Micah Shrewsberry: There's No Officiating Bias Against Penn State

Only Dartmouth has attempted fewer free throws than Penn State in the NCAA this season. The Lions' coach explains.

Penn State has labored for years to shoot more free throws, to get more fouls called on opponents and to find some officiating equilibrium. Now, it's first-year coach Micah Shrewsberry's turn to handle that frustration.

"No, I don't think it's like anybody has a Penn State bias," Shrewsberry told reporters Monday in State College. "I don't think these refs go in and are just like, 'Man I hate blue. I ain't calling nothing for them.' It's just how we play is different than other people."

Penn State hosts Michigan State on Tuesday at the Bryce Jordan Center looking to end a three-game losing streak during which foul shooting has been notably absent. The Lions did not take more than seven free throws in any of those games and were a combined 14-for-19 from the line. Their opponents, meanwhile, were a combined 34-for-41.

Penn State ranks last in the Big Ten in free-throw attempts with 267 through 21 games. That's 35 behind Minnesota, which has played one more game. Further, the Lions rank 349th among 350 NCAA Division I basketball teams in free-throw attempts. Dartmouth has attempted 259 in 20 games.

Shrewsberry's frustration with the lack of foul-shooting opportunities boiled over Saturday at Minnesota, where the Lions fell 76-70. Penn State shot 54.7 percent from the field and outrebounded the Gophers by 15 but went 4-for-7 from the line. Minnesota, which notably generated 26 points off turnovers, went 12-for-13 from the line.

"I don't care how they're saying this is going to be called," Shrewsberry said on the Penn State Sports Network's postgame show. "They've made up their minds that they're not going to call Sam [Sessoms'] drives, and that's not fair. And I'm saying something about it. That ain't right.

"Our kids are playing hard as hell, and to allow that to happen, to allow what happened at the end of the game, that doesn't sit well with me. Somebody is going to hear something about this, because this isn't right."

Micah Shrewsberry held nothing back in his postgame interview with Steve Jones and Dick Jerardi, when asked what he saw in the final 3:30 of a game his team lost, 76-70, at Minnesota Saturday night. pic.twitter.com/8QF539WS2N

— Nate Bauer (@NateBauerBWI) February 13, 2022

Following that game, Shrewsberry pointed out that Penn State has attempted fewer than eight free throws per game in this losing streak to Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota. In fact, Penn State has taken 10 or fewer attempts from the line in 10 of its 21 games. The Lions are 3-7 in those games.

Shrewsberry on Monday acknowledged that his team's offensive style contributes to the number of fouls called against it. The Lions don't play a lot of post offense, where they can draw more fouls, and perhaps don't get the same officiating looks as other teams as a result.

“It’s just a matter of maybe people taking time to adjust to what we’re trying to do, or maybe it takes me saying something or talking about it so people see it and understand what really affects us and what doesn’t affect us," Shrewsberry said. "That’s the only thing that I see. I was pretty frustrated at the moment [at Minnesota]. Obviously, you could probably tell that. But at the end of the day, hat’s off to Minnesota. They beat us. And we have to be better. I don’t want to sit here and be like sour grapes."

Ultimately, Shrewsberry said, he doesn't see Penn State getting demonstrably unfair officiating.

"I don’t feel any kind of bias from the league," he said. "Now, if it happens 10 years from now and I’m still talking about it, then, yeah, maybe there is. But I don’t feel that way. I just feel like we’re different in how we play, and what’s important to us might not be important to other teams. But that’s why referees get paid the big bucks.”

Penn State (9-12, 4-9) vs. No. 19 Michigan State (18-6, 9-4)

• When: 6:30 p.m. Tuesday
• Where: Bryce Jordan Center
• TV: Big Ten Network
• Series History: Michigan State leads 42-9
• Last Meeting: Michigan State 80-64 on Dec. 11
• Streaks: Michigan State has won three straight

Game notes: Penn State desperately seeks to turn around this recent swoon, during which it is 1-6 and 0-for-February. The Lions play three games in seven days beginning with Tuesday night's home meeting with Michigan State, which is 16-4 all-time at the Bryce Jordan Center. The Spartans have won four of the last five meetings, with Penn State beating Michigan State 75-70 in February 2020. Shrewsberry said that 6-9 forward Greg is "day to day" after missing the past two games with an injury. Lee had been playing well and added some needed size to the lineup. Penn State's roster has been chaotic this season, with the full team available just five times.

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