Penn State Basketball: Pickett Guides Nittany Lions to Key Victory Over Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS- At 7-9 in Big Ten play and 16-11 overall, the postseason fate of Penn State men’s basketball still very much remains up in the air. The Nittany Lions find themselves teetering on the edge of the discussion, each game swinging the pendulum towards or away from an NCAA Tournament berth. Time will tell how things shake out, but one thing was for certain, Penn State needed Saturday night’s 76-69 victory over Minnesota.

Guided by Jalen Pickett’s wildly efficient 32-point outing for his second 30+ scoring effort in as many games, the Nittany Lions came out firing in the first half and survived a Minnesota surge in the second to pick up a crucial victory on the road in conference play.

For a team that has been among the best in the nation shooting the ball at home, the Nittany Lions’ finally packed that efficiency and took it on the road, a 45 point first half coming from a blistering 18-for-30 shooting pace which featured an 8-for-15 clip from beyond the arc. Penn State’s 45 first half points also made for a streak of four-straight halves of 40 or more points and was a continued reminder that this team can shoot it as well as anyone when everything clicks into place.

“To get out to a double-digit lead in the first half because of those threes, that really helped us,” Penn State coach Micah Shrewsberry said after the game. “…that confidence that we can make them anywhere and now we get to 10 threes. That’s a good number for especially on the road.”

Of course any Penn State victory as of late is impossible to talk about without a mention and waxing poetic of Pickett. Through the past two games Pickett has managed to pour in 73 points on 26-for-40 shooting, a 9-for-17 clip beyond the arc only adding to his impressive collection of offensive skills. An 18 point first half helped Penn State out to a 45-35 halftime lead, while each of his 14 second half points came exactly when the Nittany Lions needed them. He got whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted it. Pickett entered the midway point of the year hopeful for All-Big Ten recognitions and enters the final two weeks of the season with as legitimate All-America hopes as anyone at his position.

“[Pickett] gets in there [the gym] and works on his game every single day,” Shrewsberry added after the game. “For guy that plays a lot of minutes, for a guy that has a lot on his shoulders, he’s continuing to get better. He’s continuing to get better. We have a lot of guys that are doing good things but he’s carrying us right now. He’s putting us on his back and he’s carrying this right now.”

Pickett’s performance aside, Penn State’s eventual victory was less certain in the early stages of the second half as the Nittany Lions opened with an 0-for-10 stretch from the field as Minnesota plodded ahead to tie the game at 46-46 with 15:27 to go in regulation. The teams would trade baskets over the next few minutes, but with 11:28 to go, the Jalen Pickett show began again.

A three pointer, two free throws, two more free throws. Suddenly a once two-point Minnesota lead was a nine-point Nittany Lion margin with 8:26 to play as Seth Lundy collected his own miss and laid it in. Minnesota would miss seven-straight shots over that span and while the Gophers would make proceed also make seven shots in the final 7:57 of regulation, Penn State would have an answer to each, making seven shots of its own over the final 8:26. A bit of physics as every Gopher action had an equal and opposite reaction.

In support of Pickett, Camren Wynter finished with 14 while Andrew Funk poured in 11 of his own to round out the Nittany Lions’ double-digit scoring. For his part Pickett still nearly managed a triple-double on the night, a rebound and two assists shy of that mark as Penn State managed 17 assists on 28 made baskets.

Penn State will travel next Thursday to face a spiraling Ohio State before returning home to host Rutgers. A trip to Northwestern the loan road engagement before Penn State hosts Maryland in the regular season finale. What happens in the next 15 days will dictate Penn State’s postseason chances, but Shrewsberry is hopeful to take those days one at a time, stacking ones like Saturday as often as possible.

“We’re gonna get ready to play the next game and be the best version of ourselves in that game,” Shrewsberry said. “And I think if you keep that tunnel vision good things will happen to you. Good things will happen to you and that’s where I’m proud of what they’re doing and how they’re playing and how they’re staying together and how they’re fighting.”