Bracketology 2023: Duke, Penn State, Marquette and Utah State among biggest winners

Penn State Nittany Lions

The Nittany Lions had a stretch of going 3-8 in the middle of the season. That effectively took them out of the bubble and to the bottom of the Big Ten standings. But they won 5 of 6 games to end the regular season and put them squarely on the cutline.

Then came the Big Ten Tournament, where Penn State was the 10 seed and took on a dangerous Illinois squad that had plenty of talent. A loss to the Illini very well would’ve had them out of the NCAA Tournament discussion once again. Instead, they were able to pull out the 79-76 “upset” to advance.

But Penn State wasn’t done. They managed to beat No. 2 seed Northwestern in overtime, 67-65 to advance. And just in case there was any doubt of their at-large hopes, they pulled off another upset, beating 3-sed Indiana, 77-73. Jalen Pickett, who has singlehandedly carried the team this week, went for 28 points and eight rebounds.

That’s three straight Quad 1 victories for Penn State, now with an 8-5 record in that category. While there wasn’t a true “bid thief, the Nittany Lions basically took a bid themselves this week and won’t have to worry on Selection Sunday. And if they beat Purdue in the Big Ten Tournament title game, they could sneak into a 9 seed if the brackets aren’t already set.