Penn State basketball beat Northwestern 77-61 on Saturday afternoon, something that was largely a foregone conclusion barring one of the more shocking upsets of the college basketball season. Lamar Stevens was his usual self, his supporting cast was dependable, Mike Watkins was dominant.
Ahead by 18 the Nittany Lions fell asleep at the wheel, Northwestern slowly working the deficit to just seven points with roughly five minutes to go. The run woke up Penn State, and minutes later by the time they finished flexing their muscles the Nittany Lions had a 20-point lead to show for it as the starters subbed out in the game’s final minute.
Speaking of that number, 20, in the case of Penn State, 20 and five. Twenty marks an unofficial milestone for programs across college basketball. Get to 20 wins and you’ve done something right, get to 20 wins and you’re probably going to the postseason. 20 wins means you had a good year. 20 wins means you’re on the right track.
In the case of Penn State basketball, Saturday marked just the sixth time ever since joining the Big Ten that the program has hit the 20-win barrier. Saturday was more than just a game, it was a bit of history, 20 wins sit on the books forever. It stands out all on its own.
There is something odd about Penn State’s season though, something that has changed how everything is being perceived. At the start of the year Penn State’s objective was simple: make the tournament. By the middle part of the year a three-game losing streak woke up talk of coaching changes. Nobody was talking about the tournament, nobody was talking about the Sweet 16.
Nobody was talking about much of anything.
And then the past month happened. Eight-straight wins happened, real talk of Big Ten titles happened. A team grew up in front of everyone’s eyes, a coach silenced his critics with each victory on the road.
Penn State has six regular season games remaining, it’s playing for seeding in the NCAA Tournament, it’s playing for a Big Ten title, potentially taking a lead in that race over the next few days.
20 wins? Worry about that later.
‘We’ve been talking about moments since the beginning of the season,’ coach Pat Chambers said after the game. ‘Here’s another moment for us. You know, I wanted them to enjoy this with their families for the next few hours. But also sleep is very important right now. And staying healthy…Gotta sacrifice right now, you can celebrate after the season. Right now, we’re trying to do something special, something that Penn State hasn’t seen before.’
And that’s really the story of Saturday afternoon. It’s not a win over Northwestern, it’s not win No. 20, it’s not Stevens inching a few points closer to Talor Battle’s scoring title.
It’s that Penn State is closing in on a new kind of pressure. It’s that increasingly inevitable fact that simply making the postseason won’t be enough anymore with this team. If the Nittany Lions land in the East Regional with a high enough seed and a favorable bracket, they sit two wins from a Sweet 16 appearance at Madison Square Garden.
Who will bet against them then? Penn State in New York, in front of an alumni stronghold, riding a wave of history and momentum?
There is basketball left to be played, bounces to go for and against the Nittany Lions. A Big Ten Tournament and a selection committee to contend with.
But ranked 13th, closing in on bigger and better things, 20 wins takes a big backseat to all of that.
And considering what 20 wins means to nearly every program in America, it’ says a lot about how far the Nittany Lions have come that something so big, means so little.
