lions’ bench was called for a technical foul. Maryland led 19-10 following the two made free throws.

Penn State was sloppy with the ball on offense, a break from its trend all season. The Lions had seven early turnovers along with an eight-minute scoring drought as Maryland extended their lead. The Terrapins led 28-15 with under five in the half.

A scoreless drought from Maryland allowed the Lions to sneak back into the game in the half’s closing minutes. But despite the window of opportunity, Penn State could not overcome its shooting woes. The Nittany Lions missed 12 of their final 15 shots and went 9-25 from the field in the half.

A Jalen Pickett buzzer-beater gave the Lions a momentum boost heading into the locker room, but Maryland still led 35-22 at the break.

Wynter Stuns at the Buzzer (Again)

The second half opened with both teams trading buckets for the five minutes of play. This helped to keep the crowd engaged but didn’t do much to cut into Maryland’s lead. The Terrapins still led by 11 going into the first media timeout of the half.

Going into the midway point of the half, Penn State finally took advantage of a Maryland scoring drought. A 7-0 run, capped by an Andrew Funk three-pointer, made it a 10-point game.

Time and again, Penn State would go scoreless for long stretches in this game – only to have a few key shots keep them within striking distance. Three consecutive three-pointers from Funk and Myles Dread made it a 59-54 game with 4:12 to play.

With two minutes to play, Seth Lundy made a reverse layup to make it a 62-59 Maryland lead. The next time down the floor, Funk nailed a two from the corner to make it a one-point game with 1:24 to play.

Another Maryland miss gave the Lions the ball with the chance to take the lead. Pickett displayed great court vision to find Camren Wynter cutting to the basket for a wide-open layup. With 43 seconds to play, Penn State reclaimed the lead, 63-62.

A layup from Maryland’s Julian Reese put the Terrapins back up by one with 19 seconds remaining. Pickett fought off a double team to get the ball to Lundy with five seconds remaining. Lundy’s three went off the rim but fell right into the hands of Cam Wynter, who laid it in with 0.5 seconds remaining.

“It was the right place at the right time,” Wynter said after the game. “…I was under the basket; there was nothing else to do but go up with it.”

In all honesty, Penn State didn’t deserve to win this game. The Lions trailed by as many as 16 points in the game, and 15 points several times in the second half. They shot 48% from the field, including 37% from three-point range. Several Lions had respectable – but not stellar – performances, with Pickett (16), Funk (14), and Dread (11) each scoring in the double-digits. Meanwhile, Penn State struggled to contain Maryland’s Jahmir Young on the other end, who had 26 points on the day.

But in the end, all that matters is the final score. And that’s where Penn State basketball found itself when the clock hit zero on Sunday. Despite it all, the Lions pulled out a “gritty, not pretty” performance for the ages, winning 65-64.

Next Stop for Penn State Basketball: Chicago

After looking like the moment became too big for them against Rutgers last week, the Nittany Lions have finished the season on as strong of a note as possible.

With the win, Penn State finished Big Ten play at 10-10. This makes 2023 just the fourth time in program history that Penn State basketball reached the 10-win mark in conference play. It’s also only the eighth time in the Lions’ three decades of Big Ten membership that they finished the season with a conference record of .500 or better.

Penn State also secured a top-10 seed in next week’s Big Ten Tournament with Sunday’s win. As a result, Micah’s Shrewsberry’s squad will get a first-round bye and will play next Thursday in second-round action.

With zero margin for error, Sunday’s win keeps Penn State’s NCAA Tournament hopes alive. The Lions have made their case to get into the field of 68 down the stretch. Penn State has rattled off several impressive performances en route to finishing the season with five wins in six games.  With room to add to their five Quad 1 wins in Chicago, the Lions will certainly give the bracketologists something to think about.

“I’d love if they’d put me on the committee,” Shrewsberry said. “We’re playing our best ball right now. This is what we’ve been aiming for all season…it’s going to be a circus in Chicago. Anybody can beat anybody on any night.”

But all of that will be sorted out in due time. This time of year, it’s all about taking things one game – one moment – at a time. It’s March. Time to survive and advance.



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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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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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