Penn State Tops Illinois, Drawing Closer to an NCAA Tournament Bid

The 20-win Lions stamp their resume with a Big Ten tournament victory over the Illini.

Penn State could have withered under its off-target 3-point shooting early, Illinois' interior play late in the first half and, yes, some officiating decisions that left the team seething.

But the Lions recalibrated for a 14-3 run late in the second half to upend Illinois 79-76 in the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday. The win, Penn State's third over Illinois this season, just might have sealed the team's first NCAA Tournament bid since 2011 and could end the Big Ten's longest tournament drought.   .

But the Lions (20-12) aren't yet done in the Big Ten Tournament. They will face fifth-seeded Northwestern at 6:30 p.m. ET on Friday at the United Center. Big Ten Network will televise.

Penn State, which has won six of its last seven games, has a lineup built for comebacks. It can catch fire shooting 3-pointers, gets defensive stops and has a point guard in Jalen Pickett who operates the offense so skillfully.

Illinois coach Brad Underwood called it "booty ball," in which Pickett backs down defenders and either turns to shoot or sprays outside to his 3-pointer shooters. So when they trailed by as many as six in the second half, the Lions turned to Pickett, Camren Wynter, Andrew Funk and quirky Illinois technical foul to change the tenor.

Dain Dainja gave Illinois a 46-40 lead in the second half on a 3-point play that included a hard-driving layup. But after the play, Dainja inadvertently head-butted Penn State's Myles Dread while celebrating. That drew a technical foul, Funk made both free throws and Illinois called that a "game-changer." After that, the Lions escaped from their corner.

Penn State tied the game on a 9-3 run, then buried Illinois under a 14-3 run that essentially clinched the win. Funk scored 17 of his game-high 20 points in the second half, going 5-for-6 from 3-point range.

Funk's fiery hand mitigated the Lions' sluggish start from 3-point range and ignited an enormous rally. Amid that, Pickett had nine points and five assists, including a monster 3-point play. Wynter scored eight points, and Dread hit a huge 3-pointer to join the party.

Wynter and Seth Lundy were Penn State's offense early, scoring all of the team's first 17 points. Wynter continued his late-season surge with 18 points on 7-for-9 shooting, and Lundy scored 17.

All of which kept Penn State from having to unleash its edge about the officiating. The fouls essentially were event (21-20 Illinois, which fouled late), yet the Lions argued plenty. In the second half, Penn State was called for six of the first seven fouls. That followed a stretch of curious first-half calls, including this one.

Do you agree with this offensive foul call? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/n2klYZAs5T

— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) March 10, 2023

Ultimately it didn't matter, as the Lions might have punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament.

"We're going to play as long as possible," Penn State coach Micah Shrewsberry said. "I'm having fun. I'm having a lot of fun coaching these guys. I think they're having a lot of fun playing with each other.

"...  We're going to prepare the same exact way for Northwestern. We're going to prepare. We're going to be ready to play, and we're going to give it our all tomorrow just because I don't want to let these guys down. I want them to play as long as possible."

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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.