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Big Ten Tournament: Nittany Lions Meet Spartans in Second Round

By Shane Lunnen

Mar 8, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions forward Mike Watkins (24) dunks the ball as Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Isaiah Roby (15) defends in the first half during the Big Ten Conference Tournament at Verizon Center. The Nittany Lions won 76-67 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 8, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions forward Mike Watkins (24) dunks the ball as Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Isaiah Roby (15) defends in the first half during the Big Ten Conference Tournament at Verizon Center. The Nittany Lions won 76-67 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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The 13th seed Nittany Lions take on 5th seeded Michigan State during the second day of the Big Ten Tournament

On Wednesday, Penn State never trailed Nebraska and eventually beat the Huskers in overtime by nine points to advance to the second round.  Now, this young Lions team faces a big test against Michigan State.

The Spartans and Lions met only once during the regular season back on January 7.  That game was played at the Palestra in Philadelphia and ended in a 72-63 Penn State victory.

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Michigan State finished the season 18-13 and 10-8 overall, in the middle of the Big Ten standings. It was an atypical performance for a Tom Izzo coached team.  The Spartans are on the right side of the NCAA tournament bubble for now, but an early exit would not be a good look.

For Michigan State, they are led by their outstanding freshman guard, Miles Bridges.  He leads the team in points (16.6 per game) and rebounds (8.3 per game).

Although, in their game against Penn State, Bridges was just coming back from an injury that kept him out for seven games.  As a result he struggled, scoring just four points in that contest.  Look for him to play much better this time around.

The Nittany Lions are just looking to keep playing as long as they can and gain more experience for their young squad.  It would be a great boost to the team and head coach Pat Chambers to get an upset in the conference tournament.  But Michigan State will be a tough out while looking to solidify their post season plans.

As of now, the game tips off Thursday at 2:25pm on Big Ten Network.  However due to a travel snag with Michigan not arriving in D.C. until Thursday morning, the Spartans and Lions may be moved to the noon timeslot.  No matter the time, I’m sure Flavor Flav will be there to cheer on Shep Garner and the Lions.

The winner of Thursday’s game takes on the 4th seed Minnesota Golden Gophers.

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