What to look for from Penn State men’s basketball heading into the Big Ten Tournament
Penn State men’s basketball will tip off its first game of the Big Ten Tournament Wednesday night when the Nittany Lions take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers, who they’ve gone 1-1 against this season. The Nittany Lions are 10-13 on the season and 7-12 in the Big Ten. They’ll enter the postseason with three honorees after the Big Ten announced their awards for the season Tuesday morning.
Senior guard Jamari Wheeler was named to the Big Ten All-Defensive team, while junior guard Myreon Jones and senior center John Harrar were named All-Big Ten honorable mentions by the media. Harrar was also named the Nittany Lions’ Sportmanship Award honoree.
Here’s everything you need to know about what lies ahead for Penn State in the Big Ten Tournament.
Tournament outlook
The Nittany Lions’ NCAA Tournament hopes are hanging by a thread heading into the Big Ten Tournament. It’s possible that Penn State makes the tournament with two wins, but will more likely need to make it to the semifinals to have a tangible chance to earn a berth. It’s not impossible, but unlikely, given the path the team would have to take to get there.
Wednesday’s matchup with Nebraska should result in a win with star guard Teddy Allen no longer a part of the program. A loss would spell doom for Penn State and potentially eliminate them from consideration for the NIT.
A win — the most likely outcome — would lead the Nittany Lions into a matchup with the Wisconsin Badgers Thursday night. They match up well with the Badgers, who don’t have the size to expose their lack of rim protection and already split the two regular season games, with each team winning at home.
Defeating Wisconsin is feasible, but would then expose Penn State to a very difficult matchup with the Iowa Hawkeyes. The Hawkeyes have high-powered offense and the best post scorer in the Big Ten in senior center Luka Garza — the program’s all-time leading scorer. The teams’ first matchup was tightly contested in Iowa, and that bodes well for the Nittany Lions if they get there. If they get to the Friday night matchup with the Hawkeyes, a win could potentially make their season. Any wins beyond that — which could be against the likes of Michigan, Purdue, Ohio State or Illinois — would be icing on the cake for a team that saw plenty of turbulence this season.
Quotables
Penn State interim head coach Jim Ferry on not looking too far ahead:
“We’ve stayed present all year and it’s one day at a time and one game at a time. In a tournament situation, it’s survive and advance. You’ve got to play well that night. So our focus is totally on Nebraska, who’s actually been playing really good basketball down the stretch. ... Our focus is just to stay fresh, be ready and make any type of adjustments that we have to make during that game because all that matters is that basketball game.”
Ferry on the team’s postseason chances:
“In regard to tournament stuff, it’s a crazy year but our numbers are really good. Obviously it’s about winning games. If we can win as many games as we can and give ourselves a chance at the NCAA Tournament, then if not, are we eligible for the NIT or do they choose us to go to the NIT? We’ll look at all that when it happens. But right now our focus is just on Nebraska.”
How to watch
Who: Penn State Nittany Lions (10-13) vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers (7-19)
When: 9 p.m., Wednesday, March 10 | Where: Lucas Oil Stadium
TV: Big Ten Network
Live stream: FoxSportsGo
