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Penn State Basketball headed to NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011

By Alec Whitaker

Mar 5, 2023; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lion players sing their alma mater following the completion of the game against the Maryland Terrapins at Bryce Jordan Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 5, 2023; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lion players sing their alma mater following the completion of the game against the Maryland Terrapins at Bryce Jordan Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports /
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Penn State Basketball is back in the Dance after a 12-year absence.

Penn State Basketball received some good news just moments after losing the Big Ten Championship in heartbreaking fashion to Purdue.

The Nittany Lions are headed to the NCAA Tournament as a 10 seed. They will face the No. 7 seed Texas A&M Aggies in Des Moines, IA on Thursday.

Penn State, led by second-year head coach Micah Shrewsberry, went 22-13 this season. The Nittany Lions were in some trouble during the middle of the season but regrouped to close out the season.

The Nittany Lions were 14-11 in the middle of February but went 8-2 in the last ten games of the season. That includes three Big Ten Tournament wins, which cemented Penn State’s place in March Madness.

While this is the oldest team in the country, this was a fantastic coaching job by Shrewsberry. Taking a team that has made the tournament just nine times in its history back to the Tournament in just year two was nothing short of impressive.

The Nittany Lions will be a tough out because of their strong guard play and ability to hit shots from behind the arc in bunches. Texas A&M will be a tough challenge though. The Aggies were 25-9 this season, including a win over top overall seed Alabama.

Like Penn State, Texas A&M also lost its conference tournament championship on Sunday, so this is a battle of two teams looking for a bounce-back win on Thursday.

Penn State Basketball has not won an NCAA Tournament game since 2001, when the Nittany Lions made it all the way to the Sweet 16.

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