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Things That Have Happened Since Penn State Hoops Last Won An NCAA Tournament Game

On Sunday, March 18, 2001, Penn State men’s basketball defeated North Carolina 82-74 inside the Louisiana Superdome to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1955.

6,583 days later, Penn State’s hoops program has yet to experience the feeling of winning another NCAA Tournament game. A lot has happened in those 18 years and nine days (to say the least), including:

Pennsylvania’s Other 13 Division I Basketball Programs Won 58 Tournament Games (And Counting)

Yes, credit Villanova for 28 tournament wins. But even without the Wildcats, that’s 30 non-Penn State wins within the state in the Big Dance since the Nittany Lions last celebrated. Besides the obvious successful programs like Pitt, St. Joes, and Temple, this list also features Robert Morris, Lehigh, Bucknell, and La Salle. Penn State football has certainly #DominatedTheState in the 2000s, but hoops has a long way to go.

Apple Introduced the iPod

On October 23, 2001, Apple introduced the first generation iPod, which was described as “1000 songs in your pocket.” Could one of these songs be March Madness’s “One Shining Moment?” Not for Penn State.

Facebook Launched

On February 24, 2004, Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg launched “Thefacebook.” That means no one has EVER shared a post on Facebook about an NCAA Tournament win by Penn State basketball. On the bright side, there have been two NIT championships celebrated on social media!

Barack Obama Was Elected (And Re-Elected) President Of The United States

If you asked someone on March 19, 2001, if America was closer to electing an African-American president or Penn State basketball was closer to winning another tournament game, they might have taken the latter — BUT THIS IS MARCH.

Barack Obama was elected president in 2008 and hasn’t gotten to witness Penn State win an NCAA Tournament game since. Obama’s annual March Madness brackets typically received a lot of attention, but in Penn State’s lone 2011 appearance during his tenure, he (correctly) picked against the Nittany Lions.

Five-Star Linebacker and Penn State Enrollee Brandon Smith Was Born

Feel old yet? Penn State football’s latest roster features a number of 2001 birthdays. Smith was born on April 12, 2001, meaning he just barely missed his future university’s last NCAA Tournament victory.


In two years, will we be celebrating the 20-year anniversary of Penn State’s last men’s basketball tournament win with a parade? Will they win a game in the Big Dance before then? Or will the parade be out of Sandy Barbour’s budget because of another Pat Chambers extension?

Only time will tell.

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About the Author

Brian Bachman

Brian Bachman is a freshman in the school of communications and a contributor at Onward State. He is from northern Virginia but fell in love with Penn State a few years ago and knew after his first visit he wanted to come here. If you are a fan of the SUPER BOWL 52 CHAMPION PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (!!!) or sports in general, follow him on twitter @brianbachman_. Email is [email protected].

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