Like a lot of Penn State men’s basketball’s tough losses over the past few seasons, the Nittany Lions’ exit from the 2021 Big Ten Tournament was an absolute heartbreaker.

After scorching out of the gates, Jim Ferry’s team was left chasing a dominant Wisconsin offense for much of the second half. In the final moments of Thursday’s battle however, Sam Sessoms and the Nittany Lions managed a 24-7 run that brought them within one of the lead.

Penn State had a chance to win the game, but the Badgers made the better play on defense, and the Nittany Lions were sent packing.

Do you think this should have been Wisconsin ball? pic.twitter.com/vytpB26tpA

— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) March 12, 2021

Controversial call or not, the Nittany Lions just didn’t give themselves a shot as the clock ran out at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Now, with an up-and-down season behind it, Penn State sits in an awkward spot. With just a 16-team NIT set up for next week, an 11-14 overall record and 7-12 mark in conference play makes it tough for the Nittany Lions to be a contender for that tournament.

However, Ferry is ready to play more basketball with this group, and he feels they absolutely deserve the chance to do so.

“Hopefully we get to continue to keep playing a little bit more here,” Ferry said. “When you look at our metrics and who we are as a team, who’s playing well. Hopefully we’ll have an opportunity to do some postseason play.”

Ferry added that the Nittany Lions would absolutely accept a bid to the NIT if offered one, and he’ll absolutely “do some politicking” in the coming days to argue for his group.

No matter what happens to this team in the coming days, however, the entire group deserves credit for the battle they showed in Thursday’s contest and throughout the season. Even if there’s coaching changes or even transfers down the road, this season should not be forgotten anytime soon.

There’s no secret there was frustration for the team entering the 2020-21 campaign. After losing out on a historic appearance in the NCAA Tournament due to COVID-19, the Pat Chambers was asked to resign just weeks before this season began. Multiple prominent players voiced their displease with that decision at the team’s media day, and many fans collectively groaned at the thought of an ugly season ahead.

While there were slumps and some tough stretches, Penn State still managed to pull off some exciting wins and scrapped its way through the Big Ten until the bitter end. Ferry deserves a world of credit for helping to instill this mindset in his group, especially in a year when things could’ve been much uglier for the Nittany Lions.

“There’s a lot of heart in that room,” Ferry said. “We’re a bunch of competitors. We trust each other. I think we always play with confidence no matter what. I think it starts with John and Jamari… It’s so disappointing because we always want to keep playing.”

Along with the electric wins over No. 15 Virginia Tech and No. 13 Wisconsin, among others, Ferry helped managed fantastic senior campaigns for John Harrar and Jamari Wheeler. Whether they elect to utilize the NCAA’s extra year of eligibility, the pair has nothing to hang their heads on.

“If people don’t recognize and cherish what they just saw from everybody, but more so from John Harrar and Jamari Wheeler, then I think everybody missed the boat.” Ferry said. “That was pretty unbelievable.”

Harrar turned himself into a star big man in college basketball’s toughest conference this season, as he nearly averaged a double-double and was forced to carry the load for the Nittany Lions inside.

As for Wheeler, his never-quit style of defense was on display all year while he also became a valued scoring option. The senior from Florida finishes averaging 6.4 points per game on the year along with 3.6 assists, and is officially a threat from three-point land.

Senior performances like that and solid wins throughout the year don’t just happen, and Ferry’s ability to lead his team through it all shouldn’t soon be forgotten.

As of now, Penn State’s direction is extremely unclear. If there isn’t any more postseason play, administration must decide whether it’ll hire Ferry on a full-time basis or go in a different direction. Whatever comes from that could bring change among the current players, as well.

That’s clearly a lot to unpack for Ferry and the rest of the Nittany Lions in the coming weeks, but however it plays out, the coach will always be thankful for this past year’s experience.

“It’s always hard when a season comes to an end, but especially this one,” Ferry said. “These guys could’ve laid down several times this year in tough situations and they never did. To me that’s what makes me proud, more so than the wins and the losses. These guys are gonna be prepared to handle a lot of things that are gonna be a lot tougher in their life because of what they went through right now.

“Whichever direction everybody goes in the future, you’re never gonna forget this.”