The college football has a lot to talk about college basketball, particularly because of UConn’s spellbinding win over Duke. No opponent really has a chance on the court when it comes to the Blue Devils. But Dan Hurley’s Huskies pulled an absolute blinder with just seconds remaining on the clock, and have bagged a spot for themselves in the Final Four. It’s the dream win for any coach; even Penn State’s Matt Campbell is looking to it for inspiration.

“You guys got to watch the Duke basketball game against UConn. Like, that’s the world we live in,” Campbell said in a locker room meeting during spring camp. “Boy, we all want to be great coaches and we want it to all look perfect, but that’s not the world we live in.

“Tough times are going to happen. Good things are going to happen. And it’s the team that’s mentally tough enough and physically tough enough to be able to just consistently keep showing up and being the best in the moment. Those are the ones that have the ability to win.”

That tough mentality is exactly what the Huskies showed in their win over Duke. In those last few seconds, Duke thought they had this in the bag. But a pass from Cayden Boozer got deflected, and UConn ran with that jackpot opportunity. The hero of the game, Braylon Cullins, with 0.4 seconds left for the game to end, shot a three-pointer to bring the score to 73-72.

Penn State will go up against opponents as big as Duke. And there will be clutch moments in these games like the one Campbell referenced. They will be the ultimate test of this new-look Penn State team, who will be taking to the field with not much support on their side. Like UConn, they have to recognize these crucial opportunities and make the best of them.

“There are wins and losses on every rep that happens in the sport of football,” Campbell said. “What I want to see is how we respond. How do you respond when it goes well? How do you respond when it doesn’t go well? Because all those things are coming, right?

“We’ve had good, huge reps, I would say, over the last two days when we put the pads on, that there are wins and losses. And watching how we respond to that, I’m not as concerned with the win and the loss as much as how we respond to the win and the loss. And I think to me, those are great measuring sticks for our staff and really for our players to see where they’re at and where we continue to move ourselves forward.”

Dan Hurley may be celebrating now, but it was only because the Huskies held their own during a tough season. They navigated this season with injuries to critical players, and somehow made it to the postseason, and fight back against the skeptics. They mirror Penn State’s situation perfectly.

“Thought just the game was a microcosm of that,” Hurley said after the game. “We fought, we clawed, put ourselves in position to take advantage of a mistake that they made.”

Campbell is definitely taking a leaf out of the basketball coach’s playbook to motivate his own players. And to further bolster the chances of PSU winning, he’s made some changes on the roster.

Matt Campbell is focusing on making key changes in the team

For starters, Campbell is focusing on improving the wide receivers, who have struggled to make big plays in recent years. He hired Kashif Moore, who coincidentally comes from UConn, where he coached star receiver Skyler Bell. Moore will now develop players like Chase Sowell, Brett Eskildsen, Koby Howard, Peter Gonzalez, and Lyrick Samuel, helping them reach their full potential.

Campbell is also working to better match the quarterback with the offensive system. Rocco Becht has followed the coach to Happy Valley from Iowa State and joins a lot of other former ISU players on the offense. Becht already understands the playbook and can help teammates play together smoothly.

Matt Campbell has also revived a key PSU tradition. The program has opened the Lasch Football facility to former Penn State lettermen, who have been through some tough moments to emerge as icons for the program. A number of them have come down to the campus for a visit and are interacting with current players. Let’s hope that this blend of the past and present gives Campbell the future he’s hoped for.