Seth Lundy praises Penn State's mental toughness
Seth Lundy and Penn State are on a run at the Big Ten Tournament nobody outside of Happy Valley predicted.
Fresh off defeating Indiana 77-73, the Nittany Lions will go for the title on Sunday against Purdue. Throughout the last few days, Penn State has withstood the best many of the top teams in the Big Ten have to offer, fighting off comeback attempts and keeping the game in hand for the Nittany Lions.
Speaking with the media after holding off a late barrage by the Hoosiers, Lundy explained it’s Penn State’s mental toughness that’s getting them through the trials and tribulations.
“We’ve been dealing with that like this whole tournament,” Lundy said. “The game of basketball is all about runs, and they went on their run, and every time, every single time, we just huddle up and talk to each other and just bring the group back together.
“We feel that we played three road games here. The crowd is always against us and stuff like that. I feel like these teams are closer to this location. So it’s a road mentality. We won’t let the crowd rattle us or nothing. We just stick together and keep fighting.”
Penn State and Seth Lundy had a fantastic shot at the NCAA Tournament before this week, but now they’ve all but booked their ticket. They’ll look to cap off an amazing run with a Big Ten title on Sunday, and enter March Madness feeling the magic.
Jalen Pickett says ‘nobody’s tired’ on Penn State
Moreover, Penn State has already played three games in three nights in this year’s Big Ten Tournament. And after defeating Indiana 77-73 in their last contest, the Nittany Lions will go for win number four in game four. But with this being Penn State’s fourth game in as many nights, one would suspect that the team could be running on fumes. However, that is not the case, according to star guard Jalen Pickett.
“It’s a championship game,” said Pickett. “Nobody’s tired. Nobody’s fatigued. It feels like day one coming up. We’re going to get in with Justin, our trainer, and do some treatment and stretching. We have a routine going at the hotel, so we’re going to get on top of that.”
In the championship game, Penn State will take on the best school in the conference this year, Purdue. In the regular season, the Boilermakers sweep the season series with the Nittany Lions by an average of 16 points. However, this Penn State team in the tournament has shifted things into another gear.
The Nittany Lions have defeated the seventh, second, and third seeds in this year’s tournament. And they’ll get a chance to take down the Big Ten’s one seed on Saturday. So, right now is not the time for fatigue to kick in for Penn State; the Nittany Lions are one win away from a conference title and an automatic bid into this year’s NCAA tournament.