If this were the BCS, Penn State would have earned few style points with its 36-33 upset of No. 13 Wisconsin Friday night in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals, but as it is, its good enough to keep the Nittany Lions' NCAA Tournament hopes alive for another day.
Talor Battle shook of one of his worst performances of the season to score some key buckets down the stretch and led Penn State with nine points on the evening. Tim Frazier had eight points, David Jackson had seven points and Jeff Brooks and Andrew Jones finished with six each. No other Lions scored in the game.
Penn State jumped out to an 18-2 lead early on, but Wisconsin clawed back into the game as the Lions went over 12 minutes without a field goal. The Badgers tied the game at several points in the second half but never took the lead. It was the lowest scoring game in the history of the Big Ten Tournament.
The Lions' NCAA Tournament hopes were certainly given a shot in the arm with the victory, however, given the way other bubble teams are playing across the country, you could argue Penn State still has work to do to earn an at-large bid.
Next up for Battle and Co. is Michigan State on Saturday at 4:30 P.M. on CBS. It will be the Lions' first game on the network since the 2001 NCAA Tournament.