MBB @ Nebraska at 4:30

[87 Penn St8]

i'll be surprised if he uses a 5th year at ps. i wouldn't be surprised if he looked for a place where he could get to the tourney at least one time. wouldn't blame him if he did.

If he were my son I'd definitely consider all alternatives.....and once you think that way you are likely gone.

I can also see him staying to be the clear #1 option and further showcase his defensive skills, which have improved tremendously over his time here and are likely his ticket to a possible NBA roster spot.

If Coach can get Brad Steven's to provide an honest critique of Lundy s game, and CoCh can show w plan on how he believes he can grow Seth, then he may stick around.

Iowa State made the Tourney and Brockington was a leder with great moments, but he was s 3 transfer guy. Does he bleed Cyclone cream and red? Myreon Jones probably wishes he was still at State so there is s cautionary tale.

Seth has only been here- could be an all time PSU great. We really need him both on the court and as s leader in the locker room. We'll see.

 

[The Kid Twist]

Where are 5 wins coming from? Maybe, maybe Minny on the road and that is it for a road win. After that Wisky could be a W at home or should be. Possibly MD at home. Certain losses the way we look, NW on the road, O$U on the road (yeah I know they have lost like 6 in a row but will look like an NBA team against us when at home). MD on the road and Rutgers at home looks like losses. Illinois is a toss up at home. Give it to us. That would be 4-4, winning two toss ups, at Minny and vs Illini. 5-3 is very generous and says we get one more like beating Rutgers at home or O$U on the road. I hope I'm wrong but I keep expecting this team to put a complete game together on the road since Illinois two months ago and it has not happened.

It's Penn State Basketball! Never invest too much into it. We are consistent. We never gonna win more that 3-4 games in a row tops. It is what it is. We are lower middle of the pack Big 10 teams. Yes, we can knock off one of the top dogs here and there but then we will drop the next game to a patsy that we should crush. My advice, watch Penn State Wrestling!!! MUCH MORE FULFILLING!!

 

[bcspsu]

It's Penn State Basketball! Never invest too much into it. We are consistent. We never gonna win more that 3-4 games in a row tops. It is what it is. We are lower middle of the pack Big 10 teams. Yes, we can knock off one of the top dogs here and there but then we will drop the next game to a patsy that we should crush. My advice, watch Penn State Wrestling!!! MUCH MORE FULFILLING!!

In the past, I've compared PSU basketball to Indiana football, and unfortunately that's all it's ever going to be. I hope that I'm wrong, but I doubt it; I have years and years of history to support my position.

 

[Obliviax]

In the past, I've compared PSU basketball to Indiana football, and unfortunately that's all it's ever going to be. I hope that I'm wrong, but I doubt it; I have years and years of history to support my position.

yeah...it takes so much to build a program and that has only gotten harder with one-and-done, NIL, and almost unlimited xfers. Add in the NBA's "D-league". The bottom line is that the best are going to go play for an established program or if they get overlooked, xfer into one (or the D-league) as soon as they can.

and you get nights like Neb had where some bench kid comes in hitting half-court shots and scoring out of his mind. PSU just didn't have the firepower to offset that.

I watched the Rose Bowl again, the other night. Utah new that they had to take chances to they packed the box with 8 players and tried to take away the run and short passing game. PSU hits a long run for a TD, then hits a long pass (after faking a medium route play). The single S was out of position on the run and bit on the pass. Game over. But it was all due to the fact that Utah recognized that they needed to play outside of themselves to win. With that kid going off, PSU was in the same position vs. Neb. PSU made a game of it but simply didn't have the depth (bench) and balance (inside game) to come back.

 

[bcspsu]

yeah...it takes so much to build a program and that has only gotten harder with one-and-done, NIL, and almost unlimited xfers. Add in the NBA's "D-league". The bottom line is that the best are going to go play for an established program or if they get overlooked, xfer into one (or the D-league) as soon as they can.

and you get nights like Neb had where some bench kid comes in hitting half-court shots and scoring out of his mind. PSU just didn't have the firepower to offset that.

I watched the Rose Bowl again, the other night. Utah new that they had to take chances to they packed the box with 8 players and tried to take away the run and short passing game. PSU hits a long run for a TD, then hits a long pass (after faking a medium route play). The single S was out of position on the run and bit on the pass. Game over. But it was all due to the fact that Utah recognized that they needed to play outside of themselves to win. With that kid going off, PSU was in the same position vs. Neb. PSU made a game of it but simply didn't have the depth (bench) and balance (inside game) to come back.

With that said, it's absurd that this program only has been to the NCAA Tournament 2 or 3 times since it began Big 10 play (they also would've made it in 2020 if not for the unnecessary shutdown), which now goes back to 1993. Other than Northwestern, which only has made the tournament once in their history and probably will make it this season, that has to be the worst percentage of any Big 10 school that has played the last 30 seasons in this conference.

 

[bdgan]

Remaining games/predictions:

W - Wisc
L - @ MD
L - ILL
W - @ Minn
W - @ OSU
L - Rut
W - @ NW
L - MD

That's 4-4 and will make us 18-13, 9-11. PSU would then have to win at least 2 games which is a tall order since they won't play any of the bottom 4 teams. That would make us 20-14, 11-12. We would have a better chance if we could finish the regular season 5-3 but that would require a win over either Illinois or Maryland at home.

 

[Obliviax]

With that said, it's absurd that this program only has been to the NCAA Tournament 2 or 3 times since it began Big 10 play (they also would've made it in 2020 if not for the unnecessary shutdown), which now goes back to 1993. Other than Northwestern, which only has made the tournament once in their history and probably will make it this season, that has to be the worst percentage of any Big 10 school that has played the last 30 seasons in this conference.

True...especially with Philly in our backyard.

 

[bcspsu]

True...especially with Philly in our backyard.

Also, in recent years, except for Villanova, the Philly schools, including Temple, really have declined. Therefore, you would think that a lot of those blue chip Philly kids who normally would've stayed home to go to Temple or St. Joe's now would want to go to PSU. And that doesn't even include places like DC and Baltimore.

It's frustrating when a starter on Purdue, the number one ranked team in the country, went to Butler High School north of Pittsburgh. Did he ever consider going to PSU?

 

[ryoder1]

With that said, it's absurd that this program only has been to the NCAA Tournament 2 or 3 times since it began Big 10 play (they also would've made it in 2020 if not for the unnecessary shutdown), which now goes back to 1993. Other than Northwestern, which only has made the tournament once in their history and probably will make it this season, that has to be the worst percentage of any Big 10 school that has played the last 30 seasons in this conference.

I agree we should be better. Hoping Shrews can turn the corner for this program but the jury is out. If we miraculously make the Dance this year, great, and it will give the program a big jolt of confidence and momentum. If not and it is certainly trending that way, then still Shrews is the guy but we have to get to the Dance either in '23-'24 or '24-25 otherwise he gone and bring in another guy. As others have said, we look like Indiana football at this stage, a little more competitive but in that range.

 

[Erial_Lion]

It's frustrating when a starter on Purdue, the number one ranked team in the country, went to Butler High School north of Pittsburgh. Did he ever consider going to PSU?

Morton was offered, but don’t recall him seriously considering us.

 

[ryoder1]

Remaining games/predictions:

W - Wisc
L - @ MD
L - ILL
W - @ Minn
W - @ OSU
L - Rut
W - @ NW
L - MD

That's 4-4 and will make us 18-13, 9-11. PSU would then have to win at least 2 games which is a tall order since they won't play any of the bottom 4 teams. That would make us 20-14, 11-12. We would have a better chance if we could finish the regular season 5-3 but that would require a win over either Illinois or Maryland at home.

We are not beating both OSU and Minny on the road. We only have Pickett and one other random guy ever show up for road games plus we manage to allow a random role player from the other team to have the game of their life. I know both teams are bottom of the Big Ten but trust me when they play us they will look good. We could beat Illinois at home but bottom line is this team is staring at a losing conf record and needing to pull off upsets in the BTT to go dancing.

 

[ryoder1]

Are Booth and Shrewsberry's kid good enough to start for us next year and make a difference and/or give us a nice upgrade in talent? Looking for some positives in the future.

 

[bcspsu]

Morton was offered, but don’t recall him seriously considering us.

Well, that's a problem. At the very least, PSU needs to start landing many of these in-state D-1 players. My nephew goes to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart High School in Moon Township in suburban Pittsburgh, which has won the last two PA Single A State Championships and just set the PA record for most consecutive wins this season. Anyway, despite OLSH being a small Catholic school, it's been a basketball powerhouse for several years now that has produced, among others, a kid who went to Pitt and transferred to UNC who was drafted by the Phoenix Suns and still is playing for them, and his brother, who also went to Moon High School, who currently is on the Tar Heels and played in the NCAA Championship last year. I wonder whether PSU ever recruited these brothers, or did they ignore them because they played for a Single A school?

 

[bison13]

Well, that's a problem. At the very least, PSU needs to start landing many of these in-state D-1 players. My nephew goes to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart High School in Moon Township in suburban Pittsburgh, which has won the last two PA Single A State Championships and just set the PA record for most consecutive wins this season. Anyway, despite OLSH being a small Catholic school, it's been a basketball powerhouse for several years now that has produced, among others, a kid who went to Pitt and transferred to UNC who was drafted by the Phoenix Suns and still is playing for them, and his brother, who also went to Moon High School, who currently is on the Tar Heels and played in the NCAA Championship last year. I wonder whether PSU ever recruited these brothers, or did they ignore them because they played for a Single A school?

Hardly anyone recruited them. SIngle A WPIAL basketball is not that good. The kid had a growth spurt and then blew up at Pitt. The kid who broke the WPIAL scoring record is no more than a D2 player. They are not athletic enough to play D1.

These kids dont get recruited by their HS teams anyhow, its all AAU. PLus the really good kids all go to one of the academies like IMG or La Lumiere to play and leave their local HS.

 

[bdgan]

Are Booth and Shrewsberry's kid good enough to start for us next year and make a difference and/or give us a nice upgrade in talent? Looking for some positives in the future.

They will both play but I don't expect much from them as freshmen. Look at this year's group of freshmen and remember they were ranked pretty high.

 

[Lattner]

Seton Hall - somewhere in N Jersey - walking distance to 11 Taco joints - been to the dance 6 out of the last 10 years.

Maybe somebody should do some research.

 

[The Spin Meister]

Seton Hall - somewhere in N Jersey - walking distance to 11 Taco joints - been to the dance 6 out of the last 10 years.

Maybe somebody should do some research.

So you are saying the training table should force feeding tacos to the players?

 

[bcspsu]

Hardly anyone recruited them. SIngle A WPIAL basketball is not that good. The kid had a growth spurt and then blew up at Pitt. The kid who broke the WPIAL scoring record is no more than a D2 player. They are not athletic enough to play D1.

These kids dont get recruited by their HS teams anyhow, its all AAU. PLus the really good kids all go to one of the academies like IMG or La Lumiere to play and leave their local HS.

I don't think that school class means as much with basketball as with football; if you're good, you're good. Also, I know that OLSH always plays schools above their division in pre-season, tournaments and non-conference games, and usually beats them.

Did you see the Big 10 show about Chris Street recently. One of the points in that program was there was a bias against recruiting Iowa high school players. Well, until he was killed, that kid was on his way to becoming an AA despite playing Iowa high school basketball against a bunch of other farm kids.

Regardless, PSU simply isn't getting enough really good recruits from its own backyard, and that has to end. With the retirement of Jay Wright, PSU needs to set a goal of being the top D-1 program in its own state, which it clearly isn't right now, and that starts with in-state recruiting because there's a lot of basketball talent here, especially in the Eastern part.

 

[ryoder1]

I don't think that school class means as much with basketball as with football; if you're good, you're good. Also, I know that OLSH always plays schools above their division in pre-season, tournaments and non-conference games, and usually beats them.

Did you see the Big 10 show about Chris Street recently. One of the points in that program was there was a bias against recruiting Iowa high school players. Well, until he was killed, that kid was on his way to becoming an AA despite playing Iowa high school basketball against a bunch of other farm kids.

Regardless, PSU simply isn't getting enough really good recruits from its own backyard, and that has to end. With the retirement of Jay Wright, PSU needs to set a goal of being the top D-1 program in its own state, which it clearly isn't right now, and that starts with in-state recruiting because there's a lot of basketball talent here, especially in the Eastern part.

No doubt a lot of talent but can we get gamechangers? So many other good programs right in our recruiting area. Pitt, Villanova, Rutgers, Seton Hall, Ohio State, Maryland. Even Temple. We have no pedigree. At least make the dance more than once out of 20 years to start to become relevant.

 

[LandoComando]

Did people really think this was an NCAA tourney caliber team? They're not very good. I think people just want to believe in Shrewsberry and made them into something they're not. His resume (Purdue/Celtics) was impressive but no REAL head coaching experience and it's year two at a school that's difficult to recruit at

 

[Erial_Lion]

Did people really think this was an NCAA tourney caliber team? They're not very good. I think people just want to believe in Shrewsberry and made them into something they're not. His resume (Purdue/Celtics) was impressive but no REAL head coaching experience and it's year two at a school that's difficult to recruit at

We’re a borderline NCAA caliber team…some strengths, but also some glaring weaknesses. If things go right over the next month, we’ll dance, but the margin is getting more thin.

 

[bcspsu]

Did people really think this was an NCAA tourney caliber team? They're not very good. I think people just want to believe in Shrewsberry and made them into something they're not. His resume (Purdue/Celtics) was impressive but no REAL head coaching experience and it's year two at a school that's difficult to recruit at

I thought that they had a realistic chance, especially because schools like Michigan, MSU, OSU and Wisconsin all are having down years. However, as the Big 10 season progressed, it became clear that they probably were incapable of winning any additional road games after Illinois, and that is what is going to keep them out of it.

Northwestern most likely is going to make it because they already have road wins against MSU, IU and Wisconsin. PSU is a totally different team on the road than they are at home, and that’s a shame because there were slots waiting to be filled this season.

 

[bdgan]

Did people really think this was an NCAA tourney caliber team?

A lot of people did. I suspect they thought Njie would be better as a top 100 nationally. We consistently get outscored by 20 in the paint.

 

[LandoComando]

I thought that they had a realistic chance, especially because schools like Michigan, MSU, OSU and Wisconsin all are having down years. However, as the Big 10 season progressed, it became clear that they probably were incapable of winning any additional road games after Illinois, and that is what is going to keep them out of it.

Northwestern most likely is going to make it because they already have road wins against MSU, IU and Wisconsin. PSU is a totally different team on the road than they are at home, and that’s a shame because there were slots waiting to be filled this season.

That's fair. With this program I want them to prove it to me before I believe in them.

 

[AWS1022]

Are Booth and Shrewsberry's kid good enough to start for us next year and make a difference and/or give us a nice upgrade in talent? Looking for some positives in the future.

They don’t have to be that good to start next year especially if Lundy leaves.

 

[87 Penn St8]

They don’t have to be that good to start next year especially if Lundy leaves.

Totally agree. Eventhough both young men have had the advantage of being raised by legitimate professional basketball fathers, and both have likely expected to play Dl hoops at a Power 5 level since they were in middle school, training can only mature your body so much. Sometimes it just takes time for kids to develop.

With the Portal we are seeing that there are many really good players out there who needed time to grow nto Big 10 caliber. Some play above their perceived level (Jalen), and others who hit The Peter Principal (Cam).

There is a huge difference between the Andrew Carr (from West Chester East) who was a good player last year on a good Delaware team. and the guy who has been a solid stretch 4 starter for Wake Forest all year.

If Booth and Little Shrew are both starting we are likely looking at a .500 season at best and bottom 3 finish in conference for sure. Even with Seth it could be rebuilding time.

 

[AWS1022]

Totally agree. Eventhough both young men have had the advantage of being raised by legitimate professional basketball fathers, and both have likely expected to play Dl hoops at a Power 5 level since they were in middle school, training can only mature your body so much. Sometimes it just takes time for kids to develop.

With the Portal we are seeing that there are many really good players out there who needed time to grow nto Big 10 caliber. Some play above their perceived level (Jalen), and others who hit The Peter Principal (Cam).

There is a huge difference between the Andrew Carr (from West Chester East) who was a good player last year on a good Delaware team. and the guy who has been a solid stretch 4 starter for Wake Forest all year.

If Booth and Little Shrew are both starting we are likely looking at a .500 season at best and bottom 3 finish in conference for sure. Even with Seth it could be rebuilding time.

Whether they start or not we are looking at a .500 season at best and bottom 3 in the conference. Our returners aren’t carrying us into the top of the conference, that’s for sure. Assuming our guys develop and get better and assuming we can fill in some holes through the portal, we are still at least two more years away from even sniffing an NCAA appearance IMO.

 

[bcspsu]

Whether they start or not we are looking at a .500 season at best and bottom 3 in the conference. Our returners aren’t carrying us into the top of the conference, that’s for sure. Assuming our guys develop and get better and assuming we can fill in some holes through the portal, we are still at least two more years away from even sniffing an NCAA appearance IMO.

So in other words, next season isn't going to be much different than this season.

 

[AWS1022]

So in other words, next season isn't going to be much different than this season.

It will be worse.

 

[The Spin Meister]

It will be worse.

Yep.

 

[LongJakk]

If you want PSU hoops to win then put your money where your mouth/keyboard are and help fund their NIL. People who know NIL say we need $500k/year minimum to attract hoops players, but $1m/yr would make us competitive for the top 100 kids.

 

[The Spin Meister]

In the past, I've compared PSU basketball to Indiana football, and unfortunately that's all it's ever going to be. I hope that I'm wrong, but I doubt it; I have years and years of history to support my position.

Excellent comparison. At IU basketball is king, gets all the glory and feeds it self on that tradition. Football is a secondary sport that sometimes is pretty decent but doesn’t have enough momentum/tradition to be consistently a top 10-15 team.

At Penn State, it is switched. And it is very difficult for basketball to break through that ceiling and be consistently good.

 

[LongJakk]

It will be worse.

You are ignoring the portal. We definitely will need a couple of guys. Especially a SF and PF and maybe a PG if Clary isn't ready to start and lead the team next season.

 

[AWS1022]

You are ignoring the portal. We definitely will need a couple of guys. Especially a SF and PF and maybe a PG if Clary isn't ready to start and lead the team next season.

I’m not sure we can get the kind of portal guys that make a difference immediately. Funk has been good, but our other guys haven’t been great. I know Pickett is a portal guy, but he’s been here two years.

 

[bdgan]

I’m not sure we can get the kind of portal guys that make a difference immediately. Funk has been good, but our other guys haven’t been great. I know Pickett is a portal guy, but he’s been here two years.

Pickett was good last year too. D.J. Newbill was also good when he first arrived. The question is can we get 1 or 2 guys at that level?

 

[AWS1022]

Pickett was good last year too. D.J. Newbill was also good when he first arrived. The question is can we get 1 or 2 guys at that level?

The big question is should I bother watching the game tonight? I know it’s a home game, but we never seem to be able to beat Wiscy at home or away. And Pickett was good last year, but not like he is this year.

 

[bdgan]

The big question is should I bother watching the game tonight? I know it’s a home game, but we never seem to be able to beat Wiscy at home or away. And Pickett was good last year, but not like he is this year.

IMO PSU has to finish 5-3 which means they have to win the games where they're favored and pull one upset. If they beat Wisconsin tonight they still have a chance. If they lose you can stick a fork in them.

 

[AWS1022]

IMO PSU has to finish 5-3 which means they have to win the games where they're favored and pull one upset. If they beat Wisconsin tonight they still have a chance. If they lose you can stick a fork in them.

They’ve lost 9 of their last 10 against Wiscy I believe, so it doesn’t look good coming into it.

 

[bdgan]

They’ve lost 9 of their last 10 against Wiscy I believe, so it doesn’t look good coming into it.

ESPN gives us a 71% chance. Of course they gave us a 61% chance against Nebraska and we know how that worked out.

 

[AWS1022]

ESPN gives us a 71% chance. Of course they gave us a 61% chance against Nebraska and we know how that worked out.

I’m not sure ESPN has taken into account our pathetic history against the Badgers.