If there was ever a way to summarize the past decade of Penn State basketball it could be found in the final seven minutes of the Nittany Lions’ 75-74 loss to Wisconsin in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament.
In those final seven minutes there was everything you’ve seen the past 10 years both good and bad. There was a seemingly impossible mountain to overcome as Wisconsin led by 18 in large part due to 12 made three-pointers and a near perfect 13-for-15 night from the line.
Everything was falling, Penn State was staggered and the Nittany Lions found themselves facing a 15+ point deficit for the third-straight game, looking for a third-straight win.
So there was the impossible.
And there was that lingering sense the game wasn’t quite over yet as Penn State chipped away and chipped away as Wisconsin made mistakes and the Nittany Lions made shot after shot.
So there was that glimmer of hope for fans and players to hang on to.
In a movie Penn State would have found – and made – the final shot with seconds ticking off the clock. The Nittany Lions got the stop down a point thanks to an improbable 17-2 run. Penn State had the ball with a chance to win, but Sam Sessoms – who helped will Penn State back into the game with 18 points – couldn’t quite get the rock to big man John Harrar and a loose ball would turn Wisconsin timeout.
The comeback fell a point short of overtime, two points from a win.
So there was the heartbreak.
There have been endless words written about the plight of Penn State basketball over the years both here and elsewhere. A hope-to-be-budding program finds itself often buried in one of [if not the] best basketball conferences in America any given year. It’s a near impossible task, requiring endless work on the recruiting trail, endless effort in player development and no small amount of luck to go with it. One might recall an early Wisconsin basket that counted [two points] despite an obvious shot clock violation, a bit of bad luck when the night was all said and done.
All of this effort, both Thursday night and the past decade, just to stand toe-to-toe against some of the best teams in the nation. The growth of Penn State basketball has never been about being better than the blue bloods, it has been about having a better chance to win, and being Michigan State only gives you a 50-50 shot at beat Michigan State.
Penn State has come close of course, an NIT Title, a would-have-been NCAA Tournament appearance last season and a near NCAA Tournament appearance this season [Ferry says they will play in the NIT this year if invited] are all noteworthy marks of competence. That said, Penn State will end a four-year stretch of maybe the best basketball the program has ever played and have no actual NCAA Tournament appearances to show for it. All of this in spite of being pretty good at basketball.
So much like Thursday night, so close, so much work, so much effort. And then at the last moment the rug is pulled.
“I’m just really, really proud of our guys,” Penn State interim head coach Jim Ferry said after the game. “They just fought all the way to the end this whole season. What these guys have been through, the adversity that they had to deal with. We’re down big late, and the show of love for each other and connectedness and a true caring to come all the way back like that to give yourself a chance to win that game is just phenomenal.”
Of course the Nittany Lions didn’t do themselves any favors either – a motif not unfamiliar before Thursday – falling behind 41-31 at the half as John Harrar sat on the bench saddled with two fouls. Jamari Wheeler continued his strong postseason play with 10 of his own but Myreon Jones’ 11 points on 4-for-11 shooting was the only other double-digit outing for Penn State beyond Sessoms 18.
The comeback did happen, and for that the Nittany Lions should be commended, but the almost wins have been happening for years. So has the effort and the wins that give fans hope, the moments that make the corner fell more turned than on the horizon.
But so often the moments of good for Penn State basketball have been bookended by the moments of heartbreak. The moments when the progress feels real, but the road ahead appears no less steep.
So one more of those losses to round out the past decade feels just about right.
Beyond that more changes await, and what comes next a question only time will answer.
