Bracketology 2023: USC, Seton Hall and Kentucky suffer big setbacks

Bracketology 2023: USC, Seton Hall and Kentucky suffer big setbacks this week

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 09: Kadary Richmond #0 of the Seton Hall Pirates is introduced before the first round of the Big East Basketball Tournament against the Georgetown Hoyas at Madison Square Garden on March 9, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

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Bracketology Penn State Nittany Lions guard Myles Dread Kayla Wolf-USA TODAY Sports /

Penn State Nittany Lions

When Penn State beat Michigan on January 29th, they were in a solid spot in the at-large discussion but certainly weren’t safe by any means. They followed that up with road losses to both Purdue and Nebraska, one which was acceptable and one that wasn’t for resume purposes.

This week, the Nittany Lions fell to Wisconsin at home in heartbreaking fashion, 79-74 in overtime. Jalen Pickett had 17 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists and was one of four double-digit scorers in the game but it wasn’t enough in a game they needed to have.

They then followed it up this weekend with a 74-68 road defeat to Maryland. The loss on its own isn’t a bad one but it was a Quad 1 opportunity and a chance to end the skid, which now is at four games. They’re now at 5-11 against Quad 1 and 2 opponents with a NET ranking around 60.

Penn State takes on the rest of the middle of the Big Ten and needs to win 5 of 6 games to have any shot at an at-large bid. That starts with a win over Illinois at home, which is a must for them to have any hope. But if they then lose at Minnesota, then it doesn’t matter anyways.

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