The Penn State Nittany Lions have had an incredibly disappointing 2023-24 season to this point; for a team that made the NCAA Tournament, a 12-14 record entering their Wednesday night matchup against Big Ten conference rival Illinois Fighting Illini has them playing wildly below expectations. But the Nittany Lions showed glimpses of the team they once were when they mounted an epic comeback to snatch a 90-89 victory from the jaws of defeat against the Fighting Illini.

It seemed rather bleak for Penn State when they went down by 12 points, 82-70, at the 5:28 mark of the second half. Terrence Shannon Jr. was playing like a man on a mission, and it looked like the senior guard's electric scoring performance (he ended up with 35 points) was going to take Illinois past the finish line as the victors.

However, Zach Hicks, the junior, went berserk to close out the game. He scored 11 of Penn State's final 20 points, including three free throws in the final seconds of the game to give the Nittany Lions a lead they wouldn't relinquish. Hicks' heroics prompted a barrage of celebratory reactions on Twitter (X), as the struggling forward manage to jolt his flatlining team back to life.

“BEDLAM IN STATE COLLEGE! Penn State rallies to shock Illinois by one. A signature victory for Mike Rhoades. An unfathomable collapse for the Illini,” CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein wrote.

Fans in attendance could not contain their emotions after Penn State managed to grab an improbable win against one of the best teams in the nation, the 12th ranked Illinois.

For Illinois, Coleman Hawkins will surely be having a hard time putting this loss in the rearview mirror. Not only did he miss the free throws that would have iced the game, he also fouled Zach Hicks, essentially giving the game to Penn State.

Just to show how improbable the comeback Penn State made was, the Nittany Lions had a mere 3.5 percent chance of winning when they went down by seven points with 40 seconds to go. But a combination of timely buckets, incredible defense, and Cole Hawkins' missed free throws completed quite the turnaround for the Nittany Lions.

This season may not have gone according to plan for Penn State, but it's moments like this that can serve as a reminder of what this basketball program is capable of at their best.