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Penn State Set to Face Texas A&M in First Round of NCAA Tournament

For the first time in 12 years, Penn State men’s basketball is headed to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. The Nittany Lions enter the tournament as a 10 seed in the Midwest Region and will face Teas A&M in the first round on Thursday in Des Moines, Iowa, after falling 67-65 to Purdue in the Big Ten Tournament final on Sunday.

Tipoff is scheduled for 9:55 p.m. EDT on TBS, with a broadcast team of Brian Anderson, Jim Jackson and Allie LaForce.

Penn State ends the regular season and a four-game conference tournament run with a 22-13 record that saw the Nittany Lions win eight of their last 10 games after starting out conference play with a 5-9 record.

As for Texas A&M, the Aggies finished the season with a 25-9 record, coming up short against No. 1 overall seeded Alabama in the SEC Championship Game on Sunday. The Aggies ended the regular season ranked No. 18 in the AP Top 25 under coach Buzz Williams and are lead by sophomore guard Wade Taylor IV, who averages 11.6 points per game.

If Penn State were to win Thursday’s game, it would face the winner of the Texas/Colgate matchup also set for Thursday. The Longhorns are 26-8 on the year and the No. 2 seed in the midwest region. Beyond that Xavier and Iowa State are among the two most likely opponents deeper down the bracket.