Penn State's Andrew Funk competes in college 3 point championship

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The Penn State men's basketball team is still racking up postseason accolades.

Graduate student Andrew Funk is at the Final Four. He's one of just eight college players selected to compete in the TaxAct Men's 3-Point Shootout Thursday night.

The event is part of the 34th annual State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships at the Bayou Music Center featuring 24 total men's and women's college players.

"It's an awesome opportunity to come down here to Houston, meet a lot of other players, and more importantly get to wear the Penn State uniform one more time," says Andrew Funk.

The Warrington native played with the Bucknell Bison before using his final season of eligibility to join Penn State. Funk's sharpshooting was pivotal in the Nittany Lion's success this season.

In the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, he scored a program postseason record eight three-pointers to lift Penn State to their first tournament victory since 2001.

"I look at that as kind of the cherry on top, a year that I wasn't supposed to have. I'm not taking anything for granted," said Funk.

Funk led the Big 10 and ranked in the top 25 nationally for three-point shooting this season. But he admits for this contest, there is a little strategy going into it.

"I figured out what side of the rack I wanted to go on so the ball is on my right hand. I think the bigger thing is when you shoot it you can't look to see if it goes in," he says.

Looking ahead to the competition, you have to wonder if it is going to be the same prep as a game. For Funk, there are some similarities, but overall, he does not expect it to be the same.

"When I get to the gym, I'll do my form shooting and shooting prep to get ready. But after that, no. I'm probably not going to listen to the same pregame music or anything," says Funk. "I'm going to go into it a lot more carefree, a little calmer. Just have fun with it."

Funk will have one minute for five shots each from five different racks. Funk is ready to have fun with it, but he also says the competitor in him is of course hoping to win.