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Penn State basketball playing for more than a game: Hoops Show

Headshot 5x7 reduced qualityby:Thomas Frank Carr•03/16/23•

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Jalen Pickett Penn State Basketball On3
CHICAGO, IL - MARCH 12: Purdue Boilermakers guard Braden Smith (3) guards Penn State Nittany Lions guard Jalen Pickett (22) during the first half of the of the Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament championship game between the Purdue Boilermakers and the Penn State Nittany Lions on March 12, 2023, at the United Center in Chicago, IL. (Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Penn State basketball takes on Texas A&M in their first NCAA Tournament game since 2011. The road to this moment was as dramatic as you could imagine through the regular season. Now, with head coach Micah Shrewsberry at the top of several head coaching searches, the program is once again at a crossroads before the most important game of the season.

Today on the BWI Hoops Show, insider Nate Bauer and host Thomas Frank Carr discuss how that journey led the Penn State basketball program and Shrewsberry to where they are now. Subscribe to the Hoops show wherever you get your podcasts.

How we got to this point with Shrewsberry

But to start the conversation about where Penn State’s basketball program is going, we have to start with the game tonight. The team reached unexpected heights, given where they were in January and even where they were in the middle of February. Despite that, the team went on a run that boosted morale around the program.

Related: What is Penn State facing against Texas A&M in NCAA Tournament? Scouting the Aggies

But support around the program is different than support from the university. How does that support from Penn State line up after the team has won its way into the spotlight for the first time in over a decade? Bauer gives T-Frank the lowdown on how things played out.

Penn State’s head basketball coach finally has leverage

Earlier this week, head coach Micah Shrewsberry was directly asked if he’ll be the Penn State head basketball coach next season. Here’s his response.

“You know, that’s a great question. There’s been a lot of those. I told our guys after the Rutgers game that I felt like I let them down as a coach. And I didn’t feel like I did my best.

So I told them that’ll never happen again. Right. That’s all I’m focused on is being that person for them. All right. This is we’ve just played four games in four days. We’ve had our backs against the wall for three weeks, and now I’m getting ready to coach my first opportunity as a head coach to be in an NCAA tournament game.

I don’t have time to focus on anything else but just being the best version for these guys. And that’s all I’m focused on. When when the offseason comes, then I can focus on other things. But I’m tunnel-visioned on playing this game for our guys tomorrow,” Shrewsberry said.”

T-Frank and Bauer discuss what kind of support Shrewsberry is fighting for at Penn State and where it comes from. Does giving resources to the basketball program take away from football? Can the program return a profit for those investments? They discuss all of that and preview the upcoming basketball game.

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