Tag: Jalen Pickett

WATCH: James Franklin helps send Penn State basketball off to NCAA Tournament

James Franklin shares support for Penn State basketball team in NCAA Tournament

It’s an exciting week for Penn State athletics. As [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] was getting set to open the start of spring football practices, he took time to be part of the sendoff crew wishing the men’s basketball team good luck in the NCAA Tournament. Franklin shook hands and wished luck to basketball head coach [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag], All-American [autotag]Jalen Pickett[/autotag], and each member of the men’s basketball team as they prepared to travel to Des Moines, Iowa for their first-round matchup with Texas A&M on Thursday.

Penn State is making its first appearance in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament since 2011, and the program is searching for its first win in the tournament since 2001. Penn State lifted its odds to end its tournament drought with a solid run in the Big Ten men’s basketball tournament that saw the Nittany Lions enjoy victories over Illinois, Northwestern, and Indiana before taking top-seed Purdue down to the final seconds of the Big Ten championship game in a losing effort.

“Just over there at the sendoff for the basketball team, which was awesome,” Franklin said at his spring football opening press conference on Tuesday. “Been a big week for Penn State athletics. You got men’s basketball and wrestling competing in the NCAA postseason. But there’s really a ton of other teams within the athletic department that have had great years as well.”

This will mark the first calendar year that will see Penn State play in the Rose Bowl and the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament in school history.

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Zach Edey, Trayce Jackson-Davis headline AP All-America first team

Edey and Jackson-Davis headlined the players named to the Associated Press All-America first team.

Purdue junior Zach Edey and Indiana senior Trayce Jackson-Davis headlined the players named to the Associated Press All-America first team on Tuesday.

Edey, the Big Ten Player of the Year, was the only player to appear on all 58 first-team ballots after averaging 22.3 points, 12.8 points, 2.1 blocks and 1.5 assists with the Boilermakers. He ranks sixth in the country in scoring, second in rebounding and first in double-doubles (26).

Jackson-Davis became the first Hoosier since Victor Oladipo in 2013 to earn first-team honors after averaging 20.8 points, 10.9 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.7 blocks. He ranks 16th nationally in scoring, 13th in rebounding and sixth in blocks (82).

Joining Edey and Jackson-Davis on the first team are Kansas forward Jalen Wilson, Houston guard Marcus Sasser and Alabama forward Brandon Miller, who was the only freshman to appear on the list.

AP named Jaime Jaquez Jr. (UCLA), Oscar Tshiebwe (Kentucky), Drew Timme (Gonzaga), Azuolas Tubelis (Arizona) and Jalen Pickett (Penn State) to the second team. On the third team were Markquis Nowell and Keyontae Johnson (Kansas State), Tyler Kolek (Marquette), Kris Murray (Iowa) and Armando Bacot (North Carolina).

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Penn State’s Big Ten Tourney run ends in championship game

Furious rally comes up short for Penn State vs. Purdue in Big Ten championship game

Penn State had one of the most exciting March runs in recent program history. Coming into the tournament, they were firmly on the NCAA Tournament bubble.

They put themselves into the tournament with wins over Illinios and Northwestern on their way to their semifinal appearance. But they weren’t satisfied by just playing in the game. They beat Indiana to play in their second ever conference championship game and cement themselves in NCAA Tournament.

That run ended on Sunday after falling to Purdue 65-67.

Penn State made a flurry at the end of the game to come within one possession and a shot to win the game. They failed to get a shot off as [autotag]Camren Wynter[/autotag] was called for a travel before the shot attempt.

It was going to be a tall task to beat the Boilermakers who had beat them twice during the regular season. The best team in the Big Ten all season, Purdue is also expected to be a one seed when the bracket is released.

Penn State hit their first two buckets of the game to lead 4-0, but missed their next six shots. This got them into an early hole and they trailed by their largest margin of the entire tournament.

The Nittany Lions were fighting an uphill battle the entire first half as they tried to stay in the game. They were able to keep the margin close and went into halftime down 27-35.

The uphill battled continued all second half as Purdue kept pounding them in the paint and on the offensive glass. The Boilermakers pulled down 13 offensive rebounds and kept possessions alive they ultimately capitalized on.

With six and a half minutes to go, it looked like Purdue was going to run away with the game. They were up 17 points and had Penn State out of sorts.

But Penn State would not go away. They started chipping away at the lead with basket after a basket from their seniors.

After a dunk from freshman [autotag]Evan Mahaffey[/autotag] with just under three minutes remaining, Penn State trailed 58-64.

[autotag]Jalen Pickett[/autotag] cut the lead to four points after two made free throws, but Big Ten Player of the Year, [autotag]Zach Edey[/autotag], made a layup through a triple team to put the lead back up to six.

After [autotag]Andrew Funk[/autotag] missed a three, Purdue was fouled and on free throw line looking to put the game away for good.

Freshman guard [autotag]Fletcher Loyer[/autotag] missed both free throws and Penn State senior guard [autotag]Myles Dread[/autotag] hit a three to cut the lead to three points.

The ending got crazy after Purdue turned the ball over in the backcourt on the steal from Mahaffey. Wynter hit a layup to unbelievably cut the lead to one point with seven seconds remaining.

Loyer was on the line again for Purdue. He made the first one but missed the second giving Penn State an opportunity to win or tie the game.

They advanced the ball into the front court and called a timeout to set up the potential game-winning shot.

When Pickett inbounded the ball, it was tipped and created a scramble play to get up a shot.

Dread came up with the ball and found Wynter who has hit clutch shots for Penn State all season. He pump-faked once and then shuffled his feet when trying to get a clean look.

Travel. Game over.

[autotag]Seth Lundy[/autotag] led the Nittany Lions with 19 points and 8 rebounds. Wynter added 14 points and Pickett finished with 11.

Probable NCAA Player of the Year, Edey, finished with a game-high 30 points and 13 rebounds. [autotag]David Jenkins Jr.[/autotag] and [autotag]Mason Gillis[/autotag] joined him in double figures with 11 and 10 points respectively.

It was definitely a tough loss to stomach for Penn State and all its seniors. The magical postseason tournament run ended in heart breaking fashion.

But what a run it was!

Head coach [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag] did an excellent job getting all the players to buy in and believe they could make this run. After coming into the tournament with questions about their March Madness hopes, they left no doubt they are a tournament team.

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Report Card: Grading Penn State Men’s Basketball Big Ten Tournament

After a great run, let’s grade Penn State basketball’s performance in the Big Ten tournament.

The 2023 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament will be seen as a turning point for the entire basketball program at State College. What they have accomplished after being predicted to finish sixth in the conference can’t be overlooked.

Did it end in a loss? Yes. Was it a disappointing loss? Not necessarily.

Penn State showed they have the makings to be a team that can bust some brackets and makes a deep run in the big tournament. They never dominated a game but that also is okay, they showed they can handle the neutral site well and play to the level of their competition without batting an eye.

One thing that was a lot of fun to watch unfold in the Big Ten tournament was the shooting of the Nittany Lions and how well they faired from beyond the arc.

Offense

(Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)

Grade: A-

Penn State shot extremely well against tough defenses and full-court pressure attacks from all four of their opponents. They shot 44.1% from the field and 34.6% from the three-point line. They would live and die by the triple but what held them back throughout was costly turnovers, especially at crucial points in the Purdue game.

All in all, this Penn State offense will be hot heading into the NCAA tournament which will be their biggest key to a run.

NEXT: Defense

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Looking back at the last time Penn State was in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament

Let’s take a look back at 2011, the last time Penn State was in the NCAA Tournament

Penn State’s NCAA Tournament drought nearly ended in 2020, but a global pandemic had other plans. As a result, Penn State’s last men’s basketball tournament appearance remains a one-and-done 2011 appearance in which it lost to Temple in the closing seconds.

Fast forward to 2023 and All-American [autotag]Jalen Pickett[/autotag] and head coach [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag] have ended the drought with a clutch run in the Big Ten Tournament to secure an at-large opportunity in the Big Dance.

A lot has happened since the last time Penn State was in the NCAA Tournament. Here is a look at what was going on the last time Penn State participated in March Madness in March 2011.

Penn State vs. Purdue, Big Ten Tournament: Stream, injury report, broadcast info for championship

How to watch the Big Ten basketball championship game on Sunday

The Big Ten championship all comes down to one final game, and Penn State is hoping to do something it has never done before; win a Big Ten title. Penn State’s run to the Big Ten Championship Game, just its second appearance in the conference’s title game in program history, included three wins in the underdog role against Illinois, Northwestern, and Indiana. It will once again be the underdog against one of the best teams in the country, the Purdue Boilermakers.

Purdue won each of the two regular-season meetings with the Nittany Lions, including a game played at the Palestra in Philadelphia in which Penn State held the upper hand in the first half before Purdue took control in the second half. Penn State hung tight with Purdue in the second meeting before the Boilermakers once again established their dominance and pulled away for another win.

Purdue’s Zach Edey will be a big force to reckon with for the Penn State defense. Penn State’s [autotag]Jalen Pickett[/autotag] is coming off his best game of the tournament with 28 points in the semifinal victory over Indiana.

Here’s how to catch all of the action on championship Sunday in the Big Ten as Penn State takes on Purdue in Chicago.

Penn State holds off Indiana to advance to Big Ten Championship game

Jalen Pickett leads Penn State over Indiana and into the Big Ten championship game

It’s been a magical ride for Penn State in the Big Ten Tournament so far. After beating Illinois and Northwestern in close games, they faced their toughest test on Saturday against Indiana.

Indiana came into the tournament with hopes of winning it for the first time in program history. Penn State had those same aspirations, although they were certainly a longshot to pull it off.

It was Penn State who prevailed in the semifinal, winning 77-73, advancing to their second ever championship game.

The Nittany Lions got off to a slow start early and was down by six points four minutes into the game. After the media timeout, Penn State went on an 8-0 run to take a 14-12 lead after a [autotag]Myles Dread[/autotag] three.

They never relinquished their lead in the first half was dominating the game.

In the previous two games of the tournament, [autotag]Jalen Pickett[/autotag] had been very quiet on the offensive end. He wasn’t hitting his scoring averages and looked to be running out of gas.

He put that notion to bed early in this game. Pickett scored 13 points in the first half and was a big reason why Penn State was explosive on the offensive end.

They went into the locker room leading 34-26 at halftime.

After the Nittany Lions stifled Indiana’s offense in the first half, it was only a matter of time before the Hoosiers made their run.

Penn State did a good in the early minutes of the second half, extending their lead to 10 points. But right around the 17 minute mark, the Indiana run started.

Indiana tied the game at 47 with just over ten minutes left after a big [autotag]Trayce Jackson-Davis[/autotag] dunk. It looked like the momentum was swinging towards the Hoosiers and the game was getting away from Penn State.

The seniors for Penn State took over the game. Pickett made a layup, [autotag]Andrew Funk[/autotag] buried a three and [autotag]Camren Wynter[/autotag] assisted freshman [autotag]Kebba Njie[/autotag] for a dunk during their immediate 7-0 run.

From that point on, it was all Penn State. It looked like Funk put a dagger into Indiana when he drilled a 30 foot three point shot as the shot clock was expiring. That shot put them up by 11 points with four minutes left in the game.

But like all Penn State fans know, it’s not a Penn State basketball game unless it’s a nail biter.

With two minutes remaining in the game and the Nittany Lions up 13 points, it looked like the game was over.

That was certainly not the case.

Four turnovers and missed free throws kept Indiana in the game. They clawed at the lead possession by possession, capitalizing on all the late game mistakes given to them.

With 33 seconds left in the game, it was all of a sudden Penn State winning 74-73. [autotag]Seth Lundy[/autotag] was fouled and hit two clutch free throws to put them up three points. Indiana’s Big Ten Freshman of the Year, J[autotag]alen Hood-Schifino[/autotag], missed the game tying three and Nittany Lions players, coaches and fans let out a loud exhale in unison.

Pickett finished with a game high 28 points while adding eight rebounds and four assists. Lundy was the only other Penn State player in double figures with 16 points.

It was going to be difficult for Penn State to stifle consensus All-American Jackson-Davis. He finished with 24 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. They did a good job on Hood-Schifino holding him to 11 points on 4-13 shooting.

Penn State now advances to the Big Ten Championship game for the second time in school history. In their only previous appearance, they lost to one seed Ohio State during the 2010-11 season.

This is the third time a double digit seed has made the championship game. Illinois did it twice in 1999 and 2008.

They’ll be facing a one seed again in Purdue who has already beaten the Nittany Lions in convincing fashion twice this season. Probable Player of the Year winner [autotag]Zach Edey[/autotag] has been a major problem for Penn State to contain and will have their hands full on Sunday.

The championship game will tip at 3:30pm ET on CBS.

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Twitter reacts to Penn State’s semifinal win over Hoosiers

Twitter was buzzing over Penn State advancing to the Big Ten final

Penn State has somehow done it again! It is truly amazing as they are now in the Big Ten men’s basketball tournament final after knocking off Indiana in the semifinal round of the Big Ten tournament in Chicago on Saturday.

[autotag]Jalen Pickett[/autotag] and [autotag]Andrew Funk[/autotag] led the way with big-time shots and plays throughout and as a team, they cut turnovers down while making free throws.

They were projected as a 10-seed for the NCAA tournament and ironically as a ten-seed in the Big Ten tournament, they are now poised to make history if they can beat Purdue on Sunday afternoon. They would be the lowest-seeded team to ever win the Big Ten Tournament.

This has Twitter buzzing so here are some of the highlights.

Best photos from Penn State’s Big Ten semifinal victory over Indiana

Penn State arrived in Chicago needing at least one win just to make the NCAA Tournament, but now they will look to win their first Big Ten championship. Penn State pulled off a third straight upset on Saturday afternoon with a victory over the Indiana Hoosiers to book a spot in Sunday’s Big Ten championship game against Purdue.

The Nittany Lions showed how resilient they continue to be by going on a decisive run after Indiana dug out of a 10-point deficit to tie things up midway through the second half. This was all less than 24 hours after pulling off an overtime victory over Northwestern.

Here are some of the best photos from Penn State’s semifinal victory over Indiana in Chicago.

Penn State advances to Big Ten Tournament semifinals

Penn State is going to the Big Ten tournament semifinals

Another game, another thriller for Penn State basketball!

They survived another close game against Northwestern on Friday night, winning 67-65 in overtime.

This was the second time in the last two meetings between these teams that the game was decided in the overtime period. On March 1, at Northwestern, [autotag]Camren Wynter[/autotag] hit the game winner at the buzzer. On Friday night, in the Big Ten tournament, the roles were almost reversed.

To start the game, it was classic Big Ten basketball to put it kindly. There was a total of 14 combined points with ten minutes to play in the first half. Northwestern looked rusty and Penn State looked tired.

The scoring pace eventually ticked up and the Nittany Lions found themselves in another seesaw game. There were seven lead changes and four ties in the first half, which has been a staple of Penn State’s tournament games.

At the halftime buzzer, Penn State trailed 25-26.

After starting the first half on the back foot, the Nittany Lions came out swinging to start the second. Their mini 6-0 run gave them a 31-26 lead four minutes into the half.

Penn State kept Northwestern at arms length for a while, taking their largest lead of the game at seven points. But the Wildcats kept hanging around and hanging around, using their defense to stifle a normally potent attack.

With just over six minutes left in the game, Northwestern took their first lead of the second half.

[autotag]Seth Lundy[/autotag] answered with a three to give immediately give Penn State the lead back and the race to the finish was on from there.

In the final six minutes, the lead changed three times and the score was tied twice. It looked like Penn State was going to hit another walk-off shot against Northwestern, but [autotag]Andrew Funk[/autotag]’s three just missed off the back rim to keep the game knotted at 56.

Penn State looked to put the game away early in the extra period, getting out to a quick four point lead. Northwestern clawed their way back into the game and took the lead with over one minute left. Then Lundy hit another big three to give the lead back to the Nittany Lions.

That lead was never relinquished. Penn State survived a shot at the buzzer to advance to their first Big Ten Tournament semifinal since 2018.

The box score may not show it, but it was another quiet offensive night for [autotag]Jalen Pickett[/autotag]. He finished with 15 points and nine rebounds, but wasn’t as effective as normal. Lundy was the team’s leading scorer with 16 points and hit big shot after big shot. Yesterday’s star Andrew Funk had an off shooting night but finished with 14 points and seven rebounds.

A huge shoutout needs to be given to freshmen [autotag]Kanye Clary[/autotag] and [autotag]Kebba Njie[/autotag]. They stepped up and made huge plays tonight. Clary scored 11 points and dished two assists. Njie added three points and four rebounds, but played a huge part in not allowing Northwestern to use their size on the interior. Clary and Njie were headliners of the highest rated recruiting class Penn State has ever had.

Northwestern’s star players had an off night. Second team All-Big Ten guard Boo Buie scored 16 points but shot 35% from the field. Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Year Chase Audige finished with six points when he averages 14.1 per game.

It’s been a fantastic run for Penn State who has now won six out of their last seven games. They are playing fantastic team basketball and earned their way into the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament.

They’ll play the winner of Indiana and Maryland on Saturday at roughly 3:30 pm ET on CBS (25 minutes after the consluion of Purdue vs. Ohio State).

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