Penn State Believes It's 'Peaking' for March
Penn State coach Micah Shrewsberry folded himself into tears Sunday afternoon, a second-year coach overwhelmed by the moment his senior-rich roster had just delivered.
Shrewsberry rode with those seniors as they wrenched a huge victory from Maryland that put the Lions on the doorstep of their first NCAA Tournament bid since 2011. Now, Penn State rolls into the Big Ten Tournament with enough confidence to believe it can win the thing.
"I feel like we’re peaking," Shrewsberry said after the Lions' 65-64 win over Maryland on Senior Day at the Bryce Jordan Center. "I feel like we’re playing our best basketball right now, which is what you want to do. You don't want to be limping into the Big Ten Tournament. Our guys feel good about themselves. They feel good about how they’re playing. I'll take it. I'll take it."
Still, it's never easy for Penn State. The Lions (19-12, 10-10 Big Ten) open the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday in Chicago with a nerve-wracking third meeting with Illinois. Penn State, seeded 10th, will face the seventh-seeded Illini after sweeping their regular-season series. The Lions won both games by double digits, including by 15 at Illinois, but know how matchups can swing.
Nevertheless, after the past two weeks, Penn State considers every potential game this week to be winnable. Further, the Lions are 7-2 against teams in their half of the bracket, with wins over every potential opponent to the final.
"The last couple games for us have been really good," said point guard Jalen Pickett, who had 16 points, seven rebounds and seven assists against Maryland. "We felt like we’ve been playing really good basketball. We feel like we can play with anybody in the league."
Penn State celebrates Camren Wynter's buzzer-beating shot in a 65-64 win over Maryland in its Big Ten regular-season finale at the Bryce Jordan Center.
Matthew O'Haren/USA Today Sports
Curiously, Penn State's boosted that confidence by losing. The Lions appeared to hit bottom in a 74-68 loss to Maryland in February, the last step of a four-game losing streak. But Shrewsberry saw bright spots, as the Lions rallied from an 11-point deficit to take a second-half lead before Maryland regained control.
Since then, Penn State has won five of six during a stress-test stretch in which every game had NCAA Tournament implications. Though the loss was a horror show (the Lions blew a 19-point second-half lead against Rutgers), it calloused the group further.
Penn State won twice after that on buzzer-beating shots from senior Camren Wynter to get themselves back into tournament contention. As they claw, the Lions gain more belief.
"I didn’t want to put any expectations on this group," Shrewsberry said. "I just wanted us to be a tough team to play against, to play for each other, and I think they’ve done that."
Penn State's stress isn't over. A loss Thursday means the Lions will host a tense watch party when the NCAA Tournament bracket is announced Sunday. A win secures their first tournament bid in 12 years and could get them off the First Four line. Every step further enhances their determination.
Penn State already has a tournament-worthy resume. The team has a .500 conference record, five Quad 1 wins (more than Maryland, Illinois and Michigan above it) and has won three straight road games.
Shrewsberry joked Sunday that he'd appreciate a spot on the tournament selection committee. But Penn State already has made a strong pitch and can close the NCAA deal Thursday,
"We’re starting to take some question marks away," Shrewsberry said. "... We’re just going to go to Chicago and keep playing. We’re playing our best basketball. We wanted to be playing our best basketball in March, we’re playing our best ball right now and this is what we’ve been aiming for all season. Now, let’s go have fun. Let’s enjoy it. It’s going to be a circus in Chicago."
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