Penn State advances to Big Ten Tournament title game with future implications looming
Micah Shrewsberry paused for a moment to take a drink of water before he walked into his team’s locker room in the United Center.
He strode into the room, and before he could turn the corner to where most of his team was, the celebration that was already taking place ratcheted up a level.
Calls for the “big dog” and barks from players as their leader entered could be heard from the hallway outside. And then, an ensuing eruption of cheers for Shrewsberry drowned out any other noise.
The Penn State head coach — in only his second year with the program — has the Nittany Lions playing in the championship game of the Big Ten Tournament for the second time in their history.
They locked up the opportunity with a 77-73 win over the Indiana Hoosiers Saturday afternoon, one that did not come without nerves. A 15-point lead with 2:04 on the clock slowly dwindled as time wound down, drawing as close as a single point with 33 seconds on the clock.
The veteran-laden group did what it has done most of the season, staying calm and working through the danger before pulling out the victory.
Senior guard Andrew Funk, who hit a deep 3-pointer with 4:01 left to play to make it an 11-point game, said those issues were more about Indiana’s aggression than anything else.
“They were kind of playing with reckless abandon at that point,” Funk said. “They’re not worried about fouling because they’re trying to foul. They’re just looking for steals. I tried to be tentative with the ball, maybe too tentative at times, I gotta trust my teammates. But I’m proud of us. We made our free throws when we got them and we ended up closing the game, as sketchy as it may have been.”
Despite those problems, the team managed to hang on and earn a Sunday appearance against Purdue, the tournament’s No. 1 seed. There is an inherent advantage to having that top seed for the Boilermakers, most notably the extra day the Nittany Lions had to play to earn their position in the title game.
They’ll be playing their fourth game in four days when they take on Purdue, but senior Jalen Pickett smiled when asked about managing rest and getting ready for the game.
“It’s a championship game,” he said. “Nobody’s tired. Nobody’s fatigued. It feels like day one coming up. We’re going to get in with Justin (Pomar), our trainer, and do some treatment and stretching. We have a routine going at the hotel, so we’re going to get on top of that.”
There is a lot on the line for Penn State Sunday, but in many ways there is more at stake once the season draws to a close.
Yes, the Nittany Lions will play in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011. Yes, they’re making their first Big Ten title game appearance since that same year.
And like that season, they also have the future of the program hanging in the balance. Back then, head coach Ed DeChellis’ departure was not much of a surprise. His choice to take the Navy job came with the knowledge that nearly every contributor from that team was leaving with not much to replace them and the transfer market not nearly what it is now, on top of a lack of financial commitment from the athletic department to the program.
Now Shrewsberry may be faced with the same decision. The Nittany Lions remain behind on NIL, as he told a podcast in December, and in need of financial support from outside to get where it needs to be.
Georgetown reportedly may come calling — and Notre Dame may have its own interest — for the head coach that took Penn State where it wanted to go in only two years.
For now, though, Shrewsberry does not want to think about hypothetical situations. He’s focused on what’s going on right now and that’s only two basketball teams.
“You know me,” Shrewsberry said. “I’m like, basketball season is going on, I am completely tunnel vision on our team and State High basketball. I missed my kid’s game today. They won by 40. Shout out State High. Moving on, Little Lions. Moving on to the state tournament. That’s what I’m focused on. I’m happy to be here. Nobody wanted me a few years ago. I’m happy to be here. I love our guys. We’re going to prepare to play for a championship tomorrow.”
Whatever happens next, that focus has his program taking the floor with a chance to win a conference tournament for the first time in its history.
That’s an enormous accomplishment for a coach in only his second year with a program that looked like it could be destined for the doldrums of the Big Ten after Pat Chambers resigned and most of the roster turned over within a year.
Now it’s up to the university and its support base to decide how much that’s worth.
This story was originally published March 11, 2023 at 5:52 PM.
