2018 Big Ten Tournament: Penn State faces Purdue in semifinals

Penn State will look to keep its run in the 2018 Big Ten Tournament going against Purdue in the semifinals Saturday afternoon

Keep building up quality wins — that’s all Penn State can do in order to boost its NCAA Tournament resume. The Nittany Lions pulled out a huge victory Friday night over Ohio State in the quarterfinals of the 2018 Big Ten Tournament. The win was the third of the season over the Buckeyes. Up next is another chance for an impressive win, as the Nittany Lions will match up with the No. 3 seed Purdue Boilermakers.

Penn State won its first two games in the tournament without having the services of big man Mike Watkins., who was ruled out for the entirety of the tournament with a knee injury. Watkins is the second-leading scorer and the top rebounder on the team, but his absence hasn’t hurt the Nittany Lions yet.

With Watkins out, it has been up to Penn State’s other stars to step up.

Guard Tony Carr poured in 25 points in each of the first two games of the Big Ten Tournament and assisted on the game-winning bucket in the quarterfinals against the Buckeyes. Lamar Stevens poured in 15 points against Ohio State and eight against Northwestern. Josh Reaves has had a great tournament and slammed home the winning bucket in the quarterfinals.

If Watkins hasn’t really been missed yet by Penn State, that could change in a big way Saturday. Purdue has a seven-foot duo of Isaac Haas and Matt Haarms that could make things very difficult for the Nittany Lions down low.

Saturday will mark the second meeting of the season between Penn State and Purdue. The first took place in West Lafayette on February 18. Penn State was in control for much of the game, but the Boilers pulled out the 76-73 victory in the end.

Guard Carsen Edwards poured in 27 points in that one. He’s coming off a 26-point game Friday night in the quarterfinals. Vincent Edwards, who didn’t play in the first game against the Nittany Lions, also scored 26 points Friday night.

Carr led the Nittany Lions back in February against Purdue with 19 points, while fellow guard Shep Garner added 17.

Next: Penn State Football: Tracking the Nittany Lions at the NFL Combine

Tip-off on Saturday in Madison Square Garden against the Nittany Lions and Boilermakers is set for 4:30 p.m. ET. The game will air live on Big Ten Network. If Penn State can knock off Purdue, then it should be able to secure an NCAA bid regardless of what would happen in the championship game.