Penn State Basketball: Nittany Lions look for second consecutive win over ranked opponent at Purdue
Can Penn State basketball continue its current streak and build its tournament resume?
After a dominating, 23-point win over No. 8 Ohio State Thursday night, the Penn State Nittany Lions will face another ranked opponent, this time on the road. Head coach Patrick Chambers will take his squad to West Lafayette Sunday night to face off with the No. 6 Purdue Boilermakers.
Squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble, the Nittany Lions can come closer to punching their ticket with another quality win over a ranked opponent. An overall record of 19-9 is already solid, but Penn State will likely need one or two more victories to punch their dance ticket.
Penn State has been able to put early season struggles in the rearview mirror and enters Sunday’s matchup having won four straight games and six of the last seven.
Thursday’s game against Ohio State was perhaps the most complete performance Penn State has had all season.
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The Nittany Lions came firing right out of the gate and never looked back. Star guard Tony Carr had a monster game, pouring in 30 points, including four three-pointers. Forward Mike Watkins was a force down low and pulled down 10 rebounds with 11points. Shep Garner, who has become a sort of forgotten figure in the Penn State lineup thanks to the youngsters, helped the winning effort Thursday with 13 points.
Unlike Penn State, Purdue enters the contest with much different momentum.
Once considered one of the top four seeds for the NCAA Tournament, the Boilermakers have hit a rough stretch, losing their last three games. While two losses came to ranked opponents — Michigan State and Ohio State — the most recent defeat was at the hands of unranked Wisconsin.
If the Nittany Lions want to hand the Boilermakers their fourth straight loss stopping the trio of Carsen Edwards, Isaac Haas and Vincent Edwards will be key. Carsen Edwards leads the team with 17 points a game, while Vincent Edwards and Haas both average nearly 15 a game.
What makes Purdue tough is the defense. The Boilermakers are ranked 11th in the nation, allowing just 64 points a game.
Tip-off for the important Big Ten Conference game is set for 8:00 p.m. ET and will air live on the Big Ten Network.