Category: Penn State Nittany Lions

The Big Ten Tournament is set: Who and when does Penn State play?

The Big Ten Tournament is officially set. Who does Penn State play in their first game?

The regular season is officially over in the Big Ten. With the last games finishing up on Sunday night, it’s time to move on to the postseason.

Every team in the conference will be competing in Chicago to win the Big Ten Tournament. The winner earns an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament field. For teams with no chance to make the Big Dance or the teams on the bubble, this week is extremely important. A deep run can be the difference between playing more postseason basketball and the season being over.

The Purdue Boilermakers won the regular season conference title after going 15-5. They’ll be the one seed for this tournament and one of the four teams who earned a double bye.

Here are the seeds and matchups for the Big Ten Tournament starting March 8th.

Camren Wynter’s last-second shot lifts Penn State over Maryland

Penn State basketball got a big boost for its tournament hopes with a thrilling win over Maryland.

March has treated Penn State very well. On the first of the month, they beat Northwestern at the buzzer in overtime. They followed up that ending with another buzzer beater against Maryland to win 65-64.

It was a great ending for the many seniors that played their last game in the Bryce Jordan Center.

Senior Night is always an emotional game for any program. It was especially emotional for Penn State on Sunday as they said goodbye to their seniors on their home floor for the last time.

Penn State started the game out hot, jumping to a 10-4 lead four minutes into the game. Maryland responded and went on a huge run as Penn State’s offense went ice cold.

After taking a 15-14 lead on senior [autotag]Michael Henn[/autotag]’s three, they didn’t score a point for over eight minutes.

By the time they broke the drought with four minutes left in the first half, Maryland had taken a 28-17 lead.

The deficit increased and the Nittany Lions went into the locker room trailing 35-22. It would have been worse if not for [autotag]Jalen Pickett[/autotag]’s buzzer beating three before halftime, a prequal to what was coming later in the game.

On Senior Night, it was the seniors who led the way for their comeback victory.

It was a game of runs in the second half. Penn State would cut into the deficit and then Maryland would extend it. The Nittany Lions were still trailing by ten points with five minutes left in the game.

From that point on, only seniors scored the rest of the way.

[autotag]Myles Dread[/autotag] hit a three to cut the lead to five. He finished the game with 11 points and three made three pointers. This is a good sign for Penn State and Dread who has been struggling late in the season.

With 43 seconds left, [autotag]Camren Wynter [/autotag]made a layup after a beautiful pass from Pickett to give Penn State their first lead of the second half.

Maryland’s [autotag]Julian Reese[/autotag] hit a layup of his own to get the lead back.

Trailing 64-63 with 19 seconds left, Penn State had one possession to win the game.

[autotag]Seth Lundy[/autotag] pulled up from three at the top of the key. The ball bounced off the rim and into a scrum of players. Wynter, the smallest player in the scrum, came up with the ball. He immediately went up and scored a layup to give Penn State a 65-64 victory.

That’s two game winners from Wynter in the last two games. He’s been on a tear down the stretch, playing a huge role in Penn State’s strong close to the regular season.

Pickett scored a team high 16 points, adding seven rebounds and seven assists. [autotag]Andrew Funk[/autotag] added 14 points with four three pointers. Wynter scored six points but had the most important basket of the game.

Maryland senior guard [autotag]Jahmir Young[/autotag] scored a game high 26 points with eight rebounds. Reese, [autotag]Don Carey[/autotag] and [autotag]Ian Martinez[/autotag] joined Young in double figures.

With this win, Penn State secured a bye in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament and will be playing on the second day.

Jalen Pickett, Seth Lundy, Andrew Funk, Camren Wynter, Michael Henn and Myles Dread were the seniors honored on Senior Day.

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Lady Lions lose heartbreaker to Michigan in Big Ten Tournament

Penn State women’s basketball saw its season come to a close in a close loss to Michigan in the Big Ten tournament.

The realization that the season is over is always a tough pill to swallow. That pill becomes even larger when the loss comes at the buzzer.

Penn State closed their regular season on a slide, losing seven games in a row. But none of the regular season games matter when it comes to tournament play. It’s just about winning one game at a time and advancing.

The Lady Lions managed to do that in their first game of the tournament. They beat Minnesota and set up a showdown with the Michigan Wolverines in the second round.

It was a tight game from start to finish, but ultimately Penn State lost the game 63-61.

Senior guard [autotag]Makenna Marisa[/autotag] had a contested look to extend the game, but the shot hit the front rim as the buzzer sounded. This was the end to a flurry of points with two minutes left as the Lady Lions erased a nine point deficit.

Ultimately the comeback fell just a bit short.

It was a tough way for Marisa’s career to end. She was a two time All-Big Ten selection by the media and was looking to get her team into the tournament for the first time since 2014.

She finished the game with a game high 16 points and seven assists. Her fellow guard [autotag]Leilani Kapinus[/autotag] also scored 16 points along with five assists and seven rebounds. Senior forward [autotag]Alexa Williamson[/autotag] finished her career with 12 points in the game.

Four Michigan Wolverines finished in double figures. Senior forward [autotag]Emily Kiser[/autotag] and sophomore guard [autotag]Laila Phelia[/autotag] scored a team high 13 points.

After falling short in the Big Ten Tournament, the NCAA Tournament dreams for the Lady Lions are officially over. It’s to be seen if they’ll be invited to the WNIT or WBI Tournaments to continue their season.

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Penn State women win opening game in Big Ten Tournament

Penn State women’s basketball wins first Big Ten tournament game since 2018.

It’s been a tough season for the Penn State Lady Lions.

In a loaded Big Ten conference, they finished the season with a 13-16 overall record and 4-14 in conference play. They closed the regular season with seven losses in a row, earning them the 13th seed in the tournament.

The Lady Lions did receive good news at the end of February when senior guard [autotag]Makenna Marisa[/autotag] was voted first team all-conference by the media. Averaging 17 points, four assists and four rebounds this season secured her second all-conference honor.

For a struggling team, the conference tournament can be a fresh start. The records are wiped out and all that matters is winning one game per day.

Penn State took advantage of this fresh start on Wednesday, beating Minnesota 72-67 in the opening game of the tournament.

Marisa led the team with 22 points, shooting just under 50%. Three other starts joined her in double figures. Underclassmen guards [autotag]Shay Ciezki[/autotag] and [autotag]Leilani Kapinus[/autotag] scored 16 and 11 points respectively, while fellow senior [autotag]Alexa Williamson[/autotag] added 11 as well.

This was a dominate effort for the Lady Lions. They never trailed in the game and led by 18 at one point. They also hit 49.1% of their shots and forced Minnesota into 22 turnovers.

[autotag]Mara Braun[/autotag] was the game’s leading scorer with 25 points. [autotag]Amaya Battle[/autotag] was the only other Golden Gopher to join Braun in double figures with 16 points.

Penn State now faces the fifth seeded Michigan Wolverines on Thursday. This will be a rematch of the early January game in Ann Arbor that saw the Lady Lions lose by 10.

The game will air on Big Ten Network 25 minutes after the conclusion of Michigan State and Nebraska on Thursday, March 2.

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Penn State men’s basketball all-time roster: Nittany Lion Legends

Which 10 players in Penn State’s basketball history make up the all-time roster? Check out the selections here.

College basketball is getting closer and closer to the annual NCAA tournament.

Penn State is normally a stranger to March Madness with their last appearance coming in 2011.

Under current coach [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag], the Nittany Lions find themselves on the bubble with the chance of making the tournament this season.

Despite the lack of national success, there have been plenty of good players to put on the Penn State basketball jersey.

What would an all-time Penn State roster look like?

Here is the head coach and 10 players who made the all-time roster.

Penn State collapses in second half to lose heartbreaker against Rutgers

Bubble burst? Penn State’s second-half collapse vs. Rutgers was a bad look for tournament hopes.

The loud popping sound coming from State College was Penn State’s March Madness bubble bursting. At the final buzzer Sunday night, the chances of getting an outright bid vanished.

Up 19 at one point in the second half, Penn State fell to Rutgers 59-56.

This game was extremely important for the Nittany Lions. They started to play their best basketball at the most important time of the season in the past couple of weeks. Coming into this game, they were riding a three-game winning streak, including two on the road.

Early on, it looked like Penn State was well on its way to a fourth in a row. They used a 22-4 run to take a 26-9 lead with five minutes left in the first half.

Everything was rolling in the first half. [autotag]Jalen Pickett[/autotag] had 11 points and [autotag]Camren Wynter[/autotag] 10 points. They went into the locker room up 31-21.

Then, wheels fell off the wagon in the second half.

After starting with a 9-0 run to push the lead to 19 points, it was all downhill from there. The offense, which is normally so good at home, was dreadful.

Penn State finished the game shooting 37.0% from the field and 27.6% from three. Only seven field goals were made the entire second half, three of which came during the early 9-0 run.

After scoring 11 points in the first half, Pickett was held scoreless the rest of the way. Senior guards [autotag]Seth Lundy[/autotag] and [autotag]Andrew Funk[/autotag] went a combined 2-23 from the floor and 1-18 from three.

Penn State went nine minutes down the stretch without a made field goal, missing the last 14 shots they attempted. The cold stretch was enough for Rutgers to close the gap and escape State College with a win.

Freshman guard [autotag]Derek Simpson[/autotag] led the way for Rutgers with 16 points off the bench. Senior guards [autotag]Cam Spencer[/autotag] and [autotag]Caleb McConnell[/autotag] were also in double figures with 13 and 12 points respectively.

Wynter finished with a team high 16 points for Penn State. Pickett was the only other person in double figures with 11.

It was the worst time of the year to have one of the worst performances all season. Putting it frankly, it was also an unacceptable loss.

Coming off a stretch that put him in All-American contention, Pickett can’t go scoreless in the second half of one of the most important games of the year. He didn’t attempt a shot in the second half. Lundy can’t go 0-11 from three at home in this type of game.

The best players are supposed to step up and make plays when things are difficult. That didn’t happen for this Penn State team on Sunday.

Now, by most accounts, the hopes for an at large bid is almost all but gone.

Head coach [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag] said in the postgame press conference that he’s not worried about his team for the remainder of the season, citing the fact there are more games to play.

We’ll see how Penn State responds Wednesday night when they go on the road to face second place Northwestern.

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Jalen Pickett leads Penn State to important road win at Ohio State

Jalen Pickett put Penn State on his back and carried them to a key road win at Ohio State.

The goal is simple for Penn State. Win out and they’ll have a shot of going to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 12 years.

After starting February with three straight losses, Penn State is now riding a three-game win streak after Tuesday’s 75-71 win over Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio.

The game was spectacular. The two teams went back and forth throughout the 40 minutes of game time.

Coach [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag] made sure his team knew they had to get off to an early start. The team listened and took an 11-8 lead four minutes into the game.

Then, it was a rollercoaster ride of who held the lead.

There were 12 lead changes in the first half alone, including a four minute stretch where every basket scored changed the lead.

When the first half buzzer sounded, the game was tied 37-37.

But things could have gone off the rails early for Penn State.

Coming into this game, the Nittany Lions had two road wins all season. They have not been the same team away from home and this was their second road game in a row.

Then, seven minutes into the game, [autotag]Jalen Pickett[/autotag] picked up his second foul. Their best player had to sit for a good chunk of time.

The senior guards rose to the occasion. [autotag]Seth Lundy[/autotag] scored 14 points and [autotag]Camren Wynter[/autotag] 11 in the first half to keep Penn State in the game.

The rollercoaster ride continued in the second half. There were eight more lead changes for a total of 20. When there wasn’t a lead change, the game was tied five times.

After scoring just two points at the break, Pickett wasn’t going to stay quiet for long.

He completely took the game over in the second half, scoring 21 of his 23 points in the period, including the dagger.

Up one with a minute left, Pickett isolated Ohio State freshman [autotag]Brice Sensabaugh[/autotag]. He made layup and drew a foul to give Penn State a 73-69 lead.

Four points was all the separation the Nittany Lions needed to close out the game as Ohio State missed five consecutive three pointers on the final possession.

Pickett’s 23 points led the game. Lundy finished with 19 points and Wynter with 18. The Ohio State freshmen guards Sensabaugh and [autotag]Bruce Thornton[/autotag] scored 20 and 19 points respectively.

This was an impressive win for Penn State. The Big Ten leader in three pointers, [autotag]Andrew Funk[/autotag], didn’t make a single one in this game. Other players had to fill the void when Pickett went out with foul trouble.

It feels like Penn State is starting to hit their stride at just the right time.

Their three remaining games on the schedule are all classified as Quad 1. Winning those games are the most important criteria the committee looks at when determining at large invitations.

Penn State plays Rutgers in the Bryce Jordan Center on Sunday night. This will be a rematch from earlier in the year when the Nittany Lions lost on the road.

The game will be air on Big Ten Network starting at 6:30 p.m. ET.

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Penn State, Jalen Pickett crush Illinois to stop losing streak

Jalen Pickett went off on Illinois to snap Penn State basketball’s losing streak.

Penn State’s offense was on full display at The Bryce Jordan Center on Tuesday night. They used their hot shooting night to beat Illinois 93-81.

This victory put a stop to the four-game losing streak Penn State had coming into the evening. The story of the game was [autotag]Jalen Pickett[/autotag].

After the loss to Maryland over the weekend, coach [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag] put the spotlight on Pickett.

Frustrated with the lack of foul calls Pickett has been receiving, Shrewsberry said, “That kid is one of the best players in our league. He’s being treated unfairly.”

Pickett was red-hot in the first half. He looked to attack and get himself involved in the offense early.

He finished the first half with 24 points, shooting 10 of 12 from the floor and 4 of 6 from three.

Pickett also scored his 2,000th career point in the first half after hitting a three. This is a major milestone for the senior guard who is in his second season at Penn State.

The rest of the team followed their senior guard’s performance. Penn State shot 56% in the first half from both the field and three-point land.

After trailing at halftime in all four of their previous games, the Nittany Lions took a 53-40 lead into the locker room.

The hot shooting continued for Penn State.

Pickett finished with 41 points, shooting 15-20 from the field and 5-9 from three. This set the Bryce Jordan Center record for most points scored in a single game.

He also became the third men’s player to score 40 points in a game for Penn State, joining Gene Harris and Jesse Arnelle.

Guard [autotag]Seth Lundy[/autotag] added 15 points and seven rebounds. Freshman guard [autotag]Kanye Clary[/autotag] continued his run of good play adding 12 points on 50% shooting.

The team finished the game shooting 57.9% from the field and 42.9% from three point range.

This was the response they needed at home, hosting Illinois who came into the game 8-2 in their last 10 games.

Senior guard [autotag]Terrence Shannon Jr.[/autotag] was the game’s second leading scorer with 20 points. The Illini also had four others in double digits, including starting forwards [autotag]Coleman Hawkins[/autotag] with 12 points, [autotag]Matthew Mayer[/autotag] with 11 points and guard [autotag]Jayden Epps[/autotag] with 12 points.

Penn State goes on the road for their next game. They will face Minnesota, Saturday night at 9 pm eastern on Big Ten Network.

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Where does Penn State rank in the Big Ten for returning production?

Penn State has a lot of production to make up for in 2023.

Forgotten in the excitement of the recruiting and transfer portal period are the active players returning to school to continue playing college football.

ESPN recently put out their article on the percentage of production returning to each program across the country.

Penn State clocked in at 56th in the nation with 65 percent of their previous season’s production returning.

The offensive side of the ball will have fresh faces becoming impact players. 55 percent of their offense is returning, ranking 102nd nationally.

This is not too surprising when factoring in the losses of quarterback [autotag]Sean Clifford[/autotag], tight end [autotag]Brenton Strange[/autotag], and receivers [autotag]Parker Washington[/autotag] and [autotag]Mitchell Tinsley[/autotag].

The defense ranks 24th in the country with 75 percent of their production returning.

Considering the losses of cornerback [autotag]Joey Porter Jr.[/autotag], safety [autotag]Ji’Ayir Brown[/autotag] and linement [autotag]PJ Mustipher[/autotag] and [autotag]Nick Tarburton[/autotag], this is great news for the 2023-24 season.

So, where does Penn State rank amongst the other Big Ten schools?

  • 5. Michigan (81%)
  • 23. Rutgers (73%)
  • 27. Wisconsin (72%)
  • 39. Nebraska (69%)
  • 41. Indiana (69%)
  • 45. Michigan State (68%)
  • 48. Ohio State (67%)
  • 56. Penn State (65%)
  • 57. Purdue (65%)
  • 65. Maryland (64%)
  • 71. Illinois (63%)
  • 87. Minnesota (58%)
  • 94. Iowa (57%)
  • 96. Northwestern (56%)

Offensive Rankings

  • 4. Michigan (84%)
  • 11. Michigan State (80%)
  • 30. Wisconsin (75%)
  • 37. Rutgers (72%)
  • 45. Nebraska (72%)
  • 49. Purdue (71%)
  • 63. Indiana (65%)
  • 68. Maryland (64%)
  • 71. Illinois (64%)
  • 72. Iowa (64%)
  • 91. Minnesota (59%)
  • 97. Ohio State (57%)
  • 102. Penn State (55%)
  • 115. Northwestern (46%)

Defensive Rankings

  • 16. Michigan (78%)
  • 20. Ohio State (77%)
  • 24. Penn State (75%)
  • 31. Rutgers (72%)
  • 34. Indiana (72%)
  • 48. Wisconsin (68%)
  • 51. Nebraska (66%)
  • 52. Northwestern (66%)
  • 66. Maryland (63%)
  • 70. Illinois (62%)
  • 76. Purdue (59%)
  • 78. Minnesota (57%)
  • 83. Michigan State (56%)
  • 102. Iowa (49%)

Based on returning production, Penn State’s offense will be the weaker side of the ball.

There will be a new face at quarterback for the first time in four seasons after the graduation of Clifford. Expected starting quarterback, [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag], was a 5-star recruit coming into his freshman year.

Allar appeared in 10 games last season completing 35 passes for 344 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions.

He’ll be joined in the backfield by returning sophomore running backs, [autotag]Nicholas Singleton[/autotag] and [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag], who combined for 1,928 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns.

If Allar can adjust to the college game and live up to his 5-star high school grade, Penn State’s offense will be in good hands this upcoming season.

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The 10 best Cyber Monday deals for the Penn State fan in your life

The best holiday gift ideas for any Penn State Nittany Lions fan in your life.

Happy holidays, Penn State fans!

Football season is coming down the home stretch, basketball season has started, and for NCAA fans it’s the most wonderful time of the year.

It’s been a great football season for Penn State, and Nittany Lions Wire is giving you yet another reason to celebrate this holiday season.

Fanatics is offering 30% off all orders on Cyber Monday, so take at least 30% off the prices in the list below and get the perfect gift for the Penn State fan in your life.

Whether you’re an alumni, a State College resident, or just really love to reminisce about the days of Saquon Barkley or Franco Harris, we’ve got you covered with our list of best Penn State gifts for the holiday season.

If you need another gift for the sports fan in your life, consider a USA Today Subscription which includes Sports +, exclusive access to our Sports + app and the best content from across the entire USA Today Sports network.

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