Penn State Gears for No. 1 Purdue at the Historic Palestra
Penn State returns to the Palestra on Sunday, a venue that has treated the program and its fans well recently. Coach Micah Shrewsberry just wishes the opponent wasn't No. 1 Purdue.
On scheduling matters, however, Shrewsberry didn't have a choice.
"But I did have a choice," Shrewsberry quickly corrected, a smile crossing his face. "Golly, I’m sorry. I did choose them, and they are No. 1 in the country. But I’m excited. It’s going to be a great atmosphere, going to be a fun game, and I'm looking forward to my first experience coaching at the Palestra."
Penn State "hosts" top-ranked Purdue in Philadelphia at 6 p.m. EST Sunday in a relocated Big Ten game that has proven popular with fans. The game sold out within hours after tickets were released in November and have been hot on the secondary market since. Penn State has history at the Palestra and a recruiting base in Philadelphia, both of which the team hopes to expand with this game.
However, when Shrewsberry invited Purdue, where he was an assistant coach for three seasons before joining Penn State, he didn't foresee the Boilermakers arriving as the nation's top-ranked team. Though Purdue recently lost its first game, a one-point decision at home against Rutgers, it fields a lethal roster led by Big Ten scoring and rebounding leader Zack Edey.
Further, Purdue lands as the alpha opponent of Penn State's grueling start to the Big Ten season. The Lions' first seven opponents include Michigan State, Michigan, Purdue, Indiana and Wisconsin, which held a combined record of 53-15 through Jan. 4. Penn State (11-4 overall, 2-2 Big Ten) needs a few big early wins to continue pursuing its first NCAA Tournament bid since 2011.
"For us, I don't know what I did to somebody in the Big Ten office, but whatever I did I apologize, because the first seven games they gave us were unforgiving," Shrewsberry said. "The whole league is, but this stretch has been pretty tough. But we're up for it, we're ready for it, we're game for it."
Playing in the Palestra might help. The Lions are 2-0 in Big Ten games at the nation's oldest operating sports venue, having beaten Michigan State and Iowa in 2020 and 2017. Shrewsberry and his players, four of whom are from the Philadelphia area, have watched those games, marveling at the atmosphere of the venue and passion of the crowd.
Shrewsberry has been to the Palestra before, notably during quiet shootarounds while he was an assistant coach with the Boston Celtics. The coach remembered accompanying former Celtics player Isaiah Thomas to evening shoots at the Palestra.
Penn State finds layers of value for giving up a home game to play in Philadelphia. First, it's a reward for players like Seth Lundy (Roman Catholic), Andrew Funk (Archbishop Wood) Jameel Brown (Haverford School) and Demetrius Lilly (Lower Merion). It's also a recruiting tool, since Shrewsberry wants to further the program's reach into a region former coach Pat Chambers recruited heavily.
It's also fan outreach. Shrewsberry has worked hard to draw more fans to the Bryce Jordan Center, going so far as to plead with them to attend last month's game against Michigan State. If playing in Philadelphia can help bring fans to the program, Shrewsberry is up for it.
"We also want to bring ourselves to our fans," Shrewsberry said. "Our fans in Philadelphia don’t always get a chance to get here and see the basketball team, so this gives us a chance to go there. And it gives our guys who aren't from there a feel of what Philadelphia basketball is about."
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