Here are five takeaways from Penn State’s 68-62 win over Butler.
JALEN PICKETT IS AWESOME
Pickett started 2-13 from the field. For a lot of players, this would automatically be an awful night. For Pickett, it became a historic one. Pickett’s shooting improved– he made four of his last five shots– and he ended with a team-high 15 points. He also finished with 11 assists and 10 rebounds for the second triple-double in Penn State history. Micah Shrewsberry’s statement is more accurate by the game.
Micah Shrewsberry also tells me that Jalen Pickett has clearly been Penn State's best player.
Pickett averaged 13.4 PPG, 4.4 APG, and 4.3 RPG last season. https://t.co/EQFUpzincM
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) October 20, 2022
TABLE FOR 3
Death. Taxes. Penn State making 3-pointers. Penn State didn’t make as many treys as it did in its first two wins, but it made enough against Butler.
It started 4-6 from 3, and although it only hit on one of its next seven from beyond the arc in the first half, it finished a respectable 10-24. Penn State’s student section held out cards to keep track of the team’s made 3s, and the team already has a reputation as a sharp-shooting group just three games in. It made a school-record 18 treys opening night against Winthrop, 16 treys– the second most in program history– three nights later against Loyola (MD), and now has made double-digit 3s three straight games. Not too shabby.
3-POINT DEFENSE
Shrewsberry’s team placed 12th of 14 Big Ten squads in 3-point defense last season and gave up 11 made 3s in 25 attempts against Winthrop opening night. But over the previous two games, Penn State has given up just 11 made triples, and Butler shot 5-23 from beyond the arc.
Shrewsberry’s squad gave up the fewest points in the Big Ten last season and won because of its defense Monday night.
BEASTS AGAINST THE EAST
After Monday, Penn State is 3-1 all-time in the Gavitt Tipoff Games, which pits Big Ten schools against Big East schools. It’s always a good sign to beat programs from another major conference.
A NEW WAY TO WIN
Penn State didn’t roll over Butler like Winthrop and Loyola. Sure, Butler isn’t in its Gordan Heyward, Matt Howard heyday that Shrewsberry had a front-row seat for as an assistant on Brad Stevens’s staff. But Butler is the best team Penn State’s played that far, and Monday night reflected that. Butler came in ranked No. 119 in KenPom.Com’s Pomery rankings, which is well above Winthrop (164) and Loyola (237). Penn State had to fight harder to get this W.
