After salvaging two wins at home against Northwestern and Minnesota, Penn State will now play three of its final four games on the road beginning Sunday evening when the Nittany Lions will face Wisconsin at 6:00 P.M. from the Kohl Center. The Game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.
When the teams last met Jan. 29 in State College, Penn State upset the then No. 15 Badgers 56-52. Winning in Madison is likely to be a different story entirely, however. The Lions have not won there in the Ed DeChellis era, and the most recent loss there might have been the most painful. Penn State blew a 16 point lead to the Badgers last Jan. 24. at the Kohl Center, losing in overtime and missing out on its first conference win.
If the Lions can reverse their fortunes Sunday night, though, they'll have themselves well-positioned for an NCAA Tournament run. After Michigan State's 61-57 win against Illinois Saturday night in Wisconsin, the two teams are currently tied with Penn State for fourth in the conference. Each team has four games remaining, and if the Lions can cash in a victory against Wisconsin, they'll have a nice head start on their opponents.
Penn State would also be well positioned nationally with a win. Presently, ESPN.com's Joe Lunardi puts Penn State among the "Next Four Out" of in latest Bracketology. Four teams in the "Last Four In," "First Four Out," and "Next Four Out" lost on Saturday, though, meaning the Lions can move up considerably with any victory, let alone one over a top 10 team.
For more on this game, check out Black Shoe Diaries, and stay tuned to this storystream for updates throughout the evening.