Penn State men’s basketball couldn’t quite pull off the upset over No. 13 Ohio State Wednesday night in Columbus, but there’s no shortage of positives to lean on for the Nittany Lions.

For starters, Seth Lundy exploded with 26 points and four boards, while Izaiah Brockington was close behind with 18 points and a pair of assists. On the defensive end, the Nittany Lions forced the Buckeyes into a whopping 17 turnovers that turned into 23 points.

As encouraging as all of those marks are against one of the top teams in the Big Ten on the road, it’s hard to look past the importance of Penn State’s senior leaders. John Harrar and Jamari Wheeler are the only senior starters on the roster, but the pair of veterans made plays Wednesday night that should excite Nittany Lion fans for the rest of the season.

Wheeler made his presence felt most clearly right at the closing of the first half. The scrappy guard forced a steal in the half’s final seconds and turned it into an easy lay up. Just moments later, the Florida native did it again with ease.

Suddenly, the Nittany Lions were down just four points entering the locker room.

Jamari can get it done on both ends of the floor! pic.twitter.com/A9AgcQmKkj

— Onward State (@OnwardState) January 28, 2021

For Wheeler, who finished his night with those four points, a pair of steals, and three assists, it’s plays like that which have defined his career in the blue and white.

“He’s a winner. I thought that was a big turning point in-game, those two big stops that he had,” head coach Jim Ferry said after the game.

Ferry added that Wheeler was frustrated with his two missed free throws down the stretch, but his performance against the Buckeyes goes much deeper than that. After going down with a lower-leg injury about halfway through the second quarter, the guard returned just minutes later with a wrap around his knee and that same fiery defensive play.

“Jamari’s really down right now cause of those free throws,” Ferry said. “But like I said, we wouldn’t be in this situation if we didn’t have him and his energy and what he does for us.”

As for Wheeler’s veteran counterpart, “The King of Delco” had himself another gritty night in the paint. Harrar finished with his third-career double-double, made up of a career-high 15 points, and even a pretty assist.

That’s basketball, baby pic.twitter.com/qFGyCcaztM

— Onward State (@OnwardState) January 28, 2021

Harrar now has five double-digit rebound performances in Penn State’s last six games, and the big fella out of Wallingford continues to lead by example for this squad.

“John’s a warrior. I feel like there’s so much on his back, but he’s just taking it all,” Ferry said. “I get choked up sometimes when I talk about John because of what he’s willing to sacrifice and what he’s willing to do. That’s why we’re in these positions, that’s why we’re playing good basketball, and that’s why we have an opportunity to keep competing and keep winning games.”

While Harrar may not be the most highly regarded big man in the conference and Wheeler is not the classic scoring guard, the pair have an extraordinary amount of experience playing with this squad. In the world of college basketball, having guys who have been there before is invaluable, and Jim Ferry knows that well.

The Nittany Lions now sit at 5-7 overall toward the bottom of the Big Ten standings and have two dates with No. 10 Wisconsin on the horizon. With just 10 games left on the schedule, the Nittany Lions are in a less-than-ideal situation in college basketball’s best conference.

However, if Penn State is able to make a push in these final weeks, it will certainly rely on its veterans who have one last shot in the blue and white.