Lions destroy Aggies in perhaps greatest basketball game in program history

It's hard to find the words. Because it was just so incredibly difficult to believe it was really happening.

For a basketball program that has pretty much been an afterthought since forever, what we saw from Penn State late Thursday night was like some sort of dream.

It was, in all likelihood, the best game the Nittany Lions have EVER played, given the stage. That's no exaggeration, either.

Penn State clobbered Texas A&M, 76-59, in the first round of the Midwest Region in Des Moines, Iowa. The game wasn't even that close, as the 10th-seeded Lions led by as many as 26 points and dominated on both ends of the court against the 7th-seeded Aggies.

Where did that come from?

How on earth did it happen?

And could this team be in position to make a Cinderella run deep into the tournament?

This was my favorite tweet of the night, because it is tough for the mind to comprehend -- the mind of the long-suffering Penn State basketball fan, that is.

It was Penn State's first NCAA Tournament victory in 22 years, since the run to the Sweet 16 in 2001. The 17-point margin also was the program's largest ever in an NCAA Tournament game.

Here are my five takeaways from the game:

1. Penn State's unique offensive style is a real challenge to defend

The phrase "booty ball" is just so darn funny and catchy, and we have Illinois coach Brad Underwood to thank for coining the phrase with this team.

Jalen Pickett is just so incredibly good for a point guard at getting into the lane, taking his time, drawing defenders and then kicking to open shooters.

The following little clip isn't the purest booty ball example, because Pickett isn't exactly using his derriere to back down a defender. Still, this shows why Penn State's offense is effective once he gets into the lane.

Money from the corner 💰 @PennStateMBB pic.twitter.com/jqSplUCHsA

— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 17, 2023

We've known all along this season that, if Penn State makes 3s, it can beat just about anybody. But it wasn't really until the last month or so that Micah Shrewsberry started having Pickett go the booty ball route so often, and when that switch was made, this became a different offensive team altogether.

Pickett is 6-foot-4, 209 pounds and is much different from most point guards because he likes playing with his back to the basket. Most smaller, quicker point guards like to slash and drive, but Pickett just patiently backs his way in and can score over just about any guard, which defenses understand. So, they have to double or even triple team him, which leaves open shooters on the perimeter.

Pickett, Penn State's first AP All-American ever, is excellent at locating the shooters and getting them the ball.

And when you have a shooter going bonkers like Andrew Funk did in this game, well, Penn State is incredibly difficult to stop.

Funk set Penn State records for most points (27) and 3-pointers in an NCAA Tournament game. He was unconscious, drilling 8 of 10 from behind the arc, with most coming way behind the arc.

Penn State shot 48 percent overall and 59 percent from 3 (13 of 22), and when the Lions shoot like that, they can beat any team in the country.

2. It wasn't just all offense, either, for the Lions

Penn State held Texas A&M to 22 points in the first half. That's very impressive.

The Aggies finished with only 59 points, with some of those coming in garbage time after Penn State had subbed out several starters.

This easily could have been a 25-point game.

You don't beat somebody like that unless you're playing terrific defense. The Lions did just that, holding the Aggies to 34 percent shooting overall and 29 percent from 3.

Penn State played excellent defense during much of its run in the Big Ten Tournament and even in key stretches of close games leading up to that. In this one, the Lions buckled down on defense and, coupled with their hot shooting, ran away from the Aggies.

3. Wow, Texas A&M was totally unprepared

I have always really liked Buzz Williams as a coach. But in this game, it didn't seem like Williams and the Aggies were ready for Penn State AT ALL.

I mean, watch any film on the Lions over the past month, and they have been doing exactly what they did in this game, and yet Texas A&M had no answers at all. I don't know how that's even possible for a coach and team at this level.

The Aggies let Pickett do exactly what he's been doing for the past month, and put up very little resistance. I know it's a tough style to play against because Pickett is so good, but we're talking about an A&M team that beat No. 1 Alabama not too long ago and was one of the hottest teams in the country coming into this one.

They were good. A&M was terrible. Did the A&M coach watch any film??! Holy god Pickett ran the show and made them look like a high school team.

— Paul Wengender (@PWengender) March 17, 2023

That tweet above was really how I felt watching the game. Surely, as good as everyone said A&M was, the Aggies would try something different. But they really didn't. And once they fell behind, their offense was not good at all and had very little chance of coming back against a Penn State team that was staying poised and protecting the ball.

The Aggies were believed to be the better team, to the point where Charles Barkley said during the pregame, "I don't think the game's gonna be close" after he picked Texas A&M to win.

Well, Barkley was right because the game wasn't close. He just blew it by having the wrong team winning in blowout fashion.

4. OK, so could Penn State pull off another win against Texas in the second round?

Yes.

Absolutely the Lions could win that game over the No. 2 seed Longhorns.

If they shoot the ball well and Pickett can keep doing his thing of booty balling his way into the lane for points or assists, Penn State can beat any team in the country on a given night. I do honestly believe that.

But ...

Texas is better than Texas A&M and has better athletes with more size. I have to believe the Longhorns will come up with a plan to make things very difficult for Pickett, perhaps even denying him the ball at all times and forcing Camren Wynter or someone else to facilitate the offense.

That's one way to slow down the Lions' attack.

The other way is to have a really tough defender who can man up Pickett as he backs his way down, and not always have to double team him which leaves shooters open. We'll see if Texas has such a guy in the paint, or if the Longhorns are able to utilize a double team while still getting out and defending the perimeter.

Penn State is a very tough team to prepare for, and especially so in just one day heading into the second round. You would think Williams and the Aggies would have been better prepared since they had three days to prepare, but they weren't.

Now it's Texas' turn to deal with booty ball.

5. The Shrewsberry situation

It's a real Catch-22.

The better Penn State looks right now on this national stage, really the lesser the chances of being able to retain Shrewsberry.

If the Lions beat Texas, then look out. Because Shrewsberry would become such a hot commodity that he could be too expensive for Penn State to try and keep. He may be there already after this incredible performance.

Everybody wants Penn State to pony up the kind of money necessary to keep Shrewsberry. But we have to be realistic here. The school isn't going to give him $4 million a year. It's just not.

If somebody like Georgetown or Notre Dame comes along and wants to give him that kind of money, he'd be foolish not to take it.

Shrewsberry is losing most of this team, including Pickett. If the coach comes back next year and lays an egg, then suddenly he's not such a rising star anymore and there won't be a chance for him to leave.

The bottom line for Penn State fans is to enjoy all of this while you can. Because the NCAA Tournament doesn't come along too often, and with or without this coach, there's no telling if the Lions can get back here next year.