NIT: Penn State crushes Utah to claim title

Penn State cruised to a victory over Utah to claim the NIT title

The Penn State Nittany Lions have been one of the hottest college basketball teams over the past two weeks. Starting with a late comeback over Temple, the Nittany Lions went on a four-game win streak that landed them in the NIT championship against Utah Thursday night. Penn State stayed hot and ended the season with a fifth straight win by dominating the Utes 82-66.

Madison Square Garden was transformed into Happy Valley, as a large contingency of fans filled “The World’s Most Famous Arena” to cheer on the Nittany Lions. Included in the crowd, as he was during the semifinals, was head football coach James Franklin.

Coming off a win in the semifinals against Mississippi State in which they experienced an offensive outburst, the hot shooting continued against Thursday. Penn State once again shot over 50 percent from the floor.

The final game of the NIT was never really in doubt, as Penn State led throughout. The Nittany Lions let by one after the first quarter and turned that into a five-point lead at halftime. Penn State took over in the third quarter and never looked back.

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Shooting from long range was the difference in the game for the Nittany Lions. They shot 41 percent from behind the arc, led by Lamar Stevens‘ four three-pointers. Stevens had a monster game and finished with a team-high 28 points.

Of course, Penn State’s three-pointers can’t be talked about without mentioning Shep Garner. The senior was the best in the Big Ten from behind the arc this season and hit several big shots throughout the course of the NIT. He had just eight points against Utah, but hit two big threes that helped fuel the Penn State victory.

Penn State, as it did the entire tournament, got great production from the trio of Stevens, Tony Carr and Josh Reaves. Carr recorded a double-double with 15 points and 14 assists, while Reaves had 18 points and six boards.

An underrated star for the Nittany Lions in the victory was forward John Harrar. The six-foot-nine freshman filled in admirably for Mike Watkins by pulling down 12 boards.

Utah struggled against the Nittany Lions. The Utes shot just 43 percent from the field and really had trouble getting anything going, particularly in the second half. Outside of the 22 points from Sedrick Barefield, the Utes found it tough to find production.

Things got more difficult for Utah when big man David Colette went down with an injury in the second quarter and never returned. His absence really hurt the Utes, as they ended up getting outrebounded 34-27.

For Penn State, Thursday’s victory marked the second NIT championship since the 2009 season. Head coach Patrick Chambers has done a remarkable job in recruiting and has the program on the rise. Although the Nittany Lions missed out on this year’s NCAA Tournament, a win in the NIT is nothing to scoff at.

Penn State will look to use the win over the Utes as a building block heading into next season.

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