Penn State’s Mike Watkins to miss Big Ten tournament due to injury

Penn State starter and top rebounder Mike Watkins will not play in the Big Ten tournament, the program announced Thursday, 90 minutes before its game against Northwestern.

Watkins suffered a right knee injury against Michigan on Feb. 21 and has not played since. However, he still made the trip to New York City to support his team in its 6:30 p.m. tilt against the Wildcats.

The Nittany Lions did not specify the nature of the injury, nor whether Watkins would miss the entire postseason.

Watkins has proved invaluable to the men's basketball team this season, as he was named to the Big Ten All-Defensive team while earning honorable mention on the overall All-Big Ten team. He led the team with 8.9 rebounds per game, to go along with 12.1 points and a 68.5 percent field-goal rate.

He also boasts a team-high 68 blocks.

If the No. 7-seed Nittany Lions win Thursday night, they will face No. 2-seed Ohio State at 6:30 p.m. Friday.

This story was originally published March 1, 2018 at 5:33 PM with the headline "Penn State’s Mike Watkins to miss Big Ten tournament due to injury."