Penn State Basketball can still get one big win this season

Penn State Basketball is coming off of its best season in over a decade, but numerous questions remain. 

The miracle run for Penn State Basketball came to an end on Saturday night with a loss to Texas in the Round of 32.

While it was heartbreaking, this was a successful season considering it was the first time the Nittany Lions made the NCAA Tournament since 2011 and this first time the program won a tournament game since 2001.

Penn State is set to lose the majority of its key contributors from this season. Jalen Pickett, Andrew Funk, Cam Wynter, Michael Henn and Myles Dread are all out of eligibility. Meanwhile, Seth Lundy has the option to come back if he wants, but it’s unclear if that will happen.

There’s nothing Penn State can do about that, but there is one person the school can retain, and that’s head coach Micah Shrewsberry.

The second-year head coach has been linked to numerous job openings lately, most notably Notre Dame and Georgetown. Taking a program that notoriously struggles to the tournament in year two has caught the attention of some of the big boys in the country.

It’s time for Penn State to act like a big boy when it comes to basketball.

With the roster turnover, next will be a transition year of sorts, but losing Shrewsberry could make the next two or three years a transition. That will likely lose the program the fan buy-in it received towards the end of this season.

Athletic director Pat Kraft has been serious about winning since taking the job last year. He’s gone viral for his reactions at basketball games and wrestling matches recently. Kraft cares, and he shows it.

It seems as though Kraft is serious about winning in basketball because late last week Jon Rothstein reported that Penn State is prepared make a serious offer to Shrewsberry that will keep him in Happy Valley for the long haul.

The season may be over, but Penn State Basketball can still get a huge victory this season by keeping Shrewsberry around.