Sadly, we couldn’t find a photo of Joe Crispin that we could (legally) use, so enjoy this picture of a younger Tom Izzo. The big upset before the big upset We’re bringing back Hidden Gems! Some of you longtime BSD readers may remember this series where we reflect on the games that we’ve enjoyed over the years that haven’t quite lived on in Penn State lore. We’ll be giving these games their due, as we reflect on a variety of memorable (but not too memorable) games from different Nittany Lions teams over the years. Next up...Penn State’s hoops squad brings down the defending national champs to punch their ticket to the Big Dance! Mention Penn State Basketball and 2001 in the same sentence, and the first thing that comes to almost every fan’s mind is the historic upset over No. 2-seeded North Carolina to reach the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament. There was however, another historic upset that took place about a week and a half beforehand during the Big Ten Tournament against defending national champion Michigan State. The 2000-2001 season had been quite the roller-coaster ride for PSU. Led by the dynamic backcourt duo of Joe and Jon Crispin (aka the “Crispin Brothers”), along with Titus Ivory, Gyasi Cline-Heard, and Tyler Smith rounding out the starting lineup, the Nittany Lions boasted a team that was capable of knocking off almost anybody it faced. A big road upset over Kentucky (which saw the Crispin Bros. combine for 57 of the Lions’ 73 total points), as well as a clutch win at home over Temple, gave Jerry Dunn’s squad a pair of non-conference scalps and a 9-1 overall record going into the Big Ten portion of the schedule. It was in conference play however, where PSU’s ride got shaky: At times, they would take a step or two forward with clutch wins over No. 6 Illinois at home and eventual NCAA Tournament teams Ohio State and Iowa on the road, but that would be followed by taking a couple steps back with a missed opportunity of an overtime loss at home against Indiana, a loss at basement-dwelling Northwestern, and a loss at home to Ohio State on Senior Day, a game in which PSU blew a 20-point halftime lead. The choke job at home against the Buckeyes put the Nittany Lions in a situation where they limped into the Big Ten Tournament in Chicago with a sub-.500 Big Ten record at 7-9 and needing to make a run in order to avoid seeing their NCAA bubble burst. Penn State’s first game in Chicago saw them in a tight battle against Michigan, a team finished just above Northwestern in the Big Ten regular season, in a game they could ill afford to lose. With the game tied in the waning seconds, Cline-Heard pulled off a pseudo-Lorenzo Charles by catching an air-balled shot attempt from Brandon Watkins and laying it in right before the buzzer. The win kept PSU’s NCAA hopes alive, but in order to solidify their spot in the Big Dance, they had to get past No. 2-ranked Michigan State...The very same Michigan State that had just won a national title 11 months earlier and had waxed PSU by 25 and 19 points respectively, in the two regular season meetings. The third meeting between PSU and Sparty sure looked like it was going to end up the same way as the previous two meetings. For most of the first half, PSU was ice cold shooting the ball and found themselves trailing 19-7 with under eight minutes to go in the half. It was around that time though, that the Lions re-discovered their shooting touch, as the Crispin Brothers nailed three consecutive three-pointers between them, and the Nittany Lions outscored the Spartans 24-11 for the remainder of the half to take a 31-30 lead into the locker room. The second half saw Sparty reclaim the lead, but never getting any higher than six points ahead, as the Lions continued to shoot the ball better and more importantly, continue to force turnovers (Michigan State would finish with 17 turnovers, which PSU converted to 21 points). With 7:18 left in the game, Joe Crispin broke a tie game open with a trey to put the Lions up by three and from there it was game on, as the Lions and Spartans would trade slim leads throughout the final seven minutes. With PSU clinging to a one-point lead and the shot clock winding down, Joe Crispin double-clutched between two Sparty defenders and swished a trey with 21 seconds left as the shot clock expired, sending the PSU fans at the United Center into a frenzy. It would end up being the dagger for erasing any doubts as to whether the Nittany Lions would be heading to the Big Dance, as PSU went on to win 65-63. To this day, the 2001 Big Ten Tournament win over Michigan State remains the highest-ranked win in program history, and is one that while not quite as talked about as the win over UNC, is no less (and frankly even more) important. After all, it was the big upset before the big upset... https://www.youtube.com/embed/ekKwqY_9dXs?rel=0
Source: https://www.blackshoediaries.com/2024/5 ... igan-state