Penn State Basketball: Nittany Lions host huge game against No. 8 Ohio State
Penn State basketball has a huge opportunity Thursday night against No. 8 Ohio State
The No. 8 Ohio State Buckeyes will invade the Bryce Jordan Center Thursday night for a primetime matchup with Penn State. Ohio State is one game ahead of Michigan State and Purdue in the conference standings. The Nittany Lions are having their best conference season in recent memory and sits just outside of the top four.
If Thursday’s game is anything like the one that took place on January 26 in Columbus, then it’s going to be a treat. Just a few short weeks ago, Penn State handed Ohio State its only Big Ten loss this season. Star guard Tony Carr hit an improbable three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Nittany Lions the dramatic 82-79 victory.
In that game, Carr had a big performance, pouring in a game-high 28 points with five rebounds and four made three-pointers. Lamar Stevens and Shep Garner also had solid games. Forward Mike Watkins, who averages 13 points and 10 rebounds a game, was held to just seven points and five boards.
Penn State shot 58 percent from the field against the Buckeyes and shot a fantastic 79 percent (11-14) from behind the arc.
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Ohio State got 25 points from forward Keita Bates-Diop, but it wasn’t enough to pull out the victory over the Nittany Lions.
The Nittany Lions have been very good since that win over the Buckeyes, having won five of the last six games. Their only defeat in that stretch was a close, tough loss to Michigan State. Ohio State has won four straight, including a one-point victory over then-No. 3 Purdue.
Penn State’s game with Ohio State marks the beginning of a brutal stretch of games to end the regular season. After facing the Buckeyes, the Nittany Lions will travel to take on No. 6 Purdue. That will be followed by a home game with No. 22 Michigan and a road contest with Nebraska.
Thursday’s important Big Ten game between the Nittany Lions and the Buckeyes will tip at 8:00 p.m. and be shown live on the Big Ten Network. The home crowd is sure to be rocking, particularly with a White Out planned.