How James Franklin Nudged Along Penn State Basketball

The Lions took a tip from the football team. 'Tell them thank you for that,' Jalen Pickett said.

After his team's win at Minnesota last week, Penn State coach Micah Shrewsberry channeled his football counterpart.

James Franklin is a true believer in the 1-0 approach to coaching. Shrewsberry certainly follows it too but, for whatever reason, the Lions strayed during a four-game February losing streak.

"Throughout the season you could see [the pressure] take a toll on us a little bit, but the last couple games we tried to get back to having fun and enjoying the process and worrying about the next game," guard Camren Wynter said.

Now, with four regular-season games remaining and a fragile NCAA Tournament bid looming, Shrewsberry has told his team to forget that and play for tonight.

The next tonight arrives Thursday, when the Lions visit Ohio State. For the Lions, winners of their last two, a three-game win streak begins with the first step.

"We definitely took that 1-0 from football," point guard Jalen Pickett said. "So tell them thank you for that."

Penn State (16-11, 7-9) vs. Ohio State (11-16, 3-13)

• When: 6:30 p.m ET Tonight
• Where: Columbus, Ohio
• TV: FS1
• Streaming: FuboTV (start your free trial)
• Penn State NET Ranking: 58
• Ohio State NET Ranking: 64
• Series History: Ohio State leads 43-20
• Last Meeting: Penn State 71-68 in March 2022
• On the Road: Penn State is 6-23 in Columbus

About the Lions: Pickett is having one of the best seasons in school history (Shrewsberry compared him to Batman) and is the nation's only player averaging 18 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists per game. That, in turn, has made teammates around him more confident, which comes at the right right time. Ohio State is the first of four potential Quad 1 opponents the Lions will face to close the regular season. A 3-1 mark in those games (observing the 1-0 rule applies in-house only) gets the Lions right back on the bubble. Of course, Pickett needs help. Seth Lundy has been far more consistent offensively this season, averaging 14.4 points per game. Further, he and Andrew Funk rank 1-2 in the Big Ten in 3-pointers per game (Funk's first) and 3-point field-goal percentage (Lundy's first). The Lions have made 298 3-pointers this season, the most in the Big Ten and two from a single-season school record.

About the Buckeyes: A disappointing season got worse for Ohio State this week, when coach Chris Holtmann announced that Zed Key, the team's leading rebounder, sustained a season-ending shoulder injury. Ohio State has lost 13 of its last 14 games, including eight straight. The last three losses have been by an average of 21 points. Which is why Shrewsberry is painting the Buckeyes as a Big Ten title contender. "I’m sure they’re really frustrated with what’s happening, but ... they have guys who are capable, so you don't prepare for what they are doing," Shrewsberry said. "You prepare for what they're capable of. And they're capable of beating anybody."

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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.