Busting Brackets
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Big Ten Basketball: 2021 power rankings heading into conference tournament

By Ryan Kay

Ohio State Buckeyes guard Duane Washington Jr. (4) is guarded by Michigan Wolverines forward Isaiah Livers (2) during Sunday's NCAA Division I Big Ten conference basketball game at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio, on February 21, 2021.Ceb Osu Mbk Mich Bjp 17
Ohio State Buckeyes guard Duane Washington Jr. (4) is guarded by Michigan Wolverines forward Isaiah Livers (2) during Sunday's NCAA Division I Big Ten conference basketball game at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio, on February 21, 2021.Ceb Osu Mbk Mich Bjp 17 /
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Seton Hall Pirates John Harrar Penn State Nittany Lions (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
Seton Hall Pirates John Harrar Penn State Nittany Lions (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

491. . 8-13. . Nittany Lions . 12. team

Wins

VMI
VCU
@Virginia Tech
*Rutgers
*Northwestern
*Wisconsin
*Maryland
*@Nebraska

Losses

*Seton Hall
*@Michigan
*Illinois (twice)
*@Indiana
*Purdue (twice)
*Ohio State (twice)
*@Wisconsin
*@Michigan State
*Nebraska
*@Iowa

Net ranking: 51

KenPom ranking: 40

AP ranking: N/A

Reasons for Hope: Penn State does not have a lot of victories but the games that they have won include some quality opponents. They also have a very high NET ranking despite their overall record. The Nittany Lions have a quality win against an A-10 opponent and a solid team in VCU and they are one of the few teams to defeat at the time, a top 15 ranked team on the road.

Their 20-point win over Virginia Tech is very impressive as well as 10 point victory over then-No. 14 ranked Wisconsin. The hope is that they can beat top-tier teams and possibly make a little run in the Big Ten tournament.

Reasons to be Pessimistic: The Nittany Lions need to be more consistent moving forward and finish games to continue to improve on the season and possibly get an NIT bid. For example, they lost in overtime to Seton Hall and Indiana as well as losing Michigan, Ohio State, Michigan State, and Iowa by six or fewer points. Penn State has some winnable games left on the schedule and if they can win two games in the Big Ten tournament, they can qualify for a post-season tournament.

Brief Overview of the Season

The Nittany Lions lost a ton of players from last season as well as their head coach. However, Penn State’s interim coach and very solid and dependable group in Seth Lundy, Izaiah Brockington, Myreon Jones, and Myles Dread.

Penn State has had to make adjustments as Pat Chambers resigned back in late October and new interim head coach Jim Ferry done a decent job taking over the program. However, the Nittany Lions have taken a step back from last season when they finished the season 21-10 and 11-9 in Big Ten play.

Penn State has eight players averaging 13 or more minutes per game which has shown depth for the Nittany Lions this season and it has allowed Penn State to be competitive, even in games they lost. The Nittany Lions also have six players averaging eight or more points per game. However, they have been inconsistent on offense and their defense over the past four games has not been good.

Penn State has already proven that they are a team that can compete against the top teams in the Big Ten if they have consistent guard play and play well on defense. Even though the Nittany Lions have little chance of making the NCAA tournament, their play this season should not be looked down upon especially when Penn State is playing in the best, most competitive basketball conference in college basketball. The Nittany Lions will next host Minnoesta next on Mar. 3rd.

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