Ayrton Oneill
The Penn State Nittany Lions basketball team is an NCAA Division I college basketball team representing the Pennsylvania State University. The team has a rich history in basketball tournaments, with ten NCAA tournament appearances and a best finish in 1954, where they reached the Final Four. In addition, the team has had 11 appearances in the National Invitation Tournament, winning the NIT championship in 2018. The Nittany Lions have also participated in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) and have had players go on to play in the NBA. The Penn State Wilkes-Barre men's basketball team made history by becoming the first Penn State University Athletic Conference team to capture a national title in the USCAA Division II National Championship.
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What You'll Learn
The Penn State Nittany Lions basketball team
The team first played basketball in 1897, facing Bucknell twice and finishing with a 1-1 record. They lost the first game 4-24 but won the second 10-7. The team went without a formal head coach until Burke Hermann was appointed in 1916.
The Nittany Lions have had ten NCAA tournament appearances, with their best finish coming in 1954 when they reached the Final Four. Their most recent appearance was in 2023, defeating Texas A&M in the first round. The team has also made 11 appearances in the National Invitation Tournament, with their most recent being in 2018 when they beat Utah to win the NIT championship. The team has also appeared in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) once, with a 1-1 record.
The Penn State Wilkes-Barre Mountain Lions men's basketball team made history by becoming the first Penn State University Athletic Conference men's basketball team to capture a national title. They won the USCAA Division II National Championship in 2019 under the leadership of Coach LeShawn Hammett, who was named USCAA Coach of the Year.
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Penn State's NCAA Division I status
The Penn State Nittany Lions basketball team is an NCAA Division I college basketball team representing the Pennsylvania State University. They play their home games at the 15,261-seat Bryce Jordan Center, having moved there from Rec Hall during the 1995-96 season. The team played its first basketball season in 1897, finishing with a 1-1 record after playing Bucknell twice.
Penn State has competed in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) since the 1995-96 season, the highest level of collegiate play. In addition to basketball, Penn State participates as a member institution of the Big Ten Conference for most sports. This includes football and men's ice hockey, with the latter being one of only 15 universities in the nation to play Division I men's ice hockey.
The women's ice hockey team, known as the Lady Icers, previously competed at the ACHA Women's Division I level in the Eastern Collegiate Women's Hockey League (ECWHL) before moving up to NCAA Division I and joining College Hockey America (CHA) for the 2012-13 season. The men's ice hockey team, the Icers, also has a history in Division I, having competed in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Men's Division I and the Eastern States Collegiate Hockey League (ESCHL) from 2007-08 to 2010-11.
Penn State's success in NCAA Division I athletics extends beyond basketball and ice hockey. The women's lacrosse team has won two NCAA titles, and the men's lacrosse team has appeared in four NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship tournaments. Additionally, the women's volleyball team is one of the nation's premier programs, having won eight NCAA National Championships, the second-most all-time.
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The team's home ground, Bryce Jordan Center
The Bryce Jordan Center is a 15,261-seat multi-purpose arena in College Township, Pennsylvania. It is the home ground of the Penn State Nittany Lions basketball team, which represents Pennsylvania State University. The Nittany Lions have a student cheering section known as the Legion of Blue. The team moved to the Bryce Jordan Center from Rec Hall during the 1995-96 season. The arena opened on January 6, 1996, and is the largest indoor venue in Pennsylvania outside of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
The arena is named after Bryce Jordan, who was president of Penn State University from 1983 to 1990 and played a key role in securing the funding needed to build it. The Jordan Center is owned by Penn State University and operated by its Auxiliary & Business Services Unit. It is located on the University Park campus, in the eastern part, across the street from Beaver Stadium on Curtin Road. This part of the campus is home to many of the university's athletic facilities, including Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, a baseball facility, Pegula Ice Arena, and Jeffrey Field soccer stadium.
The Bryce Jordan Center also periodically hosts concerts, circuses, and commencement ceremonies for the university. It has hosted events such as the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon (THON), designed to raise money to fight pediatric cancer, and Change Rocks: A Concert to Benefit Obama, featuring The Allman Brothers Band and members of the Grateful Dead. In 1998, Aerosmith recorded parts of their live album, 'A Little South of Sanity', at the Jordan Center, with lead singer Steven Tyler shouting out "State College" to the audience. Metallica set the attendance record for the arena in 2018, with 15,588 people.
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The team's performance in the 2023 NCAA tournament
The Penn State Nittany Lions men's basketball team had a strong finish to the 2022-23 season, earning their first bid to the NCAA Tournament since 2011. As the No. 10 seed in the Midwest Region, they faced the seventh-seeded Texas A&M Aggies in the first round on March 16, 2023, at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa. Penn State won the game 76-59, advancing to the second round. This was their 10th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and their first win since 2001.
The Nittany Lions entered the tournament with momentum, having won eight of their last 10 games. Their strong late-season performance included six Quad 1 wins in the last 18 days. The team was led by All-American guard Jalen Pickett, who was the only player in the country averaging 18 points, seven rebounds, and six assists per game. Senior Seth Lundy also had a standout season, earning an All Big-Ten selection. Camren Wynter, Andrew Funk, and Myles Dread rounded out a solid core group of veteran leaders.
In the second round of the tournament, Penn State faced the No. 2 seed Texas Longhorns, who had defeated the No. 15 seed Colgate Raiders in the first round. The Nittany Lions fell short against the Longhorns, losing 66-71. Despite the loss, the team showed resilience and fought hard throughout the game.
Penn State's performance in the 2023 NCAA Tournament marked a successful return to the big stage after a long drought. The team's achievements were a testament to the hard work and dedication of the players and coaching staff, led by second-year head coach Micah Shrewsberry. The Nittany Lions' historic run in the tournament will be remembered as a proud moment for the university and its fans.
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Penn State Wilkes-Barre's USCAA Division II National Championship
The Penn State Wilkes-Barre men's basketball team has had success in the USCAA Division II National Championship in recent years, winning back-to-back titles in 2024 and previously in 2019.
In 2024, Penn State Wilkes-Barre came from behind to defeat Cincinnati-Clermont 83-79 and claim their second consecutive USCAA Men's Division II National Championship. The Mountain Lions found themselves trailing for most of the first half, but they rallied in the second half, outscoring their opponents 49-37 to secure the victory.
Penn State Wilkes-Barre's first USCAA Division II title came in 2019 when they defeated Johnson & Wales by a score of 86-64. Led by tournament MVP Jordan Williams, who scored 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, the Mountain Lions dominated the championship game from start to finish. Ameer Biddle, Dominique Stevenson, and Levaugn Knight-Soules also contributed significantly to the win, with all three players scoring in double figures.
The success of the Penn State Wilkes-Barre men's basketball team in the USCAA Division II National Championship is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the players and coaches. Head Coach LeShawn Hammett, who has led the team to both national titles, has been praised for fostering a family atmosphere and providing hands-on leadership that has kept the team together even during challenging times.
The Penn State Wilkes-Barre men's basketball team has brought pride and excitement to their campus community, and their achievements will surely inspire future generations of student-athletes.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, the Penn State Nittany Lions basketball team is an NCAA Division I college basketball team representing the Pennsylvania State University.
The Nittany Lions have appeared in the NCAA Tournament 10 times, with their best finish coming in 1954 when they reached the Final Four. They have also appeared in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) once, and have 11 National Invitation Tournament appearances, winning the NIT championship in 2018.
The Pennsylvania Middle School Basketball Championship is a tournament for single school, community, and township teams. Teams qualify by placing 1st or 2nd in an official Qualifier Tournament or League, or through an At-Large Bid.
