PSU Hoops' Micah Shrewsberry, Jalen Pickett preview Wisconsin
If you’re still reeling from Penn State’s thrilling double-overtime win over Iowa on Monday, well, too bad. The Big Ten slate means you can’t dwell on things like that for too long, just as Micah Shrewsberry told the media Thursday.
Shrewsberry also talked about those overtimes and specifically the unlikely game-tying shots from both Keegan Murray and Myles Dread, but he said they’re not something you can prepare for. Instead, you’ve got to be able to take it in stride and move on.
If you can’t, you’ll get caught off guard right after. He likened it to Penn State’s game against Ohio State where the Nittany Lions came out hot, but Ohio State flipped the momentum right back after a timeout.
“The Big Ten's unforgiving,” Shrewsberry said. “You have a good game and get a chance to think about or celebrate it or dwell on it for a couple hours, and then reality sets in that your next game is against a top-15 opponent.”
He also emphasized the importance of having a short memory during the tough conference schedule.
Penn State goes on the road Saturday for a tipoff with Wisconsin at 6 p.m. and heads back home on Tuesday to host Michigan at 9 p.m.
Here are some of the top storylines Shrewsberry and guard Jalen Pickett touched on during their weekly media availability on Thursday.
WISCONSIN AND JOHNNY DAVIS
Before a loss to Illinois Wednesday night, Wisconsin was sitting at the top of the Big Ten standings. The Badgers are now just one game back from Illinois in the rankings and are No. 11 in the country.
A big part of Wisconsin’s success this season? Top National Player of the Year candidate, guard Johnny Davis.
“Yeah… He’s a pretty good player,” Shrewsberry said with a laugh.
Davis leads Wisconsin in four stat categories, averaging 21.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game.
He’s the epitome of a stat-sheet stuffer, and the Nittany Lions will have their hands full handling him.
Seth Lundy has been tasked with the opposition’s best player all season and has done extremely well for most of the season, but Shrewsberry admitted he’ll need his whole team locked in on Davis.
“He does such a good job of attacking all the time, whether it's off the dribble, whether it's in the post, whether it's off cuts, whether it's coming to the offensive glass,” Shrewsberry said. “He puts a lot of pressure on the people that are guarding him, but he puts a lot of pressure on your whole team.
“He's a total team focus guy. Seth may be matched up on him but everybody should know what he's trying to do. Because he's that good.”
Penn State isn’t preparing for the Badgers to shoot 3-pointers at a high volume, but Greg Gard’s team will attack the paint over and over again and crash the offensive glass consistently.
PICKETT'S SHOT CLOCK MAGIC
If you’ve been watching the Nittany Lions lately, you’ve seen Jalen Pickett hit at least a handful of absolute prayers as the shot clock is winding down.
He was asked about it Thursday, but he said it’s not any kind of innate ability, it comes from a lot of 1-on-1s between the team after practice is over.
“At the end of the shot clock, you just gotta get a shot up,” Pickett said. “Just practicing different angles and different and different shots. It’s nothing crazy.”
Pickett’s had quite an affinity for the clutch shot since conference play started. It seems like he does it at least twice a game now, but it’s not entirely surprising for someone who handles the ball as much as he does.
One particular shot against Indiana, though, stood out as one that surprised him quite a bit.
“I like threw it behind my back and then just tossed that one up,” Pickett said. “I thought it was way off, and then it went in the air and it went in and I was like, 'Wow, that was... That was something right there."
And, Pickett made sure to confirm that he wins most of those 1-on-1 matchups, “of course.”
PLAYING ON THE ROAD
It’s not rocket science to know that playing on the road is tougher than playing at home, but something about the Big Ten and Big Ten atmospheres makes it even harder.
Penn State has certainly experienced that in full force, as the Nittany Lions are just 1-5 away from the Bryce Jordan Center this year.
Pickett, who transferred in from mid-major Siena, said he relishes the rowdy road environments in the Big Ten, appreciating having the fans and students right on top of him as opposed to the “older crowds” of the MAAC.
Whether he enjoys the environment or not, he also knows his team hasn’t had much success on road trips.
“ It's always hard to win on the road, especially in the Big Ten and going to a place like Wisconsin, where they're one of the better teams in the league,” Pickett said. “You have to come prepared and focus on what's ahead. We haven't had a good showing on the road in a couple games, so we need to have a good game.”
Shrewsberry said the biggest key to success on the road is “resiliency.” When things don’t go your way, you have to respond well.
He used Michigan State, Iowa and Indiana road losses as examples, where his team let up some big runs and couldn’t get back in it or weren’t entirely prepared from the start.
Shrewsberry said you don’t have to play perfectly, but you can’t beat yourself. He doesn’t want to see his team turn the ball over, he wants them to be strong on the glass and he wants them to stick to the scouting report.
Then, he pulled out a nod to New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick.
“You can't win until you keep [yourself] from losing,” Shrewsberry said.
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