Twitter Fell in Love During Penn State's NCAA Tournament Opener

The Lions and hot-shooting Andrew Funk drew plenty of attention during their first-round win over Texas A&M.

Penn State turned Twitter on its side Thursday with a 76-59 win over Texas A&M in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Penn State's first tournament victory since 2001 included a legendary performance from Andrew Funk (27 points on 8-10 from 3-point range) and Jalen Pickett's All-American night (19 points, eight assists, seven rebounds).

Social media became Lions fans Thursday. We'll see if that continues Saturday, when Penn State meets second-seeded Texas in the second round.

First, the history.

Then, ESPN's Dick Vitale chimed in.

Penn State's official football account renamed March for basketball coach Micah Shrewsberry.

CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein continued lobbying for Shrewsberry and an extension. The Penn State coach discussed that before the tournament.

Former Penn State player Lamar Stevens joined the conversation.

At one point, Funk was a trending topic.

And, of course, Dez Bryant called it.

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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.


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Mark Wogenrich
MARK WOGENRICH

Mark Wogenrich is Editor and Publisher of AllPennState, the site for Penn State news on SI's FanNation Network. He has covered Penn State sports for more than two decades across three coaching staffs and three Rose Bowls.