Penn State Basketball weekend watch: How to root against the bubble

Penn State Nittany Lions forward John Harrar (Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports)
Penn State Nittany Lions forward John Harrar (Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports) /
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Looking up but not that far away from a NCAA Tournament bid, here’s a complete guide on who Penn State Basketball must root for, and root against this weekend.

First and foremost, Penn State Basketball hosts Nebraska Sunday (14th) at 3:00 pm

KenPom: 30 (Nebraska 125)

NET Rankings: 31 (Nebraska 166)

Last time out: Nebraska fell at home to #6 Illinois, 77-72 in OT.

About the Cornhuskers:

Nebraska had an even longer COVID-pause than the Nittany Lions did, and that’s why they played yesterday, play tomorrow and play again Tuesday.

The Cornhuskers are 4-12, but after paying Fred Hoiberg real B1G coaching money, expectations are high in Lincoln that he will turn the program around after their one tournament run with Tim Miles.

Analysis:

This is obviously a must win for the Lions, it’s the most important watch this weekend.

Penn State will probably be a seven or eight-point favorite at home, but this is no gimme game.

Nebraska gave Illinois a better run than PSU did (either time) and are just starting to gel coming out of their COVID-break.  My gut tells me this will be a much closer game than the metrics tell us.

I’ll take a one point win.

Here’s a deep dive into the games that impact Penn State Basketball the most this weekend, and who fans should root for — and against