Penn State Basketball: Nittany Lions Slide To No. 20 In Latest AP Poll

Penn State men’s basketball slid four spots to No. 20 in the AP Top 25 pollafter splitting its two games this past week. 

The Nittany Lions (21-8, 11-7 Big Ten) squeaked past Rutgers 65-64 on Wednesday thanks to a three in the final seconds by Myles Dread, but fell to Iowa on Saturday in Iowa City for their third loss in four games.

Pat Chambers’ squad has certainly cooled off since their eight-game win streak a few weeks ago, but are still tied for fifth place in the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions are among seven other teams in the conference ranked in the top 25, including No. 9 Maryland, No. 16 Michigan State, No. 18 Iowa, No. 19 Ohio State, No. 23 Illinois, No. 24 Wisconsin, and No. 25 Michigan. 

With just two games left in the regular season, Penn State is set to have at least a first round bye in the Big Ten Tournament and is still in the running for a spot in the top four and an automatic bid to the quarterfinals. The Nittany Lions have No. 16 Michigan State and a struggling Northwestern team left on their schedule.

Penn State’s game against the Spartans will tip off at 7 p.m. on Tuesday at the Bryce Jordan Center. Tuesday’s contest is Lamar Stevens and co.’s final home game of the season. The senior is just 40 points away from breaking Talor Battle’s all-time scoring record, and will get one more chance to play in front of his home crowd before a tournament run.