Micah Shrewsberry harps on maintaining defensive intensity in 2nd half vs. Indiana

Penn State took a 34-26 lead into the half over Indiana in the second Big Ten Tournament semifinal on Saturday, and head coach Micah Shrewsberry knows his squad of capable of taking this upset to the finish line. To do so, though, the Nittany Lions will need to play another 20 minutes of great basketball.

Easily the biggest challenge for Penn State is handling Indiana center Trayce Jackson-Davis, one of the best players in the conference and a matchup nightmare against a PSU team without much by way of a true big man. And though Jackson-Davis is on pace for a double-double with 10 points and five rebounds at the half, Shrewsberry feels his defense has done by doubling in the post — and will continue to change things up and work to frustrate the star Hoosier.

“I think our guys are playing really hard. We’re following the game plan. We’re trying to change some different things on Trayce and keep him off balance. He’s such a tough matchup for us, especially when we’re small. So, just try and keep him off balance as much as possible. Don’t let him get to the rim, and try and rebound,” Shrewsberry said on the CBS broadcast.

And while Penn State did well for itself offensively in the first 20 minutes, scoring 34 points behind 13 from Jalen Pickett and another 11 from Seth Lundy, Shrewsberry thinks they can hit another level.

In the first half, Penn State had four assists on 10 made baskets. Shrewsberry thinks if the ball gets moving more, his squad can get even easier offense.

“I think we held it a little bit too much at times, offensively. There’s chances for us to move it, get to some early passes when they over help, and now we’re able to attack the rim more. We’re gotta get more layups,” Shrewsberry said.