Penn State hoops: Seth Lundy 'day-to-day' after missing Ohio State game

A day after dropping a 61-56 decision at No. 16 Ohio State, Penn State head coach Micah Shrewsberry remained mum on the game’s biggest factor.

Or, in the case of the Nittany Lions, non-factor.

Traveling to Columbus without junior forward Seth Lundy, Penn State was forced to compete without its leading scorer. Citing university policies, Shrewsberry said Monday, as he’d done after the game, that he couldn’t disclose the reason for Lundy’s absence as a result. 

“Unfortunately, I’m not allowed to,” he said. “I’m not allowed to talk about injuries or illnesses. I try to be as forthcoming with you guys as possible, but at some point in time, my hands are tied behind my back in terms of what I can say. That’s a matter that we’re not allowed to speak on right now.”

Seth Lundy’s impact

Though Lundy wasn’t able to travel or participate due to unspecified injury or illness, he did Tweet during the game that he was watching from his bed. 

What Shrewsberry was able to say, however, was the impact Lundy’s absence has on Penn State’s performance.

Squaring off against a Big Ten opponent averaging more than 75 points per game coming into the matchup, the Nittany Lions made adjustments defensively without Lundy. After helping to limit Buckeyes’ forward E.J. Liddell to just 14 points in the first matchup between the two teams in December, Lundy’s absence led to a fouling barrage on the Buckeye. Getting to the line for 12 free throws, Liddell led Ohio State with 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting with eight rebounds to boot.

More than Lundy’s defensive presence, though, Shrewsberry noted Penn State’s team shooting difficulties as a prime byproduct of the absence.

“We missed a lot of open shots. We missed a lot of the wide-open threes from the corners, his threes from the top,” Shrewsberry said. “I don’t have the numbers in front of me, but Seth probably takes 12 to 14 shots a game right. Some of those passes, some of those wide-open shots are ending up in his hands, and he’s shooting some of those. So that’s where we missed him. 

“The ability to space the floor, the ability to give us another guy that could score the basketball and take some pressure off of Sam, take some pressure off of Jalen to create so much offensively is where it shows up the most.”

Can he play for Penn State on Wednesday?

Lundy’s first missed game for Penn State this season, his impact has been undeniable in the other 14. 

Still leading the program with 14.1 points per game, Lundy also is second in rebounding behind John Harrar with 5.9. 

Throw in his 32.5 minutes and 41.4 shooting percentage, and Lundy’s ability to change a game has been repeatedly demonstrated. 

And now, set to host Minnesota Wednesday at the Bryce Jordan Center (6:30 p.m., BTN), the question is to what end Lundy’s presence will have moving forward.

Calling Lundy’s status “day-to-day,” Shrewsberry said he didn’t yet know whether he’d play against the Gophers.

“He’s day to day right now. We’re looking forward to having him back. And hopefully, it’s soon in terms of when we get him back,” Shrewsberry said. “I can tell you right now that we could have used him. We could have used him. But I’m not at liberty to say right now. I’m sorry that I can’t.”