Here are 3 takeaways from Penn State men’s basketball’s 75-74 Big Ten Tournament loss to Wisconsin
Penn State men’s basketball dropped out of the Big Ten Tournament Thursday night with a heartbreaking 75-74 loss to the No. 6 seed Wisconsin Badgers. The loss drops the Nittany Lions to 11-14 on the season and completely dashes their hopes of making the NCAA Tournament.
Here are three takeaways from the Penn State loss to the Badgers.
1. First half run halts Penn State’s momentum
The Nittany Lions held a 26-18 lead with under seven minutes left in the first half and were hitting on all cylinders. Then the struggles the team has had in the first half over the past month resurfaced and Wisconsin went on a 23-5 run to close out the half. The issues for Penn State were all too familiar, with the struggles on offense coming because of their lack of a go-to scorer and their size hurting them defensively.
The Nittany Lions couldn’t generate easy looks in that time period and were unable to bail themselves out by getting to the free throw line. Instead they turned the ball over three times in that span, including two shot clock violations. Their lack of a primary scoring option that can create in high-pressure situations — like when the shot clock is winding down — made it difficult for Penn State to stop the Wisconsin run once the Badgers started rolling.
2. Miraculous comeback falls short
Penn State came back from a double-digit halftime deficit in the first round against Nebraska but the Nittany Lions were unable to do the same Thursday night. The Badgers lit it up from beyond the arc in the game, draining 12-of-23 shots from 3-point range. Some of those shots were left too open — the Nittany Lions went under ball screens or didn’t close out quickly enough on occasion — but others were the kind of shots that were going in no matter what.
Even with those shots, the Nittany Lions had an opportunity because of their defense and sophomore guard Sam Sessoms. Sessoms scored 13 of the team’s last 18 points to lead the charge for Penn State and was able to get to his right hand to finish around the rim late to make it a game after the team looked like it was out of it. It would be easy to point to his turnover on the final possession as the reason the Nittany Lions lost, but the reality is Sessoms was the main reason the game was even close in the first place.
3. Season still a success despite lack of tournament berth
Of course the goal for a team that hasn’t played in the NCAA Tournament since 2011 should be to make it there and participate in The Big Dance. But given the circumstances surrounding this team — with Pat Chambers resigning before the season started — and every reason to fall apart, it should be considered a success. It’s unclear how many players will hang around to see who the next coach is. The NCAA transfer portal is ever-popular and the NCAA is considering legislation that will allow for one-time transfers without having to sit out a season.
It would be difficult to blame any Nittany Lions for leaving after the coach they committed to is no longer and charge, and the staff they committed to may be on the way out as well. Instead, they should be applauded for staying together — and interim head coach Jim Ferry the same for keeping them together — in a year that could have been lost early on.
This story was originally published March 11, 2021 at 11:25 PM.
