After a disastrous regular season, Penn State men’s basketball finished with a 12-19 overall record, including a 3-17 mark in Big Ten play, locking in the last seed for the conference tournament.
The Nittany Lions would need a miraculous run for a conference championship to earn a berth in the NCAA tournament, but even a couple wins could spark some goodwill heading into next season.
“It’s do or die here,” head coach Mike Rhoades said Monday morning. “So let’s see what we can do. Let’s get home, get a good night’s sleep, get back in the gym today, get some work in and just let our hair down. Go into the conference tournament, see what happens. This time of year it’s, as I always say, it’s kill or be killed.”
Penn State will face off against No. 15-seed Northwestern in the opening round, with tipoff slated for approximately 7:30 p.m. Tuesday night, depending on the end time for the previous matchup. The game, which will be broadcast on Peacock, will take place at the United Center in Chicago, where the Wildcats should have a significant homecourt advantage.
“Things are a problem if you make it a problem or you make an excuse,” Rhoades said. “We can’t do that. We have enough things on our plate to be ready for this game, to worry about logistics.”
In their previous meeting this season, Northwestern secured a 94–73 win on home turf, their largest margin of victory in conference play. The Wildcats sit at 13-18 overall and 5-15 against Big Ten foes. The winner of Tuesday’s matchup will advance to play No. 10-seed Indiana, with the winner of that contest earning a bout against No. 7-seed Purdue.
In total, Penn State would need six wins to claim the conference crown, double its regular season conference win total, likely including several victories over top-15 teams. Rhoades highlighted two key aspects that could determine the team’s fate in the bracket.
“Number one, you can’t turn the ball over,” Rhoades said. “We’ve had too many turnovers … You’re just giving teams extra free points … Shot selection is just as important as the turnovers. Sharing the basketball. Guys have the intention of trying to make the play to help the team, but sometimes just getting off the ball makes it a little bit easier.”
