Jalen Pickett, Penn State set for crucial B1G Tournament opener

Jalen Pickett had already notched 20 points in a critical December win for the Nittany Lions in December. Needing a bounce-back on the road, the Penn State point guard made 9-of-17 shots, nabbed six rebounds, and dished out six assists.

More than two months later in a rematch at the Bryce Jordan Center, Pickett had most of the same stat line by halftime. Popping off for 41 points on 15-of-20 shooting, including a season-high five made 3-pointers, his 41 points proved critical in a 93-81 win.

“I made my first couple of shots, felt good, and had a little bounce in my step. I was just making shots and coaches just kept telling me, take my opportunities as they come,” Pickett said. “So, I felt like they were trying to make me score a little bit today. They weren’t helping off. So when teams do that, I’m gonna have to try and make plays for myself.”

Jalen Pickett your poison

Thursday evening in Chicago, Penn State will be counting on Pickett’s confidence continuing. Set to face the 7-seed Illini in the third matchup of the season between the two teams (6:30 p.m., BTN), the 10-seed Nittany Lions won’t know how coach Brad Underwood will try to handle their first-team All-Big Ten guard. 

Changing their approach between the first matchup and the second, Pickett and Underwood each painted a picture of a poison pill to the Illini. Pickett said that, with the Illini consistently switching off Penn State’s perimeter action, his aggressiveness in getting into the paint and taking advantage of poor closeouts from the arc became of paramount importance. 

Meanwhile, Underwood explained that early mistakes set the stage for a calamitous night all the way around in trying to keep Pickett in check. 

“That’s their whole deal. That’s why they’re really hard to guard, and it’s why it’s really hard to play little guards. You pick your poison. Who do you want to put him on? Our debate all week was, do we put Jayden (Epps) and Sencire (Harris) on (Myles) Dread or their big guy? Because they force you to switch because Funk is an elite screener. And then he blurs a lot. And they force you to handle that switch.

“They do as much guard-on-guard screening, because of Pickett, than anybody in the country. And then when he can keep the ball all night and never have to give it up. If you blitz them, he passes it out. And I think they’re one of the best teams in the country in the lowest turnover rate out of double teams. Good offensive team. It’s a really good offensive team.”

Survive and advance

The start of a run of five wins in six games to close out the regular season, Penn State’s decision over Illinois was followed by much of the same elements. Still, No. 5 nationally for assist-to-turnover ratio, and No. 4 in 3-pointers made per game, the Nittany Lions’ formula, versatile but still heavily reliant on Pickett’s influence, hasn’t changed. 

But, as previewed by Penn State head coach Micah Shrewsberry earlier this week, neither has Illinois. Though combining for a 27-point advantage in its two wins, Penn State is very much expecting to see an Illinois team undeterred by the prior outcomes, and capable of creating problems.

“You gotta play well. They’re one of the most talented teams in our league. They cause problems in a lot of different ways,” Shrewsberry said. “They can do it defensively, they can do it offensively. So they’re not sitting there like, ‘Oh man, we got to play Penn State.’ Their hair is probably on fire getting ready to come to play us. So we have to play well. That’s the number one thing. 

“What’s happened before has no implications on what’s going to happen on Thursday. It’s a brand new game, just like when we played them Valentine’s Day was completely different than the first game. Paper doesn’t play the games. The players do. And I’m sure their players will be ready to play. Our players will be ready to play and it should be a battle.”

The winner will face No. 2-seed Northwestern on Friday at 6:30 p.m. That game will also be broadcast by the BTN.