Penn State basketball guard Cam Wynter has played hero for the team over its last two games.
Wynter nailed game-winning shots to give Penn State wins over Northwestern and Maryland to close out the Nittany Lions’ regular season schedule, giving the team more and more chances of being selected to play in the NCAA Tournament.
“COLD BLOODED” WYNTER 🏀 Check out former Holy Trinity HS star Cam Wynter nailing a buzzer beater in Penn State’s OT upset of Northwestern. @News12LI @N12Sports @StoneGrissom @HTHS_Athletics pic.twitter.com/fKiIAImzmu
— Kevin Maher (@KMaherNews12) March 2, 2023
CAM WYNTER WITH THE WINNER FOR @PennStateMBB❕❕❕ pic.twitter.com/Y0LVV4Aigc
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) March 5, 2023
Penn State’s senior is the team’s only player with NCAA Tournament experienced, having danced with Drexel in 2021. After the Maryland win, the day’s star said playing in the tournament is Penn State’s ultimate goal, adding that the previous pair of dramatic wins were a huge confidence boost.
“They’ve meant a lot,” Wynter said. “I came here to get to the tournament. I feel like over the last couple games, that’s been the only thing on my mind, is just helping this team win. We have to keep moving on. I’ve just been blessed to have these opportunities.”
Wynter knocked down a game-winning three-pointer that gave Penn State a 68-65 overtime win at Northwestern last Wednesday before completing the Penn State’s 16-point comeback by putting in a layup off a missed shot with 0.5 seconds to play, lifting Penn State over Maryland 65-64 Sunday afternoon.
For his efforts, Wynter earned Big Ten Co-Player of the Week for the first time.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.“It’s a great time,” Wynter said. “The ball came to me and I just finished it. The lights go off and it was just nothing but joy. I’m glad I could bring home a win for all of us, especially the seniors.”
These performances have been crucial for Penn State, who won five of its last six regular-season games to finish at 19-12 (10-10 Big Ten), going from a team that was sitting outside the tournament bubble looking in to a squad in the driver’s seat.
Big Ten Network analyst and former ESPN college basketball writer Andy Katz said Penn State is a lock for the NCAA Tournament regardless of what happens in the team’s matchup with Illinois in the Big Ten Tournament Thursday at the United Center in Chicago.
Penn State (19-12, 10-10 Big Ten) will enter as the No. 10 seed against No. 7 Illinois (20-11, 11-9). Penn State won both regular-season matchups by double-digits.
After the Maryland game, coach Micah Shrewsberry said his team is in its top form right now, and it could not have came at a better time.
“I feel like we’re peaking,” Shrewsberry said. “I feel like we’re playing our best basketball right now, which is what you want to do. You don’t want to be limping into the Big Ten Tournament.
“Our guys feel good about themselves. They feel good about how they’re playing. I’ll take it. I’ll take it. We’re starting to take some question marks away. We’re just going to go to Chicago and keep playing. We’re playing our best basketball. We wanted to be playing our best basketball in March.”
