Penn State Basketball: As the Nittany Lions Get Set to Host No. 4 Ohio State, a Look Back at Some Upsets

As anyone who has spent time around Penn State men’s basketball knows, the occasional Top 25 upset is more of a forgone conclusion than it is a surprise. Find yourself watching a struggling Nittany Lion team? Don’t worry, that SportsCenter highlight win will be there soon enough.

And on Thursday night Penn State will host No. 4 Ohio State, a team it nearly beat in Columbus earlier this year. And yes, the Nittany Lions are struggling, and yes – for some reason – it wouldn’t shock anyone if Penn State managed to pull off the win. No I would not gamble on this assumption.

As it stands today, Penn State has won three-straight games against the No. 4 team in the nation in the friendly walls of the Bryce Jordan Center. It’s a strange stat backed up by more than a handful of equally strange or seemingly unexpected wins against ranked teams over the years. Of course the Nittany Lions have been more competitive than usual over the past five or six seasons and having a familiarity with Big Ten opponents helps, but wins are wins, and here are four of the more unique home victories for the Nittany Lions in recent memory.

2008: Penn State 85 No. 8 Michigan State 76 [two wins over 12 games]

The Nittany Lions would win just two games over a 12 game span and this was one of them. Penn State broke a seven-game losing streak thanks to the the Spartans and the refs late in February with the help of a whopping 51 free throw attempts and 19 points from Stanley Pringle Jr. Talor Battle would add 17 of his own as the Nittany Lions held Tom Izzo’s group at an arm’s length. All told Penn State shot 30 more free throws in the game than their Spartan counterparts. Michigan State would go on to lose in the third round of the NCAA Tournament to Memphis. They would also beat Penn State by almost 40 on the return trip to East Lansing later that year.

2013: Penn State 84 No. 4 Michigan 78 [snapped 14 game losing streak]

The Wolverines were winning this game 66-51 with just over 10 minutes to go in regulation before the Penn State comeback began. A Michigan team loaded with NBA talent and led by Trey Burke, couldn’t hold off a Nittany Lion squad that shot 53% from the field in the second half and managed just enough stops and turnovers to put the Wolverines on their heels. The wild part, Penn State had lost 14-straight in the lead up to this game and would only win once more in the final four games of the season. In the meanwhile Michigan would go on to the Final Four before losing in the national title game to Louisville.

2016: Penn State 79 No. 4 Iowa 75 [three wins in 12 games]

This Penn State team wasn’t quite as down in the dumps as previous ones, but the Nittany Lions still had only won three times in their last 12 games before picking up a win over Iowa that would help Penn State win three of its next five to close out the regular season. Penn State led this game by seven at the half putting up 38 points in the opening 20 minutes of play. The Hawkeyes would outscore the Nittany Lions in the second half 44-41 but 18 points from Shep Garner and Brandon Taylor would keep the upset hopes alive. Donovon Jack added 19 points off the bench while Iowa had just two players in double-figures all night led by 28 from Peter Jok [who scored six points in the final 25 seconds of regulation]. Iowa finished the year 20-6, falling in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to Villanova.

2019: Penn State 75 No. 6 Michigan 69 [One win, previous 10 games]

A win that really spring-boarded Penn State into more success the rest of the season and beyond, the Nittany Lions had won once in the previous 10 games prior to the Wolverines coming to town. Penn State blew the doors off the Wolverines in the first half going ahead 40-27 at the break and held off a Michigan charge in the second half to complete the upset. Lamar Stevens poured in 26 points and got 17 in support of then freshman Myles Dread in the effort. The Nittany Lions would go on to win five of their last seven regular season games before falling to Minnesota in overtime in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament. Michigan would fall in the third round of the NCAA Tournament.