How Michigan State dampened Penn State men’s basketball’s Senior Night celebration
Tuesday night was supposed to be a celebration. Penn State basketball was supposed to send off seniors Curtis Jones Jr., Lamar Stevens and Mike Watkins with a big victory in their final game at the Bryce Jordan Center.
For 20 minutes, it looked like the seniors would get the sendoff they deserved. The Nittany Lions were up on the Michigan State Spartans by 15 after the first half and looked unstoppable offensively.
Then the second half started, and it all crumbled. Instead of a celebration, the Nittany Lions were handed their fourth loss in five games and Michigan State walked out with a 79-71 victory.
The seniors were still honored after the game’s conclusion and they’ve still contributed as much as, if not more, than any senior class before them, especially Stevens. The senior forward is likely to become the program’s all-time leading scorer before the season ends. He’s 24 points from tying Talor Battle for first in that regard.
But that doesn’t change how the game ended. How Penn State gave up a double-digit halftime lead for the second game in a row at home. Last week the Nittany Lions still had enough to fight through their blown lead and defeat Rutgers, 65-64. Michigan State was too good for that. Instead of a scrappy finish that featured both teams going back and forth like the one between the Scarlet Knights and Nittany Lions, the crowd was treated to a whimper of a finish with the Spartans closing the win out with ease.
The Nittany Lions looked tired down the stretch of the game, and it let the Spartans take the game over in the second half.
No player looked more tired than Stevens did.
“You’re gonna have to ask Lamar,” Penn State head coach Pat Chambers said after the game. “I don’t want to give anyone an excuse or an explanation because I look at (Michigan State junior forward Xavier) Tillman and (he) played 38 minutes. He’s our best player, he’s got to play. You’ve got to battle through mentally and physically. Now, for him, he’s got a lot of pressure on his shoulders, this entire program (is on his shoulders), his face is everywhere. He’s still got to battle through.”
Stevens struggled throughout the game but his poor game is easy to explain away with a combination of exhaustion and Michigan State’s defensive strategy.
The senior forward frequently gripped the top of his shorts to sturdy himself when he was winded. He left shots short time and time again, whether they were let go from beyond the arc, the free throw line or near the rim.
Michigan State junior forward Xavier Tillman battled with Stevens on every possession, not giving him an inch, even on the senior forward’s best step-back moves. Twice Tillman was able to get a hand on Stevens’ shot and send it away before it had a chance to reach the rim.
Even then, Stevens may have been tired and may not have played his best game Tuesday night offensively, but he still gave it his all defensively.
Tillman presented a similarly difficult matchup on that end of the floor, but Stevens still made him fight for every inch of space near the rim and even rejected three Michigan State shots in the game. But still, it wasn’t enough.
The senior forward, who carried the Nittany Lions throughout his career, couldn’t muster enough energy Tuesday night.
With one regular season game to go, Penn State will need Stevens. He’ll have to be at his best once the Big Ten Tournament starts and they’ll need him to reach that level in the NCAA Tournament.
The entire team will have to be at its best for a tournament that features some of the best teams in the country, with eight Big Ten programs ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. Then it’ll have to be even better as it faces the best teams in the country after Selection Sunday.
The Nittany Lions have shown they’re capable of being among the country’s best. They were ranked as high as No. 9 in the AP Top 25 poll this season and they went on an eight-game winning streak that came to an end just five games ago.
Yet, it’s easy to wonder if that was the best this team can play and if that was its peak.
Chambers doesn’t believe so.
“We haven’t had Myreon Jones for a long time,” Chambers said. “He’s just getting back. He was very rusty against Iowa. He was very good in the first half, just okay in the second half (against Michigan State) because of his wind. But once we get him back to full strength, I think it’s full steam ahead.”
And he’s likely right. Chambers’ senior forward has been too good not to be at his highest level in the most important games of his career and his final games as a Nittany Lion. Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo said Stevens just had a bad night, even with his team’s stellar defense.
“Stevens will never have a game like that again in my opinion,” Izzo said. “I think he’s one of the premier players in this league.”
Stevens and the rest of the Nittany Lions, like Jones who missed six games with an illness, have been too good all season to finish with a whimper instead of a bang.
But on Tuesday night, Stevens didn’t have it, and his teammates couldn’t pick him up. As March begins and postseason play lingers on the horizon, now is not the time for missteps.
Chambers will be charged with making sure that’s all Tuesday was, rather than an ominous sign of what’s to come.
This story was originally published March 4, 2020 at 7:00 AM.
