Bubble rooting interests: How Penn State Basketball makes postseason
By Evan Smith
Penn State Basketball will be keeping an eye on key games between bubble teams to help unlikely path to NCAA Tournament or secure an NIT bid
Coming off Penn State Basketball’s regular season finale victory at Maryland, Penn State, yes 10-13 Penn State, has a legitimate shot to play in the postseason.
According to one NIT Bracketologist, Penn State Basketball is the two seed in their most recent iteration of their NIT bracket. Remember, there are only 16 teams in this year’s NIT Tournament. When asked why Penn State so high, he stated:
"“Penn State made the decision even tougher on the selection committee, beating Maryland in College Park. Penn State gets Nebraska next, and a win shouldn’t change their outlook too much. Median simulation is they beat Nebraska, lose to Wisconsin and give the NIT committee a big headache by being entirely deserving but having a funky W-L record thanks to 1. the B1G being good, 2. the B1G scheduling a lot of games, 3. the Coronavirus chopping off part of the nonconference schedule.”"
This is the very argument Penn State Basketball fans have been making all year!
Penn State Basketball has a 34 KenPom ranking, one behind likely NCAA Tournament qualifier Rutgers, whom PSU beat head to head. Penn State is 40 in the NET ranking, two spots AHEAD of Virginia Tech, a top 25 and guarantee NCAA Tournament team, whom PSU also beat!
So is Penn State on “the NIT bubble”?
It likely depends on how the NIT Selection Committee will view teams with great metrics but a sub-.500 record.
Remember of course, with any type of normal non-conference schedule, PSU would have another six easy wins and stand at 16-13, virtually guaranteeing not just an NIT berth but likely an NCAA Tournament berth!
So, whether it’s the NIT bubble, which maybe the Nittany Lions are already in, or the NCAA Tournament bubble (think about this, PSU beats Nebraska, Wisconsin and Iowa, falls to Illinois, finishing at 13-14…)