Penn State takes on Minnesota in Round Two of the Big Ten Tournament. Can the Golden Gophers keep their bubble hopes alive?
TV schedule: Thursday, March 14, 7:00 pm ET. Big Ten Network
Arena: United Center in Chicago, Illinois
The last time Penn State Basketball met Minnesota Basketball was January, 19th. At that time, Penn State was in a seven game conference losing streak and the Nittany Lion fan base was wondering when the season was going to turn around, if ever. Well, it didn’t turn around the evening of January, 19th. The Golden Gophers escaped the jaws of the Nittany Lions that night, by a single point (65-64).
For the Lions, another loss was burned into the loss column, next to a charred string of the seven previous L’s. Penn State wouldn’t taste victory until they played the Northwestern Wildcats, in Evanston, on February 4th. The Northwestern game marked a line of demarcation, for the Lions.
Once they tasted victory, the pride grew ravenous. Penn State lost just three games during the second half, of the Big Ten conference schedule. Those three second-half losses came at the hands of the Big Ten conference Co-Champion Purdue Boilermakers… twice, and once, to Wisconsin.
Penn State, who was once sitting on an 0-10 conference record, upended nationally ranked Michigan and Maryland, while on its way to earning a first-round bye, in the conference tournament. Kenpom currently ranks Penn State 39th, sandwiched in-between Indiana, at 40 and Utah State, at 38. CBS Sports has Penn State’s Strength of Schedule ranked at 7th…in the nation. The closest any other Big Ten team comes to this ranking is Purdue, at 14.