Penn State men’s basketball entered the NCAA tournament as hot as they could be after a strong Big Ten tournament. Texas A&M, unfortunately for them, drew the short end of the draw and faced the Nittany Lions in the first round.
Texas A&M was coming off a strong season in the SEC with their coach Buzz Williams earning coach of the year honors. They were 25-9 during the season but Penn State and their double-digit loss record did not care. In fact, they couldn’t have cared less because they came out motivated and looking the best they did the entire season.
It was a complete effort from Micah Shrewsberry’s team, and there were plenty fo positive remarks to share in the postgame report card.
Offense
Grade: A+++
This arguably was the best offensive performance from any team in the tournament on day one. Penn State’s previous largest margin of victory was 12 points in the 1954 tournament, but after Thursday night it will be 17, and honestly could have been 20 if not for a last-second three.
The offense was led by the three-point shooting, as it was all year, as they were 13 for 22 from beyond the arc. If they can keep that shooting up then they are a serious problem for anyone they face in this tournament.
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NEXT: Defense